Singled Out: Forrest Day's Hyperactive

I was walking home from the bar one night when that beat popped in my head. I started bouncing to it, and that's when the bass-line came to me. So I ran home to my Korg Triton and programmed what was in my head, and started singing and rapping over it. I was really fascinated by the beat and all the possibilities for vocal rhythms. It has this kind of Indian charm mixed with hip-hop and rock.

I somehow started writing lyrics about our hyperactive minds. Specifically mine. It's also about trying to keep all those voices in my head quiet when I'm trying to focus, but giving in sometimes because it's so fun to get swept away. I also talk about how underneath my exterior is one of the craziest people you know, and how I like that little secret. I think a lot of people can relate to this. We are all freaks underneath it all, and if you deny it, then I'm worried about you, maybe even afraid of you.

Recording it was really cool, we recorded real strings and saxophones. My favorite thing about the recording is the sample of my mom talking about the day I was born. I had my buddy call her on speakerphone and ask her to describe the day of my birth, and she had no idea she was being recorded. So we got a really sweet, candid take on it. And it happened to fit perfectly in the space of the song I wanted it in. I'll always love this song for that moment. I also really feel the ending section. It gets real soulful and stripped down. I think that resolve is important in the song, it's hopeful and it makes me feel like I do when I'm the most at peace. It makes singing "hyperactive mind" that more meaningful because in peaceful moments like that you realize just how busy your mind really is, and how scattered and crazy your day to day really is.