Title: Wild Young Things
Release Date: September 22, 2013
Recorded: March 2013 – September 2013 – (Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, California) – (Half-Moon Studios, Las Vegas, Nevada)
Genres: Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock, Pop-Rock, Emo, Rock
Length: 67:43
Label: North Hill Records
Producers: Riot! In The Boulevard, Avil Hartman, Julian Morello

‘Wild Young Things’ is the fourth studio album from American rock group ‘Riot! In The Boulevard’ and fifth overall album to be released by the well-known rock band. The album was produced by all members of Riot! In The Boulevard, Avil Hartman and Julian Morello and it was recorded on and off from March to September 2013, making it the longest recording process for an album from the young pop-punk outfit in their three years as a professional band. It is the follow-up from 2012’s ‘Crossroads’ which became the bands third best-selling album to date, selling five million copies worldwide and taking the bands record sales to over twenty million in just three years.
Unlike previous albums from the band, ‘Wild Young Things’ was recorded at two studios, the first being Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, California where the band recorded their debut and sophomore albums and the second being a custom built recording studio called Half-Moon Studios which is owned by the young band and located in their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. The album which has been talked about for a number of months already, stretches over eighteen songs, making it the biggest record that they’ve recorded so far, will finally see an anticipated release date worldwide on September 22, 2013 through ‘North Hill Records’.

Background & Recording;
Towards the end of 2012 saw the release of Riot! In The Boulevard’s third studio album ‘Crossroads’, it marked yet another large milestone in the short careers of the five musicians from Vegas as it followed their previous two studio albums and their fairly recent at the time live album and went to number one, the album spawned three singles and two of which went to number one but more importantly the album saw the band take the step up to the next level as they announced that they would be heading on their first ever headlining world tour in 2013, they announced a 93 date tour spanning across five legs, which would see the band set off in January and finish in September, it was a bold move for a band that’s oldest member was only 21 at the time but the tour sold out within hours, a clever move as tickets for one of the most celebrated bands in recent years were priced at just $20 per person, even more surprising was the fact that meet and greet packages were priced so low at just $45 per person. But the band have been repaid for such low prices as merchandise sales went to insane levels, the overall financial intake for the entire Crossroads World Tour is believed to be over $250 million. However, fans were worried that the magnitude of the tour could take its toll on the band but their fears were allayed as Riot! often spoke about the new material that they were working on and the future album ahead.

It wasn’t always easy for Riot! to find time to work on new material, but they continued to be incredibly productive during their downtime from the tour, taking any spare time that they got to head into a recording studio to work on their very next album. This led to Riot! In The Boulevard demoing some new songs during their early breaks from their 2013 world tour, the first of these ‘Demo Sessions’ began with an intensive week long run-through of approximately twenty four songs during the final week of March. Only three of those songs made it out of those first demo sessions, but the band continued to write new songs while on the tour and as the next batch of studio time arrived in April, they now had another six songs to work on, two of which then went into the next sessions.
Eventually the band decided that they need to take more time to consider what they want to say with the next album, the common theme with the songs that they were writing appeared to suggest a record about youth and joy and eventually they decided that they liked the thought of creating a record that would speak to the fanbase even more than there previous albums have done. They weighed through the songs that they had already written and took a batch of fitting songs into the next record session, these sessions were different than previous ones as they finally had a view of what they were working towards and it made the sessions from then on a lot more easier for the band.

They had approximately six songs nailed down and recorded fully by the time the summer arrived, by June they had already started to build a Tracklisting for the album, that Tracklisting continued to grow as the weeks went on, the band now regularly returning to the studio to lay down songs were worried that they may be committing to too many of their songs, so again they went through discussions with one another to remove weaker songs from the track list. This meant that the band essentially had three albums worth of material, the eleven songs that were committed to the record and at least another twenty three tracks that they had decided against using. The scheduling of their tour worked in their favour during the summer as there was a lot more extended breaks for the band, there were another nine songs written in July alone and seven of those songs ended up on the final track list for the album.
In July, the band now had a selection of eighteen songs that were committed to the album, they all decided that instead of writing new songs that they would instead put their focus on polishing up the eighteen songs and putting more focus into recording their songs, leading to the official track list being finally decided by the band, there was just one more thing to figure out and that was the running order of the album.

