Halestorm and Lit Stars Releasing Debut KemikalFire Single

04-13-2023

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(The Itch Rock Podcast) During an appearance on The Itch Rock Podcast, Arejay Hale of Halestorm and Taylor Carroll of Lit revealed the names and details of the debut releases from their new project KemikalFire, including the track "Dead and Gone," which is scheduled for release this Friday, April 14th.

"I think that 'Dead and Gone' is one that just wrote itself," Hale said when asked about a song they're particularly proud to have written. "It was something that Taylor and I had been holding on to but were maybe too afraid to touch on when we got in a creative songwriting space. 'Cause we were just like, 'Well that sounds kind of conceited.' But no, that's a real human thought. 'How am I gonna be remembered when I die, and am I gonna die satisfied?' It's the most beautiful experience when you start writing a song and the song starts writing itself and you're just chasing it. And that's what that song felt like."

"(Producer and co-writer Scott Stevens) and Arejay and myself wrote 'Dead and Gone,'" added Carroll. "And the way we (write) is that one of us has a concept and Scott helps us put together the puzzle pieces. He coaches us where we need to go, like, 'Do you really mean that, what you're saying?' And we'll challenge each other on that too. It's kind of a cool process that we have."

Hale noted that this additional focus is crucial to their songwriting. "When we first started we were like, 'We need a line that means this and rhymes with this, how about this?' 'OK, sure.' Now ... you have to peel back the layers, like, 'Is that particular word really saying what we're trying to say?' I think you can feel that, when something is just a placeholder. The songs we're writing now, we're finally at a really scrutinous level. And Scott is a huge help, because he's the same way."
"I feel sorry for Scott when we go into the studio," Carroll laughed. "Imagine that you're trying to produce and create something for this new band and this tornado just comes running up your stairs."

Hale quickly agreed. "It's like in the movie Twister. Like, 'We got sisters!' Two tornadoes swirling around him all day. 'Another cow!'"

"I guarantee you that guy has to boil three pots of coffee every morning just to work with us," Carroll joked. "Another cool thing about Arejay and Scott and myself working together is ... we're still high school dorks, clinging to each other at our cafeteria table creating this music together. We all understand what it's like to be the underdog. And I, from the beginning, wanted to write music for the underdog. Especially for people who think that they can't, or that they're too old or broken or stuck or stagnant or addicted ... We just wanted to be those people who say, 'Hey, dude, we're the same exact way, but check this out: you can still create your own outlet.'"

"And this song we just wrote this week is touching on a really personal thing in our relationships, in our love lives," Hale added.

"There's a song that we haven't released that we eventually will that's about relationship stuff ... like when you're heading down a bad path and then somebody comes into your life and helps you see where you're at and how destructive it can be. It's called 'Grave.' It'll see the light of day eventually, after a couple songs. That's another one I'm super proud of." Carroll paused for a moment before adding, with a smile, "I just love writing songs, man."

Stream the episode here.