There's this song we wrote called "(Hard Drugs) Fake Love." Kind of speaks for itself right? Well if you can't figure it out for yourself, then I'll just tell you myself. There are three main components that make up this song. A high guitar riff, an unstable mindset, and a band willing to travel as far as 5 hours to meet up with each other and make what we hope will turn into songs. I remember while writing these lyrics, I was also pulling from many other drafts of lyrical content I had written while being in a state of intoxication, the comedown, or major depression based off of running from problems I thought I couldn't handle by fitting myself with a crowd that's all about clich�s, getting f***ed up, and ultimately faking each other out to get what they want. I took a more manipulative feeling towards a scene I had found myself attached to for too long.

That being said, this was probably the first time in any band I've ever been a part of that I wasn't a prominent part in writing the instrumentation before placing my vocal ideas over the top. Jesse (lead guitarist) brought a rather glossy yet tinted vibe to the lead guitar riff in the song which paved the foundation for the beat, the snaps, and the "lean with it, rock with it" vibe the song gives off. My approach was a little different than normal and a bit more frustrating. After a few days of sitting with the material I was able to muster up some rough vocal ideas (that ended up being the first and final take, the take you're listening to on the song today) and recorded them while being intoxicated in the vocal booth. At the time, I thought "(Hard Drugs) Fake Love" was just an album filler at best. Little did the guys and I know that the song would generate a LOT of interest in our band as a whole. We soon followed this up with a music video waiting to be released and offers to play it on the radio which was and has been a very cool experience all over the West coast.

I guess it just goes to show that no matter what you're writing, have a blast doing it, know no bounds, and make sure the arrangement you go with feels right because if you think too much, your singles will become fillers or perhaps never even make the album your working so hard on. Just relax... it's a tactic I have spent much time learning and have struggled to perfect, being the rather spastic writer I am when in the studio juggling all my different ideas. "(Hard Drugs) Fake Love" definitely taught me to calm down and just go with the flow and since then, it's been a trademark to how I approach new material and how I convey what I'm feeling lyrically.