Now seven years since they first formed in 2002, and after some shuffling of band members, the Las Vegas-based band is back with their most radio-friendly album to date, It's Only Natural, out on Epitaph Records on June 23, 2009.
"We wrote the best songs that The Higher has ever written on this record. No matter what kind of music you listen to, you're going to find at least two songs that are your favorite," founding member and lead singer Seth Trotter says. "We have two songs the girls are going to love, two rock songs the guys who loved our old sound want, two R&B songs for those who liked our stuff like 'Insurance," two slow jams that people have been begging us to do for a long time, and two straight-up pop songs. It's like Noah's Ark on this record — there's two of everything!"
Not only is there something for everyone on this album, It's Only Natural also marks the band's first concept album, telling the story of what's been going on in The Higher's life. "It was written in the order it appears on the CD, starting with The Higher picking up the pieces of not having all the original members and going through betrayal, separation, and new beginnings, while also making the band thing happen, and moving forward," Trotter explains.
The album kicks off with two pop-rock tunes that reflect the sound early Higher fans know best with "Try Again" about separation, putting their best foot forward, and not dwelling on the past, and "Other Options" in which the band examines what they need to do in order to move forward. Those lead into the two most pop-friendly tracks, "Undertaker" about the band's roots and love for Las Vegas and the title track, "It's Only Natural," which addresses attraction and other 'natural' desires.
Next come the two most heart-wrenching tunes, the rock-based "Story of a Man Obsessed" about paranoia and obsession, and then the slow jam "The (Runaway) Artist," which Seth wrote on piano at the age 15, and adapted into a band tune, written from the point of view of a girl leaving town to follow her dreams.
"The first half of the record is about us realizing that things are falling apart," Trotter explains. "Then it goes on to make us realize we're going to be okay by ourselves."
The second half kicks off with the standout track, "Play with Fire," which Trotter calls their Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" of the album. The essence of the lyrics are about overconfident girls whose beauty is only matched by their unoriginality. Next up is their New Found Glory-style "Burn and Turn" about the coming and going of people and their vices, while not getting lost in the shuffle.
The song titles then hit a darker turn with the jazzy slow jam "The Black Dress" about picking a girl up at a funeral and mourning the loss in the only way that feels natural, and "Beautiful Coffins" is about the sad departure of an old friend and allowing them to dig their own grave. The album closes with a two-in-one track starting with "Scandalous" about a girl who's simply no good, and leading into "The Long Con" based off of an episode of the band's favorite show, Lost, in which two characters mutually screw each other over.
And to cap off the album, the band ends with a cover of Ne-Yo's R&B hit, "Closer." "Our band listens to a lot of R&B," Trotter says. "People who like rock may never listen to Ne-Yo, but the song is so undeniable that they might give our version a chance. Plus we like to mess around with covers and mix them up."
The Higher may not be the same band that they were on their last two albums, but they aren't ashamed to tell the story. "The album starts with the most natural way our band could have formed, to who we are now," Trotter says. Centeno adds, "This is our natural progression."
It's Only Natural that the band tells their story through the album. It's Only Natural that their music reflects their diverse mix of styles. It's Only Natural that the band is who they are today.
It's Only Natural, out on Epitaph Records on June 23, 2009.
The Higher announced their breakup in 2012
Try Again
The Higher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's high up in airplane
Descending on our town
And I, I let my vision blur
The lights reminded me of her
And the way I let her down
But I'm getting older
I've got to let her go
And the truth is I'm better off alone
No sense in dragging someone else along
And I know that she knows
She said, you'll lie wide awake at night
Thinking about the battle between you
And I know it's not about who wins
Sometimes it's better to give in
You've got to learn to try again
I'm taking to the road
The desert looks so desolate
As I'm reaching for the phone
And this static reappears
This signal's keeping me from her
And what she needs to hear
Oh but time's passing slowly
I'm so lonely without her
She's absent from my world
And the truth is I'm better off alone
No sense in dragging someone else along
And I know that she knows
She said, you'll lie wide awake at night
Thinking about the battle between you
And I know it's not about who wins
Sometimes it's better to give in
You've got to learn to try again
Come, come on, oh, ooh, ooh
Come, come on, oh
You'll lie wide awake at night
Just thinking about the battle between you
And I know it's not about who wins
Sometimes it's better to give in
I lie wide awake at night
Thinking about the battle between you
And I know it's not about who wins
Sometimes it's better to give in
You've got to learn to try again
Oh, sometimes it's better to give in, oh, oh
I lie wide awake at night
Sometimes it's better to give in
You've got to learn to try again
The Higher’s song “Try Again” is a reflective track about a past relationship that ended poorly. The song’s narrator is haunted by memories of the past relationship, in particular an ex-girlfriend who he let down, and who was hurt by their time together. Several lines throughout the song suggest the singer is working through regret related to this relationship, while also acknowledging it’s better for both parties that they’re not together anymore. The chorus advises the listener to “try again,” implying that something can be learned from the past relationship and a new beginning is possible.
