Singled Out: Pierce Alexander's Too Real

Keavin Wiggins | 02-17-2022

Album cover art

Pierce Alexander just released his new album "The Minutehand" and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about one of the tracks, he selected "Too Real". Here is the story:

When I wrote "Too Real", I was going through a phase in my life where I was working several jobs and the crazy schedule left me little to no time for anything creative or meaningful. I felt like I was losing my sense of self expression and the feeling slowly began to eat away at me. I would attempt to make time for the things I wanted but I was always so worn out by the time work was over that it never felt right.

As the frustration began to build up, and day by day I'd drink more caffeine to try and counteract the dips in energy, I began to feel like I was going to explode. One day, when work was slow, I finally caught a break and was able to leave early. As soon as I got home, I felt the weight of it all starting to hit me and I quickly picked up my guitar. Something about tuning down seemed to fit the way I was feeling: brooding and distressed. I remember coming up with the opening riff with caffeine running through my veins, and making the decision to increase the tempo until it seemed to match the urgency I felt.

The lyrics came to me faster than probably almost any song I'd ever written, and they were practically just a stream of consciousness from that day. When I stopped doing the things I love, I started to see myself in less of a positive light and even when people would try to make me laugh and joke, it all just felt "too real" for me to let myself enjoy the moment. I think the song encapsulates a feeling that everyone goes through at least once, when they have to set aside their ambitions for a while. Thankfully, it ended up being pretty short lived.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the album, see his upcoming live dates and more here