In August they spent the majority of their time in the studio recording the album alongside producers Avil Hartmann and Julian Morello, for the first time in the process they had brought their producers into the studio and this added a little bit of extra structure to the sessions and finally the album started to fall perfectly into place. They worked on the running order of the album closely with Avil Hartmann and finally made their decisions and as August drew to a close, the album was one or two more sessions away from completion. The first couple of days of September signalled the albums completion, as the band finished up recording the album, their duties turned towards the final production and mixing of the album alongside both Avil and Julian and on the 4th of September they sent the finished album to the label ‘North Hill Records’, the label gave the thumbs up for the albums go ahead and the hardest part of the process was now finished.
Small decisions had to be made, album art was confirmed by the band and they then met with the record label to talk about release dates for the album. Already two singles had been released from the album in the form of ‘To All Of The Names Written On The Inside Of My Arm’ and ‘We Are The Half-Moon Kids’ both of which were successful, so anticipation from Riot!’s fanbase was already quite large, the band then announced some details of the album and today confirmed that the release date for ‘Wild Young Things’ would be September 29, 2013.

Tracklisting;

1. When The Stars Come Out To Play (Intro) (0:42)
2. If It’s Not Worth Fighting For (5:47)
3. Sweet Abandon Of Youth (2:38)
4. When I See Your Face (3:46)
5. Melancholy Road (2:58)
6. We’re The Underdogs Of This Hopeless Scene (4:56)
7. To All Of The Names Written On The Inside Of My Arm (5:04)
8. As I Watch You From Afar (4:31)
9. Being Brave (4:07)
10. I Want A New Dawn (Is That Too Much To Ask For?) (3:22)
11. Hollywood Is Dead And Gone (4:57)
12. This Is My Death March (4:22)
13. These Nights (3:49)
14. In A Separate State Of Mind (4:02)
15. Cold Hearts And Broken Memories (5:17)
16. You’re The Poison, I’m The Antidote (6:04)
17. We Are The Half-Moon Kids (4:22)
18. Thank You (4:41)

Singles;
To All Of The Names Written On The Inside Of My Arm [#1]
We Are The Half-Moon Kids [#3]
You're The Poison, I'm The Antidote [#5]

Personnel;
Amy Meyer – lead vocals, piano, keyboards, lyrics, composition, production
Adam Benjamin – rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Justin Mullen – lead guitar, piano, organ, backing vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Jason Greenberg – bass guitar, lyrics, composition, production
Nathan Mullen – drums, percussion, production
Honor Wynter – spoken word *track 17*
Avil Hartman – production, mixing
Julian Morello – production, mixing, engineering

Track Number: [2]
Title: “If It’s Not Worth Fighting For”
Genres: Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock
Length: 5:47
Label: North Hill Records
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Justin Mullen, Adam Benjamin

“If It’s Not Worth Fighting For” is the second track from Riot! In The Boulevard’s fourth studio album Wild Young Things. It was written earlier in the summer as a collaborative effort while on tour by band members Amy Meyer, Justin Mullen and Adam Benjamin. A song about a broken relationship which could perhaps remove fear that the band are moving away from what they’re known for, instead the second track from the album is a punchy pop-punk number with heartfelt verses moulded around a catchy chorus, according to lead guitarist and co-writer Justin Mullen, the song felt like the band had managed to re-capture the essence of their first couple of singles, “We’re a pretty open and honest band, we’ll definitely say that we have struggled to make anything like those punchy pop-punk tracks that we first came out with, but we feel like this is as close as we’ll get to those sort of songs. Recording this song felt like it did when we recorded our first batch of songs, it was refreshing to remember what it felt like to play like we did in Jason’s garage, it sort of revitalised us too because everything we’ve done since that debut album was released has been just one big repetitive cycle, it was nice to feel something a little different, to feel like we were those seventeen year old kids that just went for glory”

The song’s main elements are the lead guitar and drum combinations, a powerful opening riff that will no doubt be easily recognizable onstage is given a little more power with the heavy and aggressive drum beat provided by Nathan Mullen. It’s opening verse sets the scene like many previous Riot! songs have done but it’s the final lines of the pre-chorus and it’s rough and ready lyric “I can feel that your heart no longer beats for me inside/And I wanna scream/I wanna throw a bottle to your head/I sometimes think I’d be happier if you were dead.” is then followed by a trademark repetitive Riot! In The Boulevard chorus, “And if it’s not worth fighting for/Woah, oh, woah, oh/Then it’s time to let this go/Woah, oh woah, oh.”, it certainly feels like they’ve just stripped back all of the other elements and gone for the basic, and sometimes the basic tends to work better.

Lyrics

“The night is upon us once more and the sun is beginning to fade with the day
There’s a painful lingering silence that just fills this empty room, there is nothing left to say
We’re just shadows staring into these same blank eyes
With a heart breaking disdain and emptiness of two that once were one
Any love that was here in this home
Any love at all has gone
Faded and out

I look at you and you look at me
With vacant eyes but both of us can still see
Where we once were and where we belong
Where we should be but where love is dead and gone
But I’m still clinging on and I don’t know why
I just feel like letting go
I don’t know why I still try
But here I am
Staring straight at you
Hoping to ignite something inside
Hoping to start a fire
Me and you

But you turn away
You look out of the window
And into the nothingness of the world outside
You close your eyes for the briefest of moments
And I can feel that your heart no longer beats for me inside
And I wanna scream
I wanna throw a bottle to your head
I sometimes think I’d be happier if you were dead

And if it’s not worth fighting for
Woah, oh, woah, oh
Then it’s time to let this go
Woah, oh, woah, oh
Because if it’s not worth fighting for
Woah, oh, woah, oh
It’s time to end this war
Woah, oh, woah, oh

And all of my hope is gone
I’m not even sure where I belong
I’m a lone figure that casts a shadow in this home
And I know you just want to be left alone
So I’m done trying
I can’t do this no more
I’m done crying
I’m letting go

And if it’s not worth fighting for
Woah, oh, woah, oh
Then it’s time to let this go
Woah, oh, woah, oh
Because if it’s not worth fighting for
Woah, oh, woah, oh
It’s time to end this war
Woah, oh, woah, oh

This is something that I can do without
My voice is broke, I can’t scream and shout
Love is dead and it won’t be coming back no more
I’m not holding on, I’m just letting go
Woah, oh, woah, oh
I’m not holding on, I’m just letting go
This love has gone
Faded and out”

Sound Alike

Imagine Dragons – It’s Time

Track Number: [4]
Title: “When I See Your Face”
Genres: Alternative Rock, Ballad
Length: 3:46
Label: North Hill Records
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Justin Mullen

“When I See Your Face” is the fourth track from Riot! In The Boulevard’s fourth studio album Wild Young Things. The track was written by both lead singer Amy Meyer and lead guitarist Justin Mullen towards the end of June 2013 while still on a worldwide tour, the two musicians have been lifelong friends but have also at times had a strained relationship with one another, it was recently confirmed by Amy Meyer that this was very much a song about her friendship with Justin, “It’s easily the most difficult song that I’ve ever written, simply because of the subject and the weight and honesty that the words carry in my life. I’ve probably listened to the mastered version of the song like six times and I found it difficult every time I listened to it. Fundamentally it’s about any strong friendship, but personally it’s about me and Justin, we’ve been friends since we were eight and we are very similar which means that we tend to clash, we fight and argue often and it hurts, it’s always painful but it’s alright because we are always united when we’re going through something difficult. The song references that, it references the feeling that I felt when my father died and putting that into a song is something that I found difficult, I hope that the song helps when people are going through a difficult moment with a friend, but it wasn’t written for that reason.”

The song shows a much more subtle and tender side to Riot! In The Boulevard, this track is an entirely acoustic track although it’s not the first time that Riot! In The Boulevard have stripped down their sound and decided to go in a softer direction. But this song is the first acoustic from this album and it’s lyrics call for that softer approach, it helps to emphasize the words and the weight of the words a little more to the audience and it gives Amy’s vocals the spotlight in the track which will no doubt have been a deciding factor when it came to the songs instrumentation, as Amy stated that the song references her deepest feelings, it’s clear throughout but most notably in the lyrics, “My father died/And all that they would say/Is maybe he’s better off this way/No more suffering and no pain/But it’s hard to know I won’t ever see his face again.” the first time of note that her father’s short battle with illness has ever been referenced in her lyrics.

Lyrics

“I tried to choke back all of my tears
When I stood face to face with my greatest fears
I didn’t think anybody would be there to help me through my darkest hour
And I wasn’t sure how long this heartache would last
But then I saw the strength of this friendship
I saw a beauty in the aftermath

And you came rushing to me
The moment you heard the news
I cried floods of tears
And you cried them with me too
But when you held me tight
I felt so safe
I started to feel alright
When I saw your face

So here I am today
I sometimes have very little to say
But you should know that I’m grateful for it all
The greatest friends never let you fall
And if you do
You know they’ll always be there
No need to beg or make a prayer
They’ll always be there

My father died
And all that they would say
Is maybe he’s better off this way
No more suffering and no more pain
But It’s hard to know I won’t ever see his face again

But you were different, you let me grieve
You stood with me and I knew you wouldn’t leave
You wiped my tears, as they’d fall
You waited by my side
Through it all

I fought and fought for days on end
I cried and cried on the shoulder of the greatest friend
I screamed out loud in the hope that I’d feel
I looked at you as I started to heal
And then I understood
The depths of this beautiful love
And I cry when I think about you like this
I see your face every day
But in those moments when you go away
You’re the only one I ever miss

I’ll always remember
You came rushing to me when you heard the news
I cried floods of tears
And you cried them with me too
But when you held me tight
I felt so safe
I start to feel alright
When I see your face”

Sound Alike

Jimmy Eat World – Hear You Me

Track Number: [6]
Title: “We’re The Underdogs Of This Hopeless Scene”
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop-Punk
Length: 4:56
Label: North Hill Records
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Justin Mullen, Adam Benjamin

“We’re The Underdogs Of This Hopeless Scene” is the sixth track to be taken from Riot! In The Boulevard’s fourth studio album ‘Wild Young Things’. It’s a track that was a collaborative effort from Amy Meyer, Justin Mullen and Adam Benjamin, with each musician contributing to the songwriting process of the track, it was written in June 2013 while on a small break from their world tour and according to lead guitarist Justin Mullen, “We wanted to create something with a lot of energy, in a similar way to the songs that we listened to when we were fifteen and sixteen years old. Obviously at that time, there was still a lot of that left over pop-punk music in the industry, there were so many bands that came and went at that time and we wanted to create something fast paced instrumentally but with a certain amount of lyrical prowess, a range of emotions, it’s a song about confusion and feeling lost, at least that’s the way that I see it. Amy came up with the perfect face, perfect hair chorus and then the three of us sort of built the song around that chorus.”

The song begins with a strong lead guitar and drum combination, it’s played in a fast paced way which makes the song feel energetic and aggressive and probably the one of the heavier rock songs that the band have created so far in their careers. As Amy sings the opening verses of the song it’s quite difficult to not imagine that the song is actually about the band, but nevertheless it’s a song that fits perfectly into the realm of live performance. It’s catchy and anthemic and you can already picture the hordes of obsessive Riot! fans jumping up and down to the beat, and it leaves an important message for their insecure fanbase throughout the chorus, “Perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care” just to let them know that there are more important things to focus on.

Lyrics

“I think we need a hand to help us take hold of this scene
We’ve got glory to our right and failure to our left and we’re trapped somewhere in between
Oh glory hallelujah is the soundtrack to the victory parade
But it’s a familiar sound that I hear and it’s becoming a death march
And I question why we’re still standing when we’ve faltered so much
Why are we still balanced while we’re feeling constantly pushed
But expectations are now pretty low
We’ve got nowhere to go
But up

And we’re the underdogs of this hopeless scene
We’re tangled in what’s good and bad
We’re tangled in between
We don’t have beauty and grace
It doesn’t come across with a smile
We’re more like the anti-heroes
But it looks like we’re coming back into style
I ain’t sure this is where we should be
I definitely know that this ain’t me
It’s not who I am

Perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care
Oh woah, oh, perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care
Don’t light a fire if you’re afraid of the flames
Don’t put yourself out there
You’ll only have yourself to blame
Perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care
Oh woah, oh, perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care

We’ve got all of these scars that are pretty clear to see
We’ve taken countless shots to the heart before the age of twenty-three
And I know that if we stand side by side that I’ll take the hit for you
And I know that if I get caught in the crossfire
That you’ll all take the hit for me too
And this is friendship
This is love
This is not shining lights from the stars above
It takes hard work and dedication
And although we’re the underdogs I know we can wake up a nation

And we’re the underdogs of this hopeless scene
We’re tangled in what’s good and bad
We’re tangled in between
We don’t have beauty and grace
It doesn’t come across with a smile
We’re more like the anti-heroes
But it looks like we’re coming back into style
I ain’t sure this is where we should be
I definitely know that this ain’t me
It’s not who I am

Perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care
Oh woah, oh, perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care
Don’t light a fire if you’re afraid of the flames
Don’t put yourself out there
You’ll only have yourself to blame
Perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care
Oh woah, oh, perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body, I don’t care”

Sound Alike

Sleeping with Sirens – Postcards and Polaroids

Track Number: [8]
Title: “As I Watch You From Afar”
Genres: Pop-Punk
Length: 4:31
Label: North Hill Records
Writer(s): Amy Meyer

“As I Watch You From Afar” is the eighth song from Riot! In The Boulevard’s fourth studio album ‘Wild Young Things’. It was written solely by Amy Meyer in early 2013, reportedly around April/May while on tour with the band. According to an interview, Amy says the song isn’t specifically about her, “It’s a song about the most difficult parts of a break up, the getting over that person part. It’s tough, I think everybody has been there, there are of course the occasional exceptions to the rule, when a break up makes you feel happier than you’ve felt in a long time, but this is about the struggle. It takes influence from a friend back home in Vegas and her struggles, we lived in a small town and they both saw each other a lot, they went to the same bars and so it was always uncomfortable and then when she’s had a couple of drinks she just wants nothing more than to speak to him, hug him, go home with him and as the friend it’s your job to keep her from making mistakes. So yeah, it’s sort of about that”

The song opens on a strong guitar riff and bass combination, quickly followed by the drums and a piano provided by Adam Benjamin. Amy sings the opening lyrics with a passion, the vocal makes you believe that she’s singing about herself and it draws you into the story as the song progresses and you find yourself hoping that she doesn’t give into the temptation of being with her ex again as she sings, “I begin to stumble over towards you/But my friends pull me away/They’re trying to take my mind off of you/But it’s no use/There’s nothing they can say.” and then hits you with a heartfelt confession, “The truth is I’m not doing so good these days”. The song has a basic structure, it’s chorus flows in trademark Riot! In The Boulevard fashion and the music remains strong and powerful throughout, matching the rise and fall of Amy’s vocal delivery all the way through the song.

