Recorded with Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem, Lucero) in California, the album sees the band stripping down the expansive orchestration of 2009’s It’s Great To Be Alive and discovering what magic lurks at the core of Fake Problems’ collective psyche. “We wanted the album to be a little more subtle and let it speak for itself,” Farren explains when asked how found the act found the inspiration to craft a unique brand of music that manages to incorporate elements of infectious indie rock & roll and ‘60s girl groups—the latter of which is aided by crooning vocals courtesy of Fake Problems’ longtime friends/fans Arrested Development’s Mae Whiteman and Alia Shawkat.
Farren also acknowledges that Hutt helped the band realize their Phil Spector-esque wall of sound production style they had in their heads, which allowed them to transcend the DIY punk scene they grew up in without abandoning their roots. “In the past we would jam so many ideas into one song and it would just be too much,” Farren admits. “Ted helped us realize that while that approach is very creative, it’s wasn’t the best way to go about writing this record” he continues. “This album was a good exercise in restraint and filtering the ideas so we could make every good idea really count. “
From soul-inspired indie-rock experiments like “5678” and chilling compositions like “Ghost To Coast” to sparkling beach punk-inspired gems like “Complaint Dept,” Real Ghosts Caught On Tape effectively shows how Fake Problems have organically developed into one of rock’s most exciting acts and will undeniably see them attracting a whole new base of music fans who are looking for something in what they listen to that can’t be easily described or marketed. “The song ‘Complaint Dept’ was such a different thing for us to do because all of the guitar parts are so intricate and noodly,” Farren says when asked about some of his favorite moments on the album. “It was just so fun to be able to do that with our band because it’s surprising for a Fake Problems song, but it works for us.”
Real Ghosts Caught On Tape also sees Farren expanding his lyrical palette—and while he’s become well known for his theological imagery, this album sees Farren exploring himself more as opposed to any external deities. “There’s a theme in the lyrics of uncertainty,” he explains. “There’s an emphasis on fear, trying to persevere, not giving up hope and doing the best you can to stay positive,” he continues. “It’s more of a record about being yourself and living your own life than it is about any other person, concept or idea,” he summarizes. Although lines like “When I reach the pearly gates of hell, I’ll send those dimes back up the wishing well with a note tied to each that reads ‘Nobody’s listening.’” (from “Complaint Dept.”) still display Farren’s gift for wordplay and metaphor, “it’s more of a conversation than a sermon.”
That said, Real Ghosts Caught On Tape isn’t going to make Fake Problems an easy act to categorize—but that’s something that they wouldn’t change for the world. “Creatively we always molded our band from the beginning so that we’d be able to do anything and tour with anyone from Against Me! to William Elliott Whitmore to even the Dillinger Escape Plan,” Farren explains. “I think it’s kind of hard to slap our name on a sticker and recommend us if you like another band, but I think in the long term it’s definitely a blessing that we’re not pinpointed into one thing,” he continues. “We really don’t ever want to be that type of band.”
“Sometimes I dream of getting in my car and driving straight through the night,” vocalist Chris Farren croons on the intricately arranged ballad “Ghost To Coast.” Real Ghosts Caught On Tape is the perfect soundtrack to that journey from darkness to light, showcasing a band who have grown to new artistic heights lying on the other side of the horizon.
Fake Problems is an American rock band from Naples, Florida. They released their first album, How Far Our Bodies Go, on Sabot Productions on April 27, 2007. Their second record, It's Great to Be Alive, was released through Side One Dummy Records on February 17, 2009.
Growing up is never easy, but when you’re in a band it often seems impossible. Make the same record twice and you’re chastised for being repetitive, but if you make too large of a sonic shift your fan base will desert you. Luckily Naples, Florida’s Fake Problems have never had to deal with this dilemma because with each release they’ve not only organically reinvented their sound, they’ve also successfully redefined who they are as musicians and human beings in the process. The culmination of this is the band’s SideOneDummy debut It’s Great To Be Alive, which shows Fake Problems’ unique brand of indie rock finally shaking off the insecurity and soul-searching of adolescence and sees the band embracing a sense of perspective that can only be gained by spending countless months on the road touring, laughing and writing music they believe in.
In order to capture their creative vision for It’s Great To Be Alive the band packed up their van and headed to the cornfields of Omaha, Nebraska, where they spent two weeks tracking the album at ARC Studios with producer A.J. Mogis (Cursive, Rilo Kiley, The Faint). Although this might seem like an unconventional choice for a band who have toured with decidedly more aggressive peers such as Against Me! and the Riverboat Gamblers, Fake Problems were so prepared going into the studio they didn’t have to worry about getting bogged down with technicalities. “We knew exactly what order we wanted the record to be in and what auxiliary instruments we wanted to use on the songs,” Farren explains adding that Perry arranged the strings, Look Mexico’s Matt Agrella arranged the horns—and at one point the band even enlisted the help of a seven-piece horn section comprised of University of Nebraska students and teachers.
