Shine On, Dexter Freebish’s first full length album in over six years, explores new sonic territory and builds on the hook laden songs of previous releases. While creating Shine On, the band was inspired by 808 drum machines, beat up synths, and their I-phone apps. Produced by The Singularity, the album ranges from the dance, heavy beat influenced “Wide Awake,” to the rock anthem “Do You Want To.” They also collaborated with Greg Wells (Katy Perry, One Republic) on the song “Save the Last Dance.”
Dexter Freebish acknowledges the power of predestination and how it had a hand in them becoming a band. “I was just looking in the Austin Chronicle and had never been in a band or called an ad,” recalls lead singer Kyle. “At the time I wasn’t really a singer except for in school chorus, though I kept notebooks of lyrics. I saw an ad that read: “Singer Wanted. Influences Bono and Sting,” and I said, “what the heck and called, and because of reading the ad I met Chris Lowe (bass, keyboards, programming) and Scott Romig (guitars, programming) and Rob Schilz (drums.) It was the first ad I ever called and it’s still the only band I’ve ever been in.”
Their determination led to “Leaving Town,” Dexter Freebish’s 1999 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Year (picked from 27,000 entries), which led to a record deal with Capitol Records for the band’s 2000 full-length debut A Life of Saturdays. After exuberantly received radio play (for “Leaving Town” and “My Madonna”), heavy video play on VH1 and MTV2, and enthusiastic tours both domestic and abroad, Dexter Freebish and Capitol Records experienced a regime change that would not allow the band to obtain the attention they deserved and both parties decided to part ways.
This set-back proved to strengthen Dexter Freebish’s resolve, and the believed this was fate’s way of telling them to independently release their 2004 sophomore album, Tripped Into Divine. Pressed by producer Matthew Wilder (No Doubt) Tripped Into Divine bridged the gap between the wide-eyed wonder of unbridled youth and the contemplative fortitude of experience. The single on this album was the fan-favorite, “Prozak,” which went on to win Rock Song of the Year in 2004 in the John Lennon Songwriting contest.
After touring the world to promote Tripped Into Divine, the band decided to go on permanent hiatus in 2005. “We all needed to do other things for a while,” says Lowe. He adds, “We never officially broke up and have all remained friends. But I can honestly say, there was never any hint that we would ever put out another Dexter Freebish record. We were pretty much done.”
In early 2008, the band decided, on a whim, to play a couple of shows throughout Texas. “It just felt right playing together again,” says Romig. “Soon after that, we started writing and recording some new songs.” One of those new songs captured the attention of Electronic Arts, garnering the band’s song “The Other Side,” a spot in the Sims 3 video game.
Steve Schnur, President of Electronic Art’s Publishing Company, Artwerk, comments, “I was in awe of the talent that Dexter Freebish exemplified when I first signed them to a record deal and these feelings have not changed. Ten years ago, I signed them to Capitol Records because of their incredible songwriting and performance abilities and ten years later I’m still working with them for the exact same reasons. The songs that they write are timeless.”
Lowe comments, “It’s crazy to look back to the days when we were on Capitol and how much money the labels would waste to record albums. With modern technology, it is so much easier and cheaper to record an album these days.” Romig adds, “We laugh because recording and mixing this new album cost less than 1/2% of our budget for the albums we made on Capitol. This is a great thing for independent artists and brings power to the people.”
Heavy
Dexter Freebish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hear your voice, it's like an earthquake
Far from home again
Adrift in my world
Well the years that I knew you
Were the heaviest by far
And there's things that I outgrew
Words rained down, felt like a bomb blast
World caved in, buried in regret
Swept away again
Only to return
Well the years that I knew you
Were the heaviest by far
And there's things that I outgrew
But never got resolved
Two worlds collide
But can we live this lie
The farther away I fly
You know I still can't hide
Because the years that I knew you
Were the heaviest by far
And there's things that I outgrew
But never got resolved
Yeah the fears that I once knew
Appear like yesterday
And the walls that I once raised
Grow higher every day
Well the years that I knew you
Were the heaviest by far
In Dexter Freebish's song "Heavy," the singer seems to be struggling with the weight of their past and the ways it continues to impact their present. The opening lines describe the sound of a telephone ringing as resembling a siren and hearing the voice on the other end as feeling like an earthquake. This sense of chaos and instability is reinforced by the feeling of being "adrift in my world" - a sense of not having a solid grounding or anchor in life.
As the song continues, it becomes clear that the heaviest years referred to in the chorus are those spent with someone else who has since become absent from the singer's life. There are things that were left unresolved and still weigh heavily on them - "words rained down, felt like a bomb blast / world caved in, buried in regret." Despite being "swept away" and trying to escape, the singer still feels unable to hide from the memories and emotions connected to this person from the past.
The bridge of the song introduces the idea that two worlds have collided but the singer questions whether they can continue living a lie in order to maintain the illusion of stability. It seems that the fear and pain of the past are causing the singer to erect walls and feel cut off from the world around them - something that grows harder every day. The song ends by repeating the idea that the years spent with this person were the heaviest by far and referencing the continuing impact of these unresolved issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Telephone, sounds like a siren
Hearing from you is alarming and distressful, like a warning sound of imminent danger.
Hear your voice, it's like an earthquake
Your voice shakes and disrupts my world, leaving me feeling unstable and vulnerable.
Far from home again
I'm once again in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place, both physically and emotionally.
Adrift in my world
I feel lost and aimless, without a clear sense of direction or purpose.
Well the years that I knew you
Were the heaviest by far
And there's things that I outgrew
But never got resolved
The time I spent with you was burdened with intense emotional weight, and while I've moved on from certain things, others remain unresolved and continue to hold me back.
Words rained down, felt like a bomb blast
World caved in, buried in regret
Swept away again
Only to return
Your words had a destructive impact on me, sending me spiraling into regret and despair. While I initially tried to distance myself, I find myself coming back to the same pain and disappointment.
Two worlds collide
But can we live this lie
The farther away I fly
You know I still can't hide
Our two worlds and realities clash and cannot coexist harmoniously, yet I still struggle to escape your grip even when I physically distance myself from you.
Yeah the fears that I once knew
Appear like yesterday
And the walls that I once raised
Grow higher every day
The fears and insecurities I felt in the past still haunt me, and I find myself constantly raising my guard and distancing myself from others as a result.
Well the years that I knew you
Were the heaviest by far
Overall, the years I spent with you were the most taxing and burdensome of my life, and continue to impact me to this day.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHARLES COLIN, CHARLIE COLIN, PAT MONAHAN, JAMES STAFFORD, JAMES W STAFFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind