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break//neck 

“break//neck” was the first song to ever reveal itself to me when I began the writing phase for this project, which started about two years ago. It was always a short and simple idea but that allowed me to really dive into the lyricism and create a lot of deeper meaning within the lyrics. There’s a lot of references in that song that give a sneak peek into the project as a whole.

in my blood 

“in my blood” details my struggle with my self worth and trying to find meaning within my daily life. I struggle with meaning a lot. I think we all do. And “in my blood” is about exactly that. Metaphorically not knowing what your own blood is made out of or what you were made for. That’s something we all feel.

Phrygian

This song almost didn’t even make it on the record. It was the least put together and we were super pressed for time when we went into the studio, so it almost got cut. But writing it was easily the most fun because it’s a very simple song and it’s very similar to previous releases. Nearly ALL the lyrics were written the night before it was recorded.

Poison 

This is from the perspective of a betrayed lover; someone whose partner has been unloyal. Something about that perspective for me makes it very angry, and I like that the anger is so catchy in poison.

Take a breath 

The entire song is a metaphor for a car crash, and how an unhealthy mental landscape can negatively affect others. Similar to being the driver of a car filled with your friends and family and crashing it. It’s a metaphor I really enjoy - and writing it out really helped me through a tough time. We don’t always realize when we’re driving the people we care about around that their lives are in our hands (literally) - and I’ve always felt so bad for how my mental state could possibly affect the others around me. Depression and anxiety are a tough thing to go through but when the other people around you suffer because of it, it hurts a lot more.

Lights Out! 

“Lights Out!” incorporates sounds from dubstep, hip hop, and industrial rock. It’s a very simple song lyrically but I would encourage listeners to dig deeper into the sounds that make it up, there’s a lot of cool sounds hidden in the song from jaguars roaring to clocks ticking.

dead//sarah 

I write on the piano to start a lot of song ideas that later get transferred to guitar. But something about raw vocals and piano just allows me to become so truthful and initiate with the listener. “dead//sarah” is a calling to our community - it’s a calling to people saying “I need you more than you realize and I’m counting on you to make it to the end with me no matter what we have to face together” it may not be apparent, but these songs are my love and my therapy. I use them to dig myself out of the holes I make in my mind. “dead//sarah” is me coming clean about all that. It’s probably my favourite track.

Words by Tristen Jithan