"All in a days work," laughs Hicks, who spends most of his nights producing tracks after coming home from his day-time web programming job.
"I feel like musicians have gotten 'soft,'" he continues. "I'm constantly looking for a way to keep a listener's interest, and studying what it really means to have a good 'hook' and grab attention. I grew up listening to all types of music and was able to identify quickly what justified a solid sound. I hope that people hear that through my work."
The Resistance
Ascendant Stranger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The memories there were left
Implanted in my head
And the darkness that was spread
I can't say it was all for nothing
But I'm swimming in circles
And I can't touch the bottom
And here I am
In the fight again
Picturing
That it's not happening
Just keep imagining
The chains unraveling
Remembering
What it was to be
Another name another face
In this sea of grief
Not listening
To the voice inside my head
It screams my name to give me strength
To break through these chains
And here I am
In the fight again
Picturing
That it's not happening
Just keep imagining
The chains unraveling
Here it comes
Into my sight and then
3-2-1…
I close my eyes again
Just keep imagining
That it's not happening
The Resistance by Ascendant Stranger, is a song that explores a theme that is very relatable to many individuals. The lyrics describe the struggle of trying to forget painful memories that have been implanted in the head, and the lingering darkness as a result. The first verse sounds like the individual is struggling to move on from the memories despite their strong desire to forget. It is by finding ways to resist that the individual can move forward. The dark place this person is in weighs heavily on them, given the metaphorical description of swimming in circles, and not being able to touch the bottom. The song gives the impression that "it screams my name to give me strength," in the sense that the voice inside is encouraging the individual to keep moving forward.
As the song progresses, the chorus provides a glimmer of hope when picturing that the chains of pain and hurt are unraveling. The individual reflects on what it was like to be someone else, another face in a sea of grief. And even in the midst of the internal struggle, there’s a sense of hope as the individual feels a sense of relief when imagining the chains coming undone. In the end, the song characterizes the struggle with the repetition of the phrase, "just keep imagining that it's not happening."
Line by Line Meaning
I tried to forget
I attempted to erase the memories that have been left implanted in my head and to forget the darkness that I was exposed to.
The memories there were left
The recollections that remain after being exposed to situations of darkness and difficulty.
Implanted in my head
The memories are so deep-rooted that they seem to have been embedded into my mind.
And the darkness that was spread
The atmosphere of negativity that surrounded me.
I can't say it was all for nothing
I can't fully deny the significance of what I've been through.
But I'm swimming in circles
Despite the value of what happened, I feel like I'm stuck in a never-ending cycle of similar events.
And I can't touch the bottom
I can't find a way to escape the cycle and reach a stable point.
And here I am
I find myself back in the same position.
In the fight again
I'm challenging the same struggles once more.
Picturing
I'm imagining that the current situation isn't happening.
That it's not happening
I'm attempting to dissociate myself from the situation and view it from an outside perspective.
Just keep imagining
I continue to try and detach myself from the situation.
The chains unraveling
I envision my struggles fading away and me becoming free of them.
Remembering
Recalling memories of a past when things were different.
What it was to be
The experience of being someone else entirely.
Another name another face
Being someone completely distinct from who I am currently.
In this sea of grief
Existing in a world of pain and misery.
Not listening
Failing to take into account.
To the voice inside my head
Ignoring the guidance that comes from within me.
It screams my name to give me strength
It's a source of inspiration that's screaming out to me and hoping to give me courage.
To break through these chains
To finally put an end to these struggles and find a way to escape them.
Here it comes
The struggle is incoming.
Into my sight and then
I can see it approaching.
3-2-1…
I'm counting down to the moment when I will have to face the struggle head-on.
I close my eyes again
I attempt to dissociate from the situation and view it from an outside perspective once more.
Just keep imagining
I continue to try and detach myself from the situation.
That it's not happening
I imagine that the struggle isn't occurring and try to view it as a distant event.
Contributed by Sadie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.