The song creates a sense of regret for not treating a prior romantic partner well. The singer has an inner voice that tells him that he needs to start over, try again and learn to give in to someone he was once in love with. He had an opportunity but he didn't take it and now there's no way back. The chorus is like a motivational push for someone overcoming a breakup to move forward positively, but it’s clear that the song’s subject is still hurting from their past choices.
Line by Line Meaning
She started coming down
She is descending from the sky, getting closer physically and mentally.
She's high up in airplane
She is up in the sky, far away from him and their past.
Descending on our town
She is heading towards the town where he lives, possibly to see him again.
And I, I let my vision blur
He let his emotions cloud his judgement and affect his perception of reality.
The lights reminded me of her
The lights in town brought back memories of her, reminding him of their past together.
And the way I let her down
He is feeling guilty for how he hurt her in the past.
But I'm getting older
He is aging and realizing that time is passing him by.
And I know that nothing's changed
He understands that the past cannot be changed and their relationship cannot be undone.
I've got to let her go
He needs to move on from the past and the relationship that didn't work out.
And the truth is I'm better off alone
He realizes that being on his own is the best thing for him right now.
No sense in dragging someone else along
He doesn't want to bring someone into a potentially toxic relationship or use them as a rebound.
And I know that she knows
He acknowledges that his ex likely understands how he feels and that they both need to move on.
She said, you'll lie wide awake at night
She warned him that he will struggle with the breakup and the decision to let her go.
Thinking about the battle between you
He will constantly rehash the arguments and disagreements that contributed to their breakup.
And I know it's not about who wins
The breakup wasn't about who was right or who won the argument, but about the fact that they couldn't make it work.
Sometimes it's better to give in
Sometimes it's better to accept that things didn't work out instead of continuing to fight an uphill battle.
You've got to learn to try again
He needs to learn from his mistakes and be willing to try again in future relationships.
I'm taking to the road
He's leaving town to escape his memories and the temptation to reach out to his ex.
The desert looks so desolate
The barren landscape represents his feelings of loneliness and emptiness without his ex.
As I'm reaching for the phone
Despite his best intentions, he finds himself tempted to reach out to his ex and try to reconnect.
And this static reappears
There is still tension and unresolved issues between them, represented by the interference on the phone line.
This signal's keeping me from her
Their past issues are preventing him from being able to fully move on and reconnect with her.
Oh but time's passing slowly
Time is moving painfully slowly, making it harder for him to heal and move on from their past relationship.
I'm so lonely without her
He misses her and is struggling to cope with being alone after their breakup.
And the truth is I'm better off alone
Despite his loneliness, he understands that being alone is the best thing for him right now.
She said, you'll lie wide awake at night
She warned him about the emotional toll that their breakup would take on him.
Just thinking about the battle between you
He will continue to replay their past arguments and disagreements in his head, trying to make sense of what went wrong.
Come, come on, oh, ooh, ooh
He is trying to motivate himself to move on and put the past behind him.
You've got to learn to try again
He needs to be willing to let go of the past and be open to future romantic relationships.
Oh, sometimes it's better to give in, oh, oh
Sometimes it's better to accept that things didn't work out instead of continuing to fight an uphill battle.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JASON CENTENO, MIKE GREEN, DOUG MCCARTHY, ROBERT RAGAN, SETH TROTTER, SIMON WILCOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind