“Step Back” by Vanderlye

 

     As a general rule, Indie Obsessive is not interested in conducting band interviews. No one on the staff claims to have interviewing skills. But an exception to the general rule is Vanderlye. We have questions on the process of writing their song “Step Back.” Most significantly: Did the song begin with writing the driving guitar, with the lyrics and vocal melody taking shape to comfortably fit with the instrumental energy?
 
     Vanderlye is a band from Glasgow, Scotland. They can be fairly described as a guitar-based group “with politically charged lyrics and atmospheric soundscapes." They have the advantage of having both male and female lead vocalists. The members are Sean McGarvey (guitar, vocals), Becky Clarke (bass, vocals), Jamie Morrison (drums), Calum Steel (guitar, production), and Jonathan Meagher (bass).
 
     “Step Back” by Vanderlye

Website: https://vanderlyemusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanderlye

Lyrics of “Step Back” by Vanderlye
Step back
Step away from your TV
It’s distorted reality
 
Step back
Step away from our computer screen
It’s negative energy
 
Don’t believe the truth
Don’t believe the truth
It’s constructed in such a way to mislead you
For you to turn on the abject face
 
Send the immigrants back they say
They’re the ones cappin’ your wage
Whilst their corporate friends will be protected from the cradle to the grave
 
Step back
Step away from Tory schemes
Don’t buy into trickle-down pipe dreams
 
The Daily Express
The Daily Mail
Directing your moves
Dictating your moods
How you think, how you feel
How you bow, how you kneel
Tellin’ you what’s real
Well what is real?
 
Don’t believe the truth
Don’t believe the truth
[Repeating]

Optimism – “Maybe the Best Is Now” by Judah & The Lion

 

     In Rock and Pop histories, there have been numerous songs that advise us to “seize the day.” Bobby McFerrin’s catchy "Don't Worry, Be Happy" encourages listeners to choose happiness over fretting about the past or the future. In 2017, Portugal. The Man released "Live in the Moment," a call to let go of the past and fully appreciate the present. Five years prior, American Authors sang about escaping the reality of a terrible job or other unpleasant situation by deciding this is gonna be the “Best Day of My Life.”
 
     Far rarer are songs that embrace the possibility that we are at the pinnacle of circumstances that lead to our enjoyment of life. The past may glow with nostalgia, and the future may shimmer with promise, yet neither is destined to outshine the wonder of the present. In 2014, Pinkzebra proclaimed "These Are the Best Days." Turning from Pop to Chamber Rock, Cloud Cult released “The Best Time,” which includes the wish “All I want is to be a better man, who could see that this might be the best part of my life.” That 2022 Cloud Cult song is included in this post.
 
     Now, Judah & The Lion share “Maybe The Best Is Now.” The members of the band are Judah Akers (vocals, guitar) and Brian MacDonald (mandolin, vocals). The full lyrics are included below, but our favorite sentiment is, “The lights go up and the curtain goes down // Take it all in and look around // Wow, maybe the best is now.”
 
     Maybe The Best Is Now” by Judah & The Lion

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judahandthelion
Website: https://judahandthelion.com/

Lyrics of Maybe The Best Is Now” by Judah & The Lion
I wanna rock, I wanna roll
'Til I wake up my soul
The lights go up and the curtain goes down
Take it all in and look around
Maybe the best is
 
Can't go back and change the time
Got no button to press rewind
All sales final, no refund line
Can't look too far up ahead
She read the lines in the palm of my hand
Still can't make sense of what she said
 
So I'm gonna rock, I'm gonna roll
'Til I wake up my soul
The lights go up and the curtain goes down
Take it all in and look around
Wow, maybe the best is now
 
Wow, maybe the best is now
 
What if Heaven is a place not far away
The world is what we choose to create
Maybe the end's just that part
Where we all get to restart
 
So I'm gonna rock, I'm gonna roll
'Til I wake up my soul
The lights go up and the curtain goes down
Take it all in and look around
Wow, maybe the best is now
 
Wow, maybe the best is now
Wow, maybe the best is now
 
What if Heaven is a place not far away
The world is what we choose to create, ah
And maybe the end's just that part
Where we all get to restart
(I'm gonna rock, I'm gonna roll)
('Til I wake up my soul)
 
The lights go up and the curtain goes down
Take it all in and look around
Wow
 
Wow, maybe the best is now
Wow, maybe the best is now
Wow, maybe the best is now
Wow

