Self Talk On the Making Of “Hypothetical Kids”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "Hypothetical Kids" and the story it tells?
I wrote “Hypothetical Kids” about a pretty scary and uncertain time in my life. My mum had breast cancer when I was younger. It was an aggressive one, and it had spread to quite a few of her lymph nodes, so there was a real chance that it would spread further and that she might not survive. I remember being beyond terrified at the thought of her dying, and of having to live the rest of my life without my mum. I just felt so unfinished, like there were all these things I needed to learn from her and experience with her. The song is just about all those fears and anxieties, and the way that I tried to deal with it.
Have you noticed any particular interpretations or connections that listeners have made with this song?
I think the sound of the song, the loudness and the energy, has been the thing that has drawn people into this one, not necessarily the meaning in the lyrics. It's a sad song but it’s wrapped up in this upbeat, catchy, fun package - I think that part is what people have connected with so far. It’s a pretty universal experience, the fear of loss, so I hope there’s someone out there who can connect with it when they need to.
How do you feel "Hypothetical Kids" represents your artistic identity?
It really captures our energy, and it's got all the elements that make our songs sound like us. It's got big guitars driving it, and these sad but sweet synth lines coming in and out. And there are lots of hooks, I think we're known for our catchy vocal melodies and earworms. Lyrically, I definitely tend to write pretty intimately about my own experiences and wear my heart on my sleeve, and this song is no different. But I think “Hypothetical Kids” shows that we do that while still giving you something to dance or jump around to. We're sad but fun.
Can you tell us more about you as a band?
We started writing together in 2014, and released our first song ‘Fist Fight’ in 2015. We’ve had a few lineup changes over the years, with different bass players and lead guitarists, but I feel like this current lineup feels good and will (hopefully!) be our final form.
The five of us have some pretty diverse musical influences, but we all have a history with emo/pop punk and I think that definitely comes through when we create music together. We love big guitars, big feelings and big choruses! Those pop-punk sensibilities have served us well - we’ve had the opportunity to play some pretty awesome shows, supporting bands like La Dispute, Iron Chic, Luca Brasi, and Slowly Slowly. We're pretty much just having a great time doing what we love, and feel incredibly lucky for it.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
We had a five-year gap between playing live - COVID and lockdowns kind of killed our momentum, and it's taken us a while to get back on track. But now that we're back here, we're not sure why it took us so long! Being on stage again, having people singing our songs back at us, is just the best. And then to have those people stick around to chat with us after shows? Amazing. There's nothing else like knowing people are connecting with what you're making. Just to have people interested in our music is such a privilege.
