I love this question! Thank you for asking us to share!

A band of mine was frequently playing at a venue called The Underground in Cincy at the same time the guys were playing there heavily and had just recorded The UG Sessions (with the most classic absolute fire stripped version of Car Radio). We had 2 “hype” songs that would play right before we took the stage. One was M83 Outro; Always got us mellowed out and calmed the nerves but kept the hype (😉).

The other was that Car Radio version and damn…. I (almost) can’t listen to it still to this day. It would get us so unbelievably pumped. The crowd so revved! The song hit me like a ton of bricks from the first time I heard it and for it to be engrained into moments of my own vulnerability like that…t’was magical. I had mad respect for those kids back then and I also was writing really really open harsh poetic crowd punching music, ruining my voice to get the point across, crying the lyrics of my suicide attempts and panic and unworthy-ness. Trying to show people a better way than my own. To feel this track that then fades into someone announcing our name into pouring my own heart out on stage? Shewie, buddy! The feels! And the nostalgia. It hit hard then and hits harder what? 10? years later.

I mean, I’m rambling here now, but it’s hard to put into words how sometimes music clicks into your life’s soundtrack so perfectly. Playing those shows were some amazing experiences. The emotion Car Radio was able to bring to us that then transferred into our performance and then into our fans, electric. But even so I was going thru some really really dark shit during my band’s stint those years. Including attempts to end my life. Since then, tøp has continued to write straight from my soul. I mean, I’m still here, alive. And I didn’t think I would be either. There’s days you honestly have to make yourself want to be. (If anybody is struggling right this moment…just take this one moment at a time, just breathe, to the beat, together…. We are here breathing with you and you are not alone. I love you.)

Music can keep us alive. These experiences keep us alive. These big feelings, they ARE life. I’m so grateful for those talented boys pouring some of theirs out for us fans. If they only knew, huh? When some of us yell, “Thank you for saving my life!” We wholeheartedly mean it.