Lyrics

“Everywhere I go, there’s people taking hold of my hand
Trying to take my mind off of the trouble I’ve had
Trying to make me realise that there’s more waiting out in the world for me
But I’m struggling to stay on the right path
When I don’t even know which type of person I want to be
Do I want to be cold and distant, forever alone
Or do I want to be warm and affectionate, with someone to call my own
I guess I’m still young enough to find my way

But it’s hard to be young and free
When I can feel all of these eyes judging me
I don’t pay them any attention when you walk into the room
But you don’t see me, or maybe you do
Perhaps your ignorance has gotten the better of you

My friends pass me some drinks to drown my sorrow
Let’s live for tonight
Let’s live like there’s no tomorrow
And as I watch you from afar
I feel like I no longer know who you are
And any memories shared
Have gone away
Faded

I begin to stumble over towards you
But my friends pull me away
They’re trying to take my mind off of you
But it’s no use
There’s nothing they can say
That I haven’t already heard before
The truth is I’m not doing so good these days
I’m longing for you evermore

It’s hard to be young and free
When I can feel all of these eyes judging me
I don’t pay them any attention when you walk into the room
But you don’t see me, or maybe you do
Perhaps your ignorance has gotten the better of you

Well, they say letting go is the hardest part
But I wouldn’t even know where to start
And these walls are closing in around me
They’re painted in bright colours
But all I see is grey
If I could then I would escape
But something is pulling me back inside
And I’m unable to run or hide

My friends pass me some drinks to drown my sorrow
Let’s live for tonight
Let’s live like there’s no tomorrow
And as I watch you from afar
I feel like I no longer know who you are
And any memories shared
Have gone away
Faded”

Sound Alike

All American Rejects – Swing, Swing

Track Number: [10]
Title: “I Want A New Dawn (Is That Too Much To Ask For?)”
Genres: Alternative Rock
Length: 3:22
Label: North Hill Records
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Jason Greenberg

“I Want A New Dawn (Is That Too Much To Ask For?)” is the tenth song from Riot! In The Boulevard’s fourth studio album ‘Wild Young Things’. It was written by Amy Meyer and Jason Greenberg around June 2013, again while the band were on the road, in the middle of their first ever headlining world tour. It came at a point where the band were starting to feel jaded with the repetitiveness of the tour and according to Jason, “There comes a time when you just think, okay, is this really what I want to be doing right now? I’d always loved the thought of touring, my favourite bands always had these iconic stage shows and it always seemed like they were having a total blast. Obviously you don’t always get to see what they’re like offstage but I’ve learnt that you have to find something to break up the day, something a little different to just make it feel new, it gets stale and boring very quickly when you’re on tour, because you’re just waiting for that performance at night and the rest of the day is just like waiting around. That’s what this song sort of gets at, it’s about that high of being onstage and then the low of just being back on a tour bus and travelling to the next city.”

The track starts off with a very bluesy sounding guitar riff, reminiscent of classic rock bands from years gone by and it’s accompanied by a bass and drum combination that provides an aggression and power to the song in a quick change up from the previous song. This one is about expressing feelings of disillusion and Amy sings with a passion and a fire that the songs lyrics may very well call for, the music continues to be very strong and powerful throughout and gives Amy the platform to sing in full voice, questioning everything that she’s work towards “I’ll just aimlessly wait for the next show in another city/Where everyone I see is shouting out to me/And I’m left wondering/Is this real or just make believe?/This doesn’t feel real”, perhaps showing a glimmer of honesty in those lyrics.

Lyrics

“Turn down the lights because the modern day prophets are done
Everybody left the building over an hour ago
The stars are beckoning out to me
But when I look in the mirror they’re no longer staring back at me
And I’m making my way to the back of a tour bus
Leave me alone, I don’t want no fuss
I’ll just aimlessly wait for the next show in another city
Where everyone I see is shouting out to me
And I’m left wondering
Is this real or just make believe?
This doesn’t feel real

We rode those waves on a tide so high
Let’s live it tonight because someday we will die
We’ll take our chances while we’re young
We’ll dance with freedom till we see the rising sun
Stress and worry won’t visit me again
It’s easy to fall off of the track sometimes
But it’s harder to get back up again
The best you can do, is to just stay the same

We’re standing onstage again tonight
The crackle of a plugged in amp brings the room to life
The strike of the electric guitar chord fills the room
Tie me to a rocket and send me to the moon
Because I can’t get any higher
I’ve never felt like this before
I can touch the stars tonight
It’s more than just another show

And as the lights go down, it’s happening all over again
Hushed back to the bus to avoid all of the fuss
And I’m staring at these walls once more
Knowing that tomorrow will bring a brand new show
But I don’t want a brand new show
Just doing everything that comes so naturally to me
No, I don’t want another new show
I want a new dawn
Is that too much to ask for?

So let’s turn down the lights because this prophet stands alone
That’s the way it’s been ever since I was born
But don’t call me a loner, call me a solitary beast
Because tonight I’m screaming my words louder than ever
And these voices will increase
I want a new dawn
Is that too much to ask for?”

Sound Alike

Automatic Loveletter – Story Of My Life

Track Number: [12]
Title: “This Is My Death March”
Genres: Alternative Rock, Emo, Pop-Punk
Length: 4:22
Label: North Hill Records
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Justin Mullen

“This Is My Death March” is the twelfth track to be taken from Riot! In The Boulevard’s fourth studio album ‘Wild Young Things’. It was written by Amy Meyer and Justin Mullen in late July 2013, while taking a break from tour back home in Las Vegas. According to Amy Meyer, she doesn’t have any idea where the inspiration for the song came from, “It’s not clearly relatable to anything from my life, it’s difficult to know how the song came about and what sparked its creation, it’s a slightly darker song than we’ve ever really written. The only sort of thing I can think that may have inspired it was being back home, myself and Justin caught up with old friends and home life and maybe it has to do with the fact that we were back home, it always makes us feel a little different when we’re back home in Vegas. But it’s tough to know where it came from, it’s certainly as dark a song as I’ve ever written, it’s about being headed towards death. It’s about somebody that has done bad things and is paying the cost for that, I believe that the person in the song isn’t a bad person, just a person that maybe lost their way at some point and is being punished so drastically. But the influence and inspiration for this song, well I just can’t figure it out, but that happens sometimes.”

The song has an eerie piano introduction, for the entirety of the first verse it is just the combination of the piano and Amy Meyer’s vocal delivery as the lyrics set the bleak scene, “This is my life but I will suffer in silence/They’re holding the back of my neck, pressing my face against the wall/They’re pulling at my hair and whispering words into my ear.” it’s doesn’t paint a particularly nice picture but as the first verse finishes, the piano and vocal combination is joined by a strong lead guitar riff and anthemic drum beat which picks up the pace of the song and adds a little more extra weight to the music, lyrically it continues in a similar fashion but as the final verse arrives, it sung with such a power and force that proves that maybe this band can still surprise their audience from time to time.

Lyrics

“This is my life but I will suffer in silence
They’re holding the back of my neck, pressing my face against the wall
They’re pulling at my hair and whispering words into my ear
Their body is pressed uncomfortably close and all I want to do is cry a million tears
This is my life and I will suffer in silence
You’d think I’d be used to this after all of these years
But I’m not, I just want to smile
But I really don’t know how to anymore
I just wish they’d let me go
Just let me smile

They’re trying to break me
Trying to make me feel even worse than I already do
They’re hurting me every single day
And they’re dictating everything that I do
I can’t stand this place
I hate the walls that keep me inside
I hate the faces of brutality that surround me
I’m losing faith, I’m losing pride

But every night that I’m still alive
I drop to me knees and close my eyes
I pray to the lords for redemption or a vital sign
And although nothing ever comes
No, nothing ever comes
I still pray every night and every day
Because without faith, I am nothing
Without hope, I’m a nobody
I still believe that my repentance will come
Thy will be done

This is my death march
It’s my final stand
It’s my last moments on this earth
It didn’t turn out the way that I had planned
I’m the only one to blame
But nobody else seems to feel the same
I guess they’re all too blind to see
That this was caused by me

We’re taking the long walk
The bodies drop to the floor, one by one
I turn away for a moment and another familiar face has gone
I cry for their families but I don’t cry for mine anymore
The bodies drop to the floor

This is my death march
It’s my final stand
It’s my last moments on this earth
It didn’t turn out the way that I had planned
I’m the only one to blame
But nobody else seems to feel the same
I guess they’re all too blind to see
That this was caused by me”

Sound Alike

Pierce The Veil – Hell Above

Track Number: [14]
Title: “In A Separate State Of Mind”
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop-Punk
Length: 4:02
Label: North Hill Records
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Justin Mullen

“In A Separate State Of Mind” is the fourteenth track from Riot! In The Boulevard’s fourth studio album ‘Wild Young Things’. It was written by both Amy Meyer and Justin Mullen in March 2013 during the demo sessions for the album and was considered as a possible lead single for the album, this decision didn’t come to fruition as the band chose ‘To All Of The Names Written On The Inside Of My Arm’, a decision which appeared to be a good one as that song became the band’s sixth number one single released in their careers so far, co-writer Justin Mullen spoke about the song and it’s lyrics, “This song feels like a call back to the band that Riot! were when we released our debut album, from time to time, we occasionally come up with a song that feels like a call back. I love this song a great deal, it feels like it’s tailor made for our audience and already I can see this becoming a fan favourite. Lyrically it references insecurities, there’s a couple of lines in the song that I just love and I really can’t wait to perform this song in front of a live audience.”

The song begins with another fast-paced lead guitar riff and a strong drum beat, giving the song an anthemic feel to it from an early stage. Once all of the instruments make way into the song it adds to its power, giving a little more weight to the lyrics and vocals in the song, highlighting the words at key moments. Amy’s voice sounds powerful and assertive through the song as she sings lyrics drenched in self-doubt, “Just take a moment to think about me/What is the first thing that comes to your mind/Take a pen and cover these walls with all of my flaws/I won’t be surprised by the answers that I find/Now I’m in a separate state of mind.” but it’s a quick-fire list of insecurities mid-way through the song that could be lapped up by their audience, “A perpetual loner/Arrogant and hopeless/An unlovable freak/Unsociable geek.” and this could be a song that reminds people why they fell in love with the band in the first place.

Lyrics

“The writing is on the wall, all of the stories have been told
The lies are no longer said in hushed tones
They’re bellowing out deep into the dead of the night
And everybody knows the truth about me now
Yeah, everybody knows the truth about me now
They all know the truth about me now
And there’s nothing I can do
There’s nobody that I can run to

Here we go again
Just take a moment to think about me
What is the first thing that comes to your mind
Take a pen and cover these walls with all of my flaws
I won’t be surprised by the answers that I find
Now I’m in a separate state of mind

A perpetual loner
Arrogant and hopeless
An unlovable freak
Unsociable geek
Talentless with nothing to say
Never one to find her way
Unattractive
Too thin and too small
Forever alone
It’s gonna be a big fall

But what can I do when I’ve heard it all
Do I get back up
Or do I just fall
I don’t know my place in this world
I’m just trying to find my feet
I can’t fix myself

When they try to knock you down
You get back up and turn around
You fight and fight with everything that you’ve got
You don’t hide yourself away and you don’t let yourself rot
You give it your all
In the hope that your all is enough
You just try to find your way
In a world that is so cruel and tough

A perpetual loner
Arrogant and hopeless
An unlovable freak
Unsociable geek
Talentless with nothing to say
Never one to find her way
Unattractive
Too thin and too small
Forever alone
It’s gonna be a big fall

Here we go again
Just take a moment to think about me
What is the first thing that comes to your mind
Take a pen and cover these walls with all of my flaws
I won’t be surprised by the answers that I find
I think about them all of the time
Now that I’m in a separate state of mind”

Sound Alike

Paramore – For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic