[Press Release - 5.11.2010]
For fans of Jimmy Eat World and Death Cab fo… Read Full Bio ↴[Press Release - 5.11.2010]
For fans of Jimmy Eat World and Death Cab for Cutie

The debut full-length album from Los Angeles based indie/rock group Act As If, entitled “There’s a Light,” is now available on iTunes, Amazon mp3, Lala, and Zune.

The band’s singer/songwriter Peter Verdell wrote and produced the 11-song album, and also performed all drums, guitars, piano, synths and vocals. The album was mixed by Nick Baumhardt (of The Class of 98 [The Militia Group], Thousand Foot Krutch [Tooth and Nail], and FM Static [Tooth and Nail]), and mastered by Troy Glessner (Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro the Lion).

The band is currently unsigned.

[Full Bio]
After self-recording and releasing Act As If’s first EP in 2006, frontman Peter Verdell spent some time running the gamut of singer/songwriter ups and downs.

Needing new breath, he quit his job as A&R assistant at Drive-Thru Records in 2007, began retaking music classes at a community college, and temporarily traded Los Angeles for Chicago in 2008 to drum and tour with friend/musician Andrew Ripp. In the fall of that year, Verdell made the decision to move back to LA and refocus on Act As If.

By the spring of 2009, the band had recorded and self-released a limited edition 5-song EP (“More Birds with Fewer Stones”) for a west coast acoustic tour with Stacy Clark (Shangri-La/Vanguard Records). In June, Act As If began tracking 11 new songs that would become their debut full-length album, “There’s a Light”.

The sonic result of “There’s a Light” is most easily described as a mix of Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Eat World. Verdell performed all the drums, guitars, pianos, synths, and vocals, while band mate Derrick Wong performed bass. The album was self-produced, mixed by Nick Baumhardt (of The Class of 98 [The Militia Group], Thousand Foot Krutch [Tooth and Nail], and FM Static [Tooth and Nail]), and mastered by Troy Glessner (Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro the Lion).

Recent activity has found Act As If playing such notable LA venues as The Troubadour, and with esteemed bands including The Daylights [Epic/Sony], Everybody Else [The Militia Group], The Higher [Epitaph], Barcelona [Universal], and Stacy Clark [Shangri-La/Vanguard]. A song from their self-titled EP, “Please Catch Up,” was licensed for a primetime ABC reality show entitled “Greg Behrendt’s Wake Up Call.”

L.A. Kid
Act As If Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You were an L.A kid
You were fighting hard
You didn't need no one
To set you apart
Darkness had my days
But you got in the way
You say you lost your heart
And the lights went on

Cause when you saw me
It was gone
It was gone
It was gone
Yeah
You were a late night kid
You spoke in dreams
You never needed someone
To set you free
Yeah Yeah
You took me by surprise
And stars fell from the sky
You say you lost your heart
And the lights went on
Cause when you saw me
It was gone
It was gone
It was gone
And now that I
I've got you here
My days are long
But you know when
I'm coming home
Coming home
Coming home
Yeah Home
Whoa
Yeah Home
Whoa
I know I lost my heart
And the lights went on
But when I saw you
It was gone
It was gone
It was gone
And now that I
I've got you here
My days re long
But you know when I'm coming home
Coming home
Coming home
Coming home
Coming home

Coming home
Yeah

Overall Meaning

The song "L.A. Kid" by Act As If is a romantic track that speaks of the singer's love for an L.A kid who had a tough exterior but a vulnerable heart. The song opens with the singer acknowledging the strength and determination of the subject, who was fighting hard to make it in the city. The L.A kid didn't need anyone to set them apart, and the darkness of the singer's days was lifted when the L.A kid came into their life. The singer notes that the L.A kid had lost their heart, and the lights went on when they met.

As the song continues, the singer describes the L.A kid as a late-night kid who spoke in dreams and never needed anyone to set them free. The singer was taken by surprise when the L.A kid entered their life, and stars fell from the sky. The L.A kid had lost their heart, and the lights went on when they met, indicating that they found something to believe in. The song expresses the singer's happiness in having the L.A kid in their life as it brings them home.

Overall, the song speaks about love and finding someone who makes a difference in life. The L.A kid is an inspiration and brings light to the singer's life. The song is a beautiful tribute to a person who lifts the spirits of others, and their love brings them home.

Line by Line Meaning

You were an L.A kid
You grew up in Los Angeles

You were fighting hard
You were struggling and fighting to succeed

You didn't need no one
You were independent and self-sufficient

To set you apart
You were already unique and special on your own

Darkness had my days
My life used to be full of darkness and misery

But you got in the way
But you came into my life unexpectedly and changed everything

You say you lost your heart
You claim to have lost your emotional and romantic feelings

And the lights went on
But when I met you, I felt alive and hopeful

Cause when you saw me
Because when you met me

It was gone
Your lost heart and negative feelings disappeared

You were a late night kid
You were a nocturnal person staying up late at night