Returning to helm the project is producer Ian Eskelin (All Star United), who also shepherded Stellar Kart’s breakthrough sophomore album, We Can’t Stand Sitting Down. That CD yielded the No. 1 hit, “Me And Jesus,” which also earned the band its first Dove Award for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. “Content, content, content,” Eskelin declares. “The music is awesome, the energy is off the charts, but what sets Stellar Kart head and shoulders above the vast majority of its contemporaries is content. These guys are not afraid to say what they believe, straight up, without trying to couch it in some namby-pamby metaphor.”
“We are all fans of different kinds of music, and a lot of times we find ourselves listening to songs that we love, but the message is just terrible,” frontman Agee explains. “We talk with kids after concerts and are always hearing from youth leaders about the issues facing teens today. We wanted to write songs that would address such topics and encourage kids to expect God to work in their daily lives. That is what we have been about from day one. That is what we are still about.”
When Adam, along with bandmates Cody Pellerin (guitar), Jordan Messer (drums), and Brian Calcara (bass) hit the studio, Eskelin’s frenetic energy ignited Stellar Kart’s powder keg of creativity. The result is an explosion of new music chock full of pop melodies, catchy choruses, and singable lyrics.
If it is true that first impressions are the most important, Stellar Kart goes for broke on its first radio single: the blazing, no-holds-barred confessional, “Jesus Loves You.” An impassioned song about conviction and redemption, it cuts through the comfortable shades of gray with an unabashed declaration that “Jesus Loves You,” whether you believe it or not.
“The reason I do what I do now is because of what I didn’t do when I was younger,” Adam explains of the song’s bold lyrics. “I grew up in church; my dad was a pastor. I accepted the Truth at an early age, but I was a kid just trying to get by. I didn’t really do anything with my faith until I got to college. That was when I started to realize there was more to life than just getting by.”
“The bottom line is, we are not doing this just to make music. We want people’s lives to be changed,” Brian interjects.
Stellar Kart proves it can thrive in a broad range of musical realms as Expect the Impossible sustains its momentum with tracks like the classic rock anthem, “Shine Like The Stars” and genre-defying, fist-pumping, “Eyes,” with its synth-laden 80’s groove and Beach Boys-esque, feel-good, summertime melody.
“‘I Give Up’ is hands down my favorite song on the album,” the band’s classically trained guitarist, Cody Pellerin adds. “It’s the kind of song that got me into playing music in the first place. It’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s Judas Priest meets Van Halen meets Motley Crew. I got to just rip it up on the guitar, which is what I really love to do. I know some people may listen to it and think, ‘Wow, that doesn’t sound like Stellar Kart,’ But this is where we are musically. And I think it is a good progression for us and our fans.”
“Sonically, we wanted to shoot for a broader sound,” Eskelin says. “Stellar Kart has never been afraid to challenge the current trend, so we decided to incorporate some new elements. This album will please the band’s die-hard punk fans while offering something to straight-up pop and rock lovers as well. The goal is to meet listeners where they are, driving an emotional connection to the music.”
Stellar Kart puts an exclamation point on Eskelin’s statement with such diverse tunes as the tender-and-tough pop ballad, “Pray,” in which Adam encourages listeners to ‘Pray...Even if you think you are not good enough.’ The bouncy, infectious, “The Right One,” evokes strains of such pop/rock legends as The Beach Boys, The Cyrkle, and their more contemporary offspring like Weezer and Jimmy Eat World. The happy-go-lucky anthem “Sunshine” boldly asserts that Stellar Kart is as much a bona fide pop band and serious chart contender as it is a punk quartet.
Which is not to say the band has abandoned its punk roots. “Automatic” has enough head-nodding hooks and frantic drum kicks to satisfy punk purists. And frontman Adam Agee even manages a couple of authentic rawk screams on “Eyes” and “Innocent.”
But as satisfying as Stellar Kart’s expanding musical repertoire is, it’s the lyrical honesty coupled with the band’s personal growth that most radically informs Expect the Impossible. “We are a pop band,” Adam explains. “When we made our first record we were young, and it reflected who we were at the time. The next record reflected a natural progression. Expect the Impossible is the next step. It is casting a wider net. It gets more people involved.”
“I love seeing kids attach themselves to something bigger than just school or work or friends or the latest fad,” Brian adds.
RescuE
Stellar Kart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I can't
I can't pick up the pieces
And I've thrown my words
All around
But I can't
I can't give
You a reason
I feel so broken up
(So broken up)
And I give up
(I give up)
I just want to tell you
So you know
Here I go
Scream my lungs out
And try to get to you
You are my only one
I let go
There's just no one that
Get's me like you do
You are my only
My only one
Made my mistakes
Let you down
And I can't
I can't hold on for too long
Ran my whole life in the ground
And I can't
I can't get up
When you're gone
And something's breaking up
(Breaking up)
I feel like giving up
(Like giving up)
I won't walk out
Until you know
Here I go
Scream my lungs out
And try to get to you
You are my only one
I let go
There's just no one that
Get's me like you do
You are my only
My only one
Here I go
Scream my lungs out
And try to get to you
You are my only one
Here I go
Scream my lungs out
And try to get to you
You are my only one
I let go
There's just no one
No one like you
You are my only
My only one
My only one
My only one
My only one
You are my only
My only one
The lyrics of Stellar Kart's "Rescue" describe someone who feels broken and unable to fix themselves after making mistakes and letting someone down. The person is desperate to reach out and tell this special someone how much they mean to them, but finds themselves unable to do so. The lyrics are filled with emotion and vulnerability, suggesting a deep sense of regret and longing. The repetition of the phrase, "You are my only one," emphasizes the importance of this person in the singer's life and how much they yearn for their acceptance and forgiveness.
Line by Line Meaning
Broken this fragile thing now
I am broken and fragile now
And I can't
And I cannot fix myself
I can't pick up the pieces
I cannot fix the damage that's been done
And I've thrown my words all around
And I've said many things without a clear message
But I can't give you a reason
But I cannot explain why I am feeling this way
I feel so broken up (So broken up)
I feel completely shattered
And I give up (I give up)
And I surrender to the pain and despair
I just want to tell you so you know
I just want to tell you about my feelings
Here I go
I am about to take action
Scream my lungs out
I will shout as loud as I can
And try to get to you
And attempt to reach you
You are my only one
You are the only person who can help me
I let go
I release myself from the pain and despair
There's just no one that gets me like you do
No one understands me as you do
Made my mistakes
I've made many errors
Let you down
I've disappointed you
And I can't hold on for too long
I cannot endure this suffering for much longer
Ran my whole life in the ground
I've destroyed everything that matters to me
And I can't get up
And I cannot recover
When you're gone
Without you
And something's breaking up (Breaking up)
Something inside of me is slowly breaking apart
I feel like giving up (Like giving up)
I feel like quitting and resigning myself to failure
I won't walk out until you know
I won't leave without telling you how I feel
There's just no one
There's no one else who can help me
No one like you
No one can replace you
You are my only
You are the only one who can save me
My only one
You are my one and only hope
My only one
There's no one else as important as you
My only one
You are the only person who can understand me
My only one
You are the only one who can help me overcome this
You are my only
You are my last chance
My only one
You are everything to me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: ADAM BENJAMIN AGEE, BENJAMIN DAVID FIELDING, IAN ASHLEY ESKELIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind