- 2024-09-02
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MUSIC
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Saint Social Releases Self-Titled Debut Album
American indie rock band Saint Socia, Quinn Erwin (vocals/guitar), Bryan Bourque (drums), and Justin Gollott (guitar), released their highly-anticipated self-titled debut album on August 28, 2024.
The album comprises a 9-track, co-produced by Saint Social and Hunter West.
The inspiration behind the album comes from the band's desire to lift up their community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The album is a deeply meaningful album that takes listeners on a transformative adventure similar to the Hero's Journey concept by Joseph Campbell.
“This project is a concept record that actually became 'prophetic,'” The band frontman Quinn Erwin said of the album. “The album is spiritual record, it's ecstatic, but it is also so grounded in the dirt and the streets and real relationships and real questions.”- The band explained track-by-track for the album via V13 Media.
“From Beginning to the End”
“The album opens with a character away from home and looking back at what is missing, but what is inevitably with them from beginning to the end. This song to me is very much an affirmation of the good inside of all of us and what we're all searching for. I like that depending on where and how it's sung it can be taken in so many different directions. This is also the oldest finalized song of the batch!”
“Don't Let the Fire Die”
“This song is a response to 'From Beginning to the End' and is supposed to indicate the conversation that's being had between parties throughout the album. Its message is really the message of Saint Social: don't give up, keep going, and choose joy as an act of defiance. The version of this song that made it on the album is probably the third or fifth iteration. We kept working it out live, and then, changed it right up to it being recorded. These lyrics are some of my absolute favourites. I did my best to convey the jagged edges of trying to fight through fear as I've felt it myself before.” -
“Swagger”
“As triumphant as this song is, it comes from a place of getting knocked down and feeling completely taken out. Then, there's the getting back up and coming back so hard that other people can't help but notice. It's got the proper amount of attitude, I think. I had a lot of old movies in my mind when I was writing it like Rebel Without a Cause and Grease. Tough and also fun. The music for this song dates back several years, but it wasn't until Saint Social that the lyrics and final structure came quickly. The song is what it is!”
“Iconista”
“This song represents being out in a city searching for belonging and coming face to face with a force of nature and being swept up in her. She is otherworldly. She is fire and lightning. And she is hurting you and healing you at the same time. Do you really know what 'she' is exactly? Where is this journey actually going? This song and the next are two sides of the same coin really. Also, 'Iconista' is absolutely one of our favourites to play live!”
“Overtigo”
“This is the descent piece. This is that trippy, up is down, down is up song. I think inevitably everyone has that moment where they can help but fall hard for the darker things within themselves and reckon them. And what happens when you have someone else who is leading you there and you can't help but follow? What if that's a good thing ultimately?”
“Remember?”
“A lot of people come to us after a show and want to connect about this song. I think it's because we all experience some sort of heartbreak and a longing for a time when things felt right in a relationship and in a community. I feel like if there was a denial at all in the album in the tracks before, 'Overtigo' tees this song up to really face the fact that the state of things isn't what the parties involved hoped for. This song really identifies a betrayal and the grief over it.”
“Howl”
“If 'Remember?' is the initial betrayal and grief, 'Howl' is abandonment, fear, and anger. It's the feral, rock-bottom moment. This person is fighting for life while other people spread lies about them. The lyrics in the bridge, 'I want to feel safe…' are very deliberate and important. The cry is, 'How long will this keep going on?' I chose the word 'Howl' because it emulates the words 'how long' put together.
“Also, in the writing of the lyrics and melody, my goal was to stuff as many words together in each verse to try to convey a kind of anxiousness. I think that's why when the chorus hits it feels like coming for air or even barely getting a breath in. This is a chase scene, so I think that's appropriate too.”
“Be There”
“To me, a lot goes on between 'Howl' and this song. We may have to explore that at some point. But ultimately this song is basically a reassurance that somebody out there has your back. Comfort is available. This track listing was created with a great deal of intention, so we're playing with parallelism in the writing of it. There are inner rings and outer rings (a nod to Star Wars Ring Theory for all you fans out there). This song's parallel is 'Don't Let the Fire Die.' We'll see if you can figure out why!”
“Holiday Forever”
“At the end of it all, there's the finding of a home or a center. However, anyone would like to look at it. Maybe that has nothing to do with going back where you came from, but maybe more to do with finding home and love within yourself. 'Holiday Forever' is a full embrace and a resolution to the record, and the opposite side of 'From Beginning to the End.' Behind the scenes, this song was the first to be recorded and finalized. We're so happy how it turned out and how this song became the bar for the rest of our debut album.”
Photo by @Turk_Photography - source : Apple Music
