Our latest EP, To The Wolves, came out last week. And while it’s a continuation of our earlier EP, To The Fire, and a pre-cursor to our full length later, it very much has its own life and identity.  Here Naseem explains the backstory behind the EP.  (Note that this was shared with our PledgeMusic campaign PremiumPass holders earlier this year…)

The Story Behind To The Wolves

Basically, the four songs on this EP reflect my obsession with things not changing.  In our world, in ourselves.  Most of the time, people are afraid of change – we become set in our ways, creatures of routine – and the introduction of any disrupting force, even if for alleged good, represents some type of threat.  Only a few years ago, I realized I was the opposite; I thrive on change, am terrified of routine, and constantly want newness.  That instinct explains why our albums over the years have evolved, why I travel, why I’m awful at scheduling things (doctors be damned!).

I crave newness, and yet, I would often find ways to avoid it.  I would talk about growth and learning, and talk myself out of doing that work.  I don’t know why. Perhaps I illustrate the battles we have in our own heads between what we want and what we need.

The songs on this EP, I’m realizing now, were largely informed by a job I had years back.  It was cushy, it wasn’t hard.  My hands weren’t blistered at the end of the day. I heard it was a job other people wanted.  It was stable, consistent and good.  And I was miserable.  I was doing nothing close to what I loved, and it was occupying all my time.  I was straying far from the ideals that informed my own sense of who I was: an active, politically-minded person wanting to have some sort of impact on the world around him.

I knew this, and did nothing to change my situation. I told myself I wanted to.  I wrote songs on napkins when my boss wasn’t looking (this shows up on the song “To The Wolves”).  I lay awake at night staring at the patterns of paint on my ceiling, imagining them oceans and dreaming of climbing the waves in a rowboat (this shows up on “Blind”).  I wondered if I just wasn’t cut out to change the norm, to challenge the status quo and risk insecurity; maybe it was in my blood (this shows up on “Salt of the Sea”).

And then my dad died, and I quit.  I haven’t looked back, and revel in the insecurity, instability and downright fear that I have experienced everyday since living a life lacking in routine.  I feel more alive than ever before.

I require newness because I require excitement, and I’m excited for you to hear these songs.  Thank you for listening.

-n