Phoenix hard rockers Fire By Night recently released their new single "Obsessions" and to celebrate we asked lead vocalist Kailee Vander Maten to tell us about the track. Here is the story:
"Obsessions" was written by our former keyboardist, Jasmine, and is about her struggle with anxiety and depression, and how her friends and family would either dismiss it or say things like ,"it'll get better" and "just try to think positively." She brought the song to us a while ago and when I first heard it I was (for lack of better words) obsessed. The lyrics she had written and the soulful melody that accompanied them immediately had me hooked and when I tell you I was excited to work on this song, I was excited. Like, just found out I was getting a puppy for Christmas excited. This was a song I couldn't wait to lay down my vocals for and a song that the rest of us were so ready to make our own.
Along with how beautiful the music is, however, the song itself speaks to an issue that is very close to me and a lot of other people out there. I personally have struggled with major depression most of my life and so it was really easy for me to connect deeply to this song and make it my own even if our band didn't write it. The line in particular "You said well that's some kind of obsession you've got there chained all over your head. A strange enslaving contention, an overwhelming kind of distress." really hit me because depression and anxiety and honestly any type of mental illness or struggle can feel just like that. Enslaving. I think this song is a truly beautiful and raw look at how these types of struggles can affect your life as well as how alone you feel and how infuriating it can be when no one takes the time to understand you.
The recording process of this song was really neat, at least from my end. Our producer, Jose, had done a lot on his own time and took the lead along with Jasmine to create a sound for the song that blended her own dream pop feel (which you can find in her killer band Faun Flora) and our own soulful rock elements. For me personally, it was an opportunity to pull back from my usual heavy vocals and get softer, more personal and real with everyone. Cory Spotts and I had a really good time in the studio digging into the emotion of this song and I think the softer vocals and the killer instrumentals do a great job at conveying that to the audience.
We sincerely hope that everyone hears this song and realizes that they really aren't alone in these heavy things they're feeling. As corny as that sounds, it's true and there is always someone who is willing to listen. Hell, we're willing to listen. You are loved, you are worth understanding, and you are not alone. We're incredibly blessed that Jasmine had given us reign over this song and we hope that you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed pouring ourselves into it.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the band here