Neither Could Dylan

Chemical Therapy was a track that when I first recorded a demo of it acoustically, seemed to have this really dark and Earthy vibe to it. I wanted to capture that on the record so I kept the progression the same as when I first tried to run through it and then built some layers on top of it using competing electric guitar lines to help build the intensity. The result, I think, is a pretty driven track that really doesn’t waiver for a second – it’s out of the gate and on its way.

Lyrically Chemical Therapy is built out of two experiences. 

The first verse and first half of what becomes the chorus was actually written when I was a teenager. At the time I was working towards putting together my first punk rock band and a lot of my lyrics then had these dramatic snarky undertones. To be an angst-filled teen, again! 

The song that I started with then, I never fully realized. It never seemed to sit right and I couldn’t round it out to a point I was happy with. So it sat in my computer for years until I brought it out again for this album. 

The new lyrics that ultimately complete the thought and bring it into a new territory entirely are some of my favourite. They begin with “set ablaze the words unspoke,” which are actually a great way to think of this album entirely, as a sort of cleansing experience where you remove the toxic thoughts and experiences that are weighing you down. In this case, I’m speaking about people (or maybe just one, but I’ll never say for sure). 

The thing about doing this though is you’re then left with very little to work with; “pins and needles on the ground.” And while there’s something to be said about needing to begin with a clean slate, there’s also something to be said about learning to work with what you have in front of you because it will never quite grow back the same way again. 

Check out the Chemical Therapy Acoustic-Bedroom Live on YouTube

This is the part of reforming and realigning your own life to build into what you hope to be a better one that I believe often goes untalked about. By the time you’ve dismantled the structures that you believed to confine you, only then are you able to look back at some of those experiences as being… maybe not that terrible? And you might even find yourself longing for some of them to return. It’s a natural reaction to losing or giving up something that was once prevalent in your life, whether that is ultimately good or bad is something you’ll have to decide for yourself.

In Chemical Therapy of course, I’ve taken the position that letting go of people or experiences that cause you difficulty is a positive thing – it’s an act of control that you can be proud of if only because you made the choice to do it. When we have nothing else but our own interpretation of events, it’s important that we’re confident in the decisions we’re making for our own betterment. Lacking that confidence is what opens us up to things like manipulation which… we’ll get to in a later song on this album.

Here are the official lyrics for Chemical Therapy:

More of a snarl than a grin
But I’ll take it just the same
‘Cause it’s the best you’re able to give

Breathe that hot air on me
Like chemical therapy
Searing my skin just to see what’s beneath

And I don’t know why we fight like this
But these knuckles are worn down to bone
Threw in the towel but you wanted blood
Like you’re collecting it for fun

Set ablaze the words unspoke
A trail coated by the blackest smoke
And despite all that’s come undone
The worst is yet to come

Breathe that hot air on me
Like chemical therapy
Searing my skin just to see what’s beneath
Take more than you need
A glass half full of deceit
Pins and needles under my feet
While I sleep, while I sleep

From across the sky as they fall down
Tattered leaves all to remind us now
A forest once rich and full of sound
Now pins and needles on the ground
Now pins and needles on the ground

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Listen to Chemical Therapy wherever you stream & don’t forget you can order the album on CD through our online store. 

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Next time on the blog, I’ll share my thoughts on track 3: To Be Loved. 

In case you missed it, jump back to the overview blog about this record or follow the below index to read the previous blogs in this series:

Track 1: Tapes