The result is an album that combines the band’s punk rock roots with elements of folk and indie rock to create a unique amalgam of music that’s as distinctive as Farren’s soulful tenor. “I’m definitely influenced by my musical surroundings, so there was never any decision to make ‘this’ or ‘that’ kind of song,” the band’s frontman explains, listing everyone from alt-country crooners like Ryan Adams to troubadours like Bob Dylan and rock revivalists such as the Hold Steady as influences this time around. “We write songs that we would want to hear from other artists,” he elaborates. “We make music that we want to listen to, so it just wouldn’t make sense to keep doing the same thing over and over again.
From the sinister shuffle of “You’re A Serpent, You’re a She-Snake” to orchestral ballads like “Tabernacle Song” and intricately layered anthems like “There Are Times,” It’s Great To Be Alive is less of a traditional album and more of a sonic journey that refuses to be limited by genre constraints.
Don't Worry Baby
Fake Problems Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They must have risen up from hell and hid underneath my bed
As soon as I laid myself to rest
Crawled into my brain
They're trying to drive me insane
But don't worry baby
I am holding on to the hope you give me when I'm home
So I complied with the demons and ripped my mouth off of my face
They said that thing is good for nothing
We got the food that you can taste
Son just sit here tightly we will return in a few days
Do exactly what I say
Don’t you ever resort to the fool that that they’ve made you
We know you have nightmares every night
Why don’t you give up? Come on and give up
We've picked a better life for you
But don't worry baby
I am holding on to the hope you give me when I'm home
Yeah don't worry baby
I wont let them take me
I know for a fact that they are wrong
Now it seems like so long ago but it was just yesterday
I was cursing everything I love
Throwing it away
Now the demons have left me and I gotta say
I don't feel so insane
The lyrics of Fake Problems’s song Don’t Worry Baby describe the struggle with inner demons that the singer battles whilst lying in bed at night. The demons are described as ‘sound in my head’ that are trying to drive him insane, and have apparently even ripped his mouth off of his face. The demons ask him to ‘do exactly what I say’, even though they say that they have ‘picked better life’ for him. However, the singer clings to hope that he feels when he is at home and is determined not to let the demons take him. He knows that they are wrong and that he is not insane.
This song touches on the topic of mental health, specifically depression and anxiety. The demons mentioned in the song represent the dark feelings that exist within the singer’s mind. The hope that the singer feels when at home signifies safety and familiarity. The demons are trying to persuade him to give up on his life and accept the life they have chosen for him. This could be interpreted as a warning to be wary of bad influences and to hold on to hope even in dark times.
Line by Line Meaning
Late last night I woke up to the sound of demons in my head
I was startled from my sleep by the tormenting thoughts taking over my mind.
They must have risen up from hell and hid underneath my bed
The destructive ideas in my head seem so sinister and malevolent that they must've come from the darkest corner of the world.
As soon as I laid myself to rest
As soon as I tried to sleep
Crawled into my brain
The demons' influence got inside my mind.
They're trying to drive me insane
They're trying to make me lose my sanity.
But don't worry baby
But don't be afraid, dear.
I am holding on to the hope you give me when I'm home
I am holding on to the hope that my loved one gives me when I'm not facing these demons alone.
So I complied with the demons and ripped my mouth off of my face
I gave in to the demons and silenced myself, letting them take over completely.
They said that thing is good for nothing
They convinced me that speaking up and speaking out is useless and futile.
We got the food that you can taste
We have everything you need to keep going, to keep surviving.
Son just sit here tightly we will return in a few days
Stay here and stay quiet for just a few days and we'll come back.
Do exactly what I say
Obey me without question.
Don’t you ever resort to the fool that that they’ve made you
Don't give in to the lies that they've convinced you are true.
We know you have nightmares every night
We know that you're plagued by fears and anxiety every time you fall asleep.
Why don’t you give up? Come on and give up
Why don't you just surrender and let us take over?
We've picked a better life for you
We've decided what's best for you and we will make sure you follow that path.
Yeah don't worry baby
Yes, don't be afraid, dear.
I wont let them take me
I won't let the demons take full control of me.
I know for a fact that they are wrong
I am certain that the demons' influence is wrong and I shouldn't give in to them.
Now it seems like so long ago but it was just yesterday
Although it feels like ages have passed, it was just yesterday when I was struggling.
I was cursing everything I love
I was feeling bitter and resentful towards everything that I cared about.
Throwing it away
I was giving up on everything that mattered to me.
Now the demons have left me and I gotta say
Now that the demons' influence has subsided, I have to admit
I don't feel so insane
I don't feel as mentally unstable as I did before.
Contributed by Tyler M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.