Life is far too short to just be dreaming...
For me, ‘The Other Side’ is one of the tracks that gives ‘Alive EP’ a lift! When we were recording it in the studio, my aim was that the lyrics and the fun arrangement from the band would create a kind of feel-good, summertime vibe. The song is about a recent road trip with my family travelling up the West Coast through the state of California. But while we had the most incredible time on our trip, the song itself was not written at a great time in my life…
No one likes a dead-end job. We’ve all been there. At the time, I was working a job that made me come home every day feeling drained, frustrated and demoralised. A few months into this job, my family was also hit with some devastating news. I think the sad reality is that every family in the country at some point ends up experiencing the dreaded C-word, and mine is no different.
I won’t share details, but it did really put things into perspective for me. It suddenly made me realise that time really is precious, and that you simply can’t afford to waste any of it being unhappy. It made me realise that there is no point in having dreams and ambitions if you never make any serious attempt to make them happen. And more than anything, it made me so grateful for my family and I realised that they mean more to me than anything else in the world ever could.
My mum’s number-one dream for as long as she’s been my mum has been to do the Napa Valley Wine Train. So when my family’s world was shattered about two years ago, I could not get the idea of California out of my head. To me, after what had happened and the things it had made me realise, there was no way that we could sit back and continue plodding along. And it didn’t take my mum, her partner, and my sister much convincing either…
And so seven months later, we did indeed “get up and run to the place with golden sun on the other side”, and so came about the song that I now have the pleasure of releasing as part of the ‘Alive EP’.
I hope that despite this story behind the song, you still listen to ‘The Other Side’ and feel positive, as I definitely imagine it as a summer song. Rather than being a reminder of how easy it can be to slide into an unhappy routine and let the time slip by, it’s a reminder of the opportunities out there for us all! So please give it a listen, enjoy Kyle Watson’s slick guitar and AJ Nash’s smooth horn arrangement, and I hope it inspires you to go do something wonderful!
Jess x