The beginning of the song started playing and I instantly knew it was going to be great. The combination of guitars, sophisticated drums and mellow yet soft and soothing vocals was a perfect fit for the playlist.
"Savage Coast is about change. Beautiful, tumultuous, unrelenting, unforgiving change. We wanted it to feel like a landscape that shifts underneath you, where you can find balance quickly, but then lose it just as fast. Jeremy played the opening guitar line once and I just couldn’t let it go. I ended up throwing out every other song I was working on to focus on Savage Coast because I loved that riff so much.
After we moved to Oregon, we worked out of a dark, wet basement. We may be dealing with the mold exposure the rest of our lives. We built it out and did what we could, but it was a cramped environment. In some ways I think the expansive, coastal sound we wanted on this was a spiritual rebellion against our working conditions at that time. Chronologically, this is also probably the song written the closest to our move to Portland, so those feelings of upheaval are fresh in the lyrics and our song structure.
The name comes from the Oregon Coast. What speaks to me about the coast here isn’t the summertime beaches – its the jagged rocks and cliffs in winter. They are gorgeous but they’re unsafe. Seriously, the Oregon Coast is a like ship graveyard. There are these hundred year old shipwrecks just sitting there, like ghosts, in clear view from the coastline. Those to me are my favorite parts. If this song takes a listener there, then I’m happy.
I write a lot about relationships. Some romantic, some not. This one is romantic. There’s a push-pull going on and its about a turning point. That moment where you are aware of the good and the bad and you have to choose if the whole package is worth it."
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About the curator - James Nickele
Who am I, you ask? I am just your average jim with a passion for playing and listening to music. I bring to you the best of the best, the songs that will stop time itself, bring you to the present moment, and provide your daily requirement of aesthetic chills. Please enjoy.
For some of my own music check out ‘james waves’ and ‘gorilla social’