     “The Best Time” from “Metamorphosis” by Cloud Cult

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloudCultMusic
Website: https://www.cloudcult.com/
Bandcamp: https://cloudcult.bandcamp.com/
 
Lyrics of “Best Time” by Cloud Cult
It’s a perfect day to remind myself to feel
I’m always busy pushing rocks uphill
With a pillowcase over my head
Couldn’t see that this might be the best time of my life
 
I try to cover up my mental health
But the truth is, I’m not well
Round and round, here I go again
Couldn’t see that this might be the best time of my life
 
And I never meant to take you for granted
Habit is the enemy of presence
But the days, they all just started getting blurry on me
 
It’s a perfect day to get out of my head
Probably be okay with where I am
All I want is to be a better man
Who could see that this might be the best part of my life
 
But I got mind that’s putting me through hell
I’m a wooden pony on a carousel
Round and round, here I go again

And I never meant to take you for granted
Habit is the enemy of presence
But the days, they all just started getting blurry on me
 
It’s a perfect day to finally break the spell
Get me off this carousel
I need help to be a better man
I need to beat it cause this might be the best time of my life
I need to see it like this might be the best time of my life

“Hear You Say” by Brigade

 

     The vocals possess a calming tenderness, belying the depth of emotion and the gravity of the realization that it’s a pivot point in a cherished relationship. He pleads, “I just wanna hear you say, through it all that you'll stay.” Northern Ireland’s Brigade explains, "Hear You Say" captures that moment when you're desperately looking for signs that someone still feels the same way, but every conversation seems to leave you with more questions than answers. It's a song about distance, doubt, and the things we wish people would say out loud. The most telling verse identifies significant circumstances behind the relationship issues:

There's a baby in her belly

But she still feels empty

Crying on the bedroom floor

She said it's hard to feel pretty

When we’re counting every penny

And she can't do this anymore

 
     The start of "Hear You Say" is reminiscent of a song that continues to be a personal favorite from 2014 – “Looking Too Closely” by Fink. While the melodies are undeniably different, both songs begin with instrumentation that builds tension before a graceful power in a piano line relaxes that tension. When the vocals join, they carry a comforting warmth that contrasts elegantly with the gravity of the lyrical subject matter. Among the differences between the two songs, Brigade later adds backing vocals (Madi McCullough and Barry Locke) that meaningfully enhance the emotion of "Hear You Say."

 
     Regarding the band:
  Brigade are a band from Bangor, Northern Ireland consisting of Mel Browne (vocals, guitar) and Jack Stoops (bass) - two lifelong friends making the type of music they both grew up loving. They were later joined by Andrew Armstrong on lead guitar and Zac Carlisle on drums to round out the line up. Browne and Stoops look to draw upon the tradition of exciting artists hailing from their hometown such as Snow Patrol, Two Door Cinema Club, and Foy Vance. Inspired by a wide range of influences like Manchester Orchestra, The War On Drugs, and Jimmy Eat World, Brigade blends soaring melodies, honest lyrics, massive guitars and a bunch of heart into songs about life, love, loss, and everything in between.

 

     “Hear You Say” by Brigade

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brigade_ni/

Bandcamp: https://brigadeni.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Hear You Say” by Brigade
I thought I knew what love is
But it damn sure ain't this
Pick myself up off the floor

You'll never find another man who
Will ever love you like I do
But I can't do this anymore
 

There’s a hole in my chest
From trying my best
But my best ain’t good enough
The years of pain and violence
Just brought us shame and silence
And I know that it’s been rough

 
I just wanna hear you say
Through it all that you'll stay
Even when our world is shaking
Even though our hearts are breaking
I just wanna hear you say
 
There's a baby in her belly
But she still feels empty
Crying on the bedroom floor
She said it's hard to feel pretty
When we’re counting every penny
And she can't do this anymore
 
Late night coffee in the kitchen
We both know this ain't living
And all these thoughts that I can’t shake
Take yourself off to bed
Leave me with the thoughts in my head
Cause they're keeping me awake
 
[Dream-like vocals]
 
There's blood on my gums
From biting my tongue
Chewing on the words I have for you
Cause you don't want me
But I still want you
Even after all that we've been through
 
I just wanna hear you say
Through it all that you'll stay
Even when our world is shakin’
Even though our hearts are breakin’
I just wanna hear you say
I just wanna hear you say