“Impressively hooky.” – American Songwriter
“Sublimely blending Athens j… Read Full Bio ↴“Impressively hooky.” – American Songwriter
“Sublimely blending Athens jangle with just enough mope to attract fans of The Cure.” – BLURT
“These songs are all about lyrics and melodies.” – Babysue

As Emo bands reunite left and right, playing their old songs for nostalgia’s sake, Jared Putnam of the San Antonio-based The March Divide is unapologetically wearing his past on his sleeve, still writing these types of songs, but from an adult perspective.

“I’m finally at a stage in my life where I don’t have to bleed all over the page to write a song,” Putnam says. It seems that, as a songwriter whose previous band The Conversation came up in that tortured musical era, Putnam’s feeling pretty good.

“I was in a good place writing Billions,” he affirms, speaking of The March Divide’s upcoming sophomore full-length scheduled for release on October 21st, 2014. The new album is the most recent collection to emerge from Putnam’s near-constant level of musical output over the past two years.

“I had written a lot of songs,” he plainly explains of what he’d been doing during his six years of public silence between ending the non-stop touring of The Conversation (the band shared stages with The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Against Me! and more) and the start of The March Divide.

After he kicked back into gear and released The March Divide’s debut album Music for Film in 2013, Austin’s NPR-affiliate KUTX simply declared “this album kicks butt.” More press accolades followed, proving that the time off yielded some of the best material of Putnam’s career.

From there, Putnam just kept going, releasing an additional three EPs, and recording the upcoming Billions, along with another EP “+1” which is already in the can for an early 2015 release.

“I haven’t been taking everything so seriously, which really helped me to open up,” he says of the new material, which while less earnest than previous releases, is still completely clever.

And thanks to producer Todd Osterhouse, more accessible.

“Recording in San Antonio with Todd was a great experience. We went in and tracked the album with the intent of doing something very stripped down,” Putnam explains. “Then he suggested we let him mix a couple of songs in the way he was hearing them. We got out of the way, and he ultimately took the tunes to a more sonically appealing place.”

Fans of The March Divide will hear this progression for the first time on “I Told You So,” an uproarious “fuck you” tune about the personal motivation that comes from facing opposition. “My favorite songs are always old school, messy guitar rock like early REM or Catherine Wheel,” Putnam says of the first single from Billions. “That’s really what we were going for with this one.”

See The March Divide live this fall and winter, with tour dates in support of Billions to be announced soon. Whether or not we’ll see The March Divide paired up with a reunited Emo band is currently unknown, but Putnam assures “There will be lots and lots of shows, all over the place, both full band and solo!”

Billions, the sophomore album from The March Divide arrives on October 21st, 2014. The album’s first single “I Told You So” is streaming now.

Pick Me Up
The March Divide Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pick me up,
Before I come apart,
Before it even starts,
I need you to be brave
Pick me up,
Before it becomes clear,
That you were never really here,
Before it's all gone

There's so much that I could say
But it all, it wouldn't change a thing

Pick me up,
Before I come apart,
Before it even starts,
I need you to be brave
Pick me up,
Before it becomes clear,
You're so fucking insincere,
& now it's all gone

There's so much that I could say
But it all, it wouldn't change a thing

So when you said you'd stay,
Is it what I wanted to hear that day?
Now I know, it'll never become clear,
So I'll stand and wait right here

There's so much that I could say,
But it all, it wouldn't change a thing

Overall Meaning

The March Divide's song Pick Me Up seems to be about a person who is struggling and needs someone to support and uplift them. The first stanza indicates that the person is on the brink of falling apart and needs someone to be brave enough to pick them up before they lose themselves completely. They seem to be aware of the possibility of the other person leaving and need them to be there for them before it's too late. The repetition of "pick me up" shows the urgency of the situation and how much they need the other person's help to avoid falling into despair.

In the second stanza, the person acknowledges that they could say a lot of things, but they know that it wouldn't change anything. This could imply that they have tried to communicate their struggles before, but the other person hasn't really listened, or that they don't see the point in talking about it anymore. The line, "you're so fucking insincere," suggests that the other person has not been honest about their intentions, and the singer feels betrayed. The person seems to be aware that their situation is getting worse and that everything might be lost if the other person doesn't act soon.

The last stanza is about the person waiting for the other to keep their promise of staying with them. However, they realize that they may never know the truth and decide to wait and hope that the other person will come back to them. The sadness and despair in the song are palpable, and the repeated lines drive home the urgency of the situation. Overall, the song seems to be about someone who needs help and is reaching out for support, but the other person might not be there for them in the end.

Line by Line Meaning

Pick me up,
I need your help and support.

Before I come apart,
Before I break down emotionally.

Before it even starts,
Before the situation gets worse.

I need you to be brave
I need you to be strong for me.

Before it becomes clear,
Before it's too obvious.

That you were never really here,
That you weren't truly present for me.

Before it's all gone
Before it's too late to fix things.

There's so much that I could say
I have a lot to express.

But it all, it wouldn't change a thing
But none of it would make a difference.

You're so fucking insincere,
You're not genuine or truthful.

& now it's all gone
And now everything is ruined.