Singled Out: Hello Halo's Our Tomorrow Is You
Photo by Marques Walls courtesy Reckoning PRNYC alt-rockers Hello Halo just released their new single "Our Tomorrow Is You" and to celebrate we asked them to tell us about the track, which comes from their forthcoming album "Maybe This Can't Wait" (out April 24th). Here is the story:
Of all the songs we've written together (recorded or not), "Our Tomorrow Is You" is the one that best harmonizes each member's unique ideas and inspirations into a single cohesive work. It certainly did not start off that way.
Perhaps it's because we wrote this song knowing where we wanted it to fit within the album. Up until the final days of recording, we referred to it simply as, "Intro Song." For us, that meant writing something that best represented the personality of the whole project. Given we're talking about an enterprise driven by emotional authenticity, that translates-roughly speaking-to strong conflicting opinions and stubborn defiance.
Naturally, we fought over pretty much every aspect of it-the melodies, the synth and guitar tones, the overall structure, whether the song should even be included on the album. No joke, the only thing we agreed on was that the first chorus melody Paul (vocals) came up with had to be kept. And despite that, for the longest time, he regarded this song as his least favorite. Not even he can explain precisely why. But eventually the struggle paid off and the song won us all over.
A combination of conflict and compromise often gives rise to the most meaningful works, and in the final analysis, it was that integration of our otherwise disparate views that created "Our Tomorrow Is You."
Jon (guitars) got his up-tempo, high-energy song with a lot of fun guitar and synth work. Jeremy (bass) got to fuse in rhythms and melodies inspired by one of his biggest musical influences: J-rock. And Paul got to write a song that draws from many of his favorite rock influences while lyrically staying true to the values he hopes to elicit in his music. For Juan (drums), who joined in place of the late Paul Adler shortly after this song was written, it is actually his favorite song on the record.
So, what's the song about? It's about having the courage to act on your values. Everyone sees that there is something broken in the system governing the modern world. And there's no shortage of opinions on the most pressing issues. Yet there is surprisingly little action despite our collective sense of urgency. Perhaps we need to quiet our inner critics. Perhaps we've been pacified by overstimulation and complacency. Perhaps we just need a little push. Speaking on behalf of the planet, we hope it's the latter.
"Our Tomorrow Is You" attempts to draw out the part of people that propels them into the arena. And all it would take for us to consider this song successful is one person deciding to get off the sidelines because they heard it.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself below and learn more about the band and upcoming album here.
Singled Out: Hello Halo's Our Tomorrow Is You
