Today Where Ocean Meets The Sky frontman Blake Martin tells us about "Who We Are" from their brand new album "Empires," which hits stores today! Here is the story: If you ask our drummer, Matt, what our song "Who We Are" is about, he will insist, until the day he dies, that it is about Lost. Subconsciously a big chunk of it may have been written about Lost, as I was watching the series at the time, but I digress. (Though you can hear a sound that sounds like the Smoke Monster in the beginning).
The song starts with a lot of chill ambient sounds before I get to come in like a man possessed with some of the more aggressive screams on the record. You can really see a bit of a narrative going between the screams and the clean vocals in this song. As I'm stating to trust me and the path I've lead, Marc (guitars/vocals) warns about the narrow road in front of me. From this I speak of being "blinded by the bright lights" which really talks about the dream of fame that we are fed from a young age. Now I'm not blinded by those bright lights and now the music is all about passion. I think at any point in a band's career they can maybe get wrapped up in themselves, and that happened to me slightly at some point. I got a bit of a big head, but reality kicked me down a peg. This song for me tells that story.
One of the core lines of the album occurs as a repeated choir part towards the end of the song. The line "We Build These Walls Around Us" which also appears in the interlude ties really heavily into the theme of the record. The walls are obstacles, and things we create for ourselves via falling prey to our faults, or making poor decisions, which cause problems in our lives. Coming out of this part I lay down what is in my opinion my best part on the whole record. "What a way to make an ending, we were born to never be saved, my eyes can inside you, I know, I know the pain" That line is about embracing the life you hadn't planned on. We weren't born to be saved, we were born to seek that salvation, whether that be through religion or whatever means works for you. The next line is really saying that I see where you are coming from and I feel the pain. My part in this story goes from the beginning thinking I knew the right path, and that I had all the answers. To the realization that the bright lights had blinded me. To the end where I realize the position I am in and the life that I lead and in that realization I understand that I can identify with a lot of the problems and issues my peers deal with.
So not to make myself sound all grandiose and fantastic, this song for me is about a journey I've made in my life to be more humble, and use my position as a musician to send a positive message and talk about real things in my life. Because of how real everything I sing about is, there is always passion.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album - right here!
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