Philly rockers Neverkept recently released their new single and video "Vertigo" from their forthcoming album and to celebrate we asked bassist Neale DiMento to tell us about the track. "Here is the story:
Normally the prospect of being singled out is met with unmitigated crippling fear and someone starts crying. Not me though, nope, definitely not me. Anyway, I would love to talk about our new single, "Vertigo". There is a message of facing fears and taking chances in the song that we all resonate with as a group. "Vertigo" was written, sonically, as something like a tribute to our older roots in pop/punk music. It's a nostalgic track with modern feel and, honestly, there's probably a metaphor in that alone if you look hard enough. We had a ton of fun putting this one together in the studio, we tried recording it a couple of different ways but ultimately this was the version we decided on. It captures our energy really well, I think. As a band, we all collectively move a lot on stage and have a pretty engaging performance atmosphere. "Vertigo" is that uppercut in our set that we all look forward to playing to get everyone moving.
With all of that being said, we would have been bonkers not to film a music video for a song we felt so strong about. You can find the video on YouTube, it's an outstanding video directed by Charlie Anderson about two people taking a literal and proverbial leap of faith but also being met with tragedy. Charlie had a really great idea to really wrap the core concept of "Vertigo" up with a bow. It has a darker theme than the actual song itself, which we were on board with because the juxtaposition makes for a really great visual/listening experience. It's a double-helix of "feel good moment met with realistic disaster" that we really feel will have you wanting to watch it a few times to make sure you really caught everything. Again, you can find "Vertigo" on YouTube so be sure to check it out after you're done reading this Pulitzer Prize contender of an article.
Now, the reason we are all here to begin with, the entree, the main event, the (drum roll, please) ... L Y R I C A L C O N T E N T ! ! !
"Vertigo" is a song that was written as an anthem to raise your fear-fighting-flag to. Collectively, as a band, we have all taken a huge chance to try and make it big and live the dream of having a career in music and exploring the world. It's something I've thought about non-stop for almost 15 years. That isn't a joke, I'm obsessed with it, it's an outstanding feeling being out there on the road playing music and meeting people who want to help you out. It is life altering in every single sense of the phrase. Lyrically "Vertigo" can be applied to anything related to summoning the courage to take a gamble and change your life. Being in a touring band takes a lot of sacrifices. We miss out on a lot and, unfortunately, lose touch with people and places sometimes due to that. That fear of losing familiarity with your personal bubble is something that we all fought, armed with nothing but a safety pin and a will to use, we popped those bubbles and took the risk of trying to make this band happen. I do not regret a second of it. The message we wanted to put out to the world with "Vertigo" was that it is okay to be afraid of change but you have to use that fear to drive you into change as well. It is so easy to fall into routine and get comfortable, we challenge you to take a risk and roll the dice on something you are passionate about. Maybe you deal with fear a lot, maybe you have trouble going places by yourself or making friends, maybe you want to ask that person out but don't know how to break the ice, maybe you're afraid to go play that song at an open mic night, maybe you get nervous on airplanes ... okay, you get the idea. All that I am saying is that all of these things are conquerable, I promise you! I deal with or dealt with a lot of those issues, and yes it was worth it and yes I fell on my face, but at the end of the day you will learn that people respect a person who takes a shot. Do it for yourself, first and foremost, always.
Everything else will fall into place. We wrote "Vertigo" on that principle, we want to see people stomping out the things that scare them! We hope this song inspires you in the same way that you all inspire us to keep going.
Be sure to check out "Vertigo" on YouTube, and follow us on Instagram (@neverkeptofficial) and Twitter (@Neverkept) to stay up to date with us!
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself here and learn more about the group right here!
Copyright 2023 Iconoclast Entertainment Group All rights reserved.