A Quick Chat with The Terrifying Lows

‘When I Feel Like Giving Up’ delves into deeply personal and complex themes. Can  you share the moment or experience that sparked the idea for this song?

The lyrics for this song came at a time when I was reflecting heavily on the past. Not  romanticising but just milling over how easy breezy life was in my 20s. It was total naivety  but ignorance is bliss I guess.

Your unmistakable DIY ethos is a hallmark of your music. What drives your  commitment to this approach, and how does it influence your creative process?

I’m a bit of a control freak if I’m being honest. I do love collaborating but there are only a  couple of people I trust with translating my ideas onto a recording. I still enjoy getting  them involved in the project from time to time but working alone from my home studio  ensures that I can form the songs my way. Plus it’s nice to not have anyone else to blame  for the flaws haha.

‘When I Feel Like Giving Up’ has an intimate vocal delivery layered over atmospheric  instrumentation. How do you approach balancing vulnerability with sonic  experimentation in your music?  

I tend to write the music first which sets the mood for what I’m going to say. With this  song, the piano and beat came first and to me it had this nostalgic and heart rending feel.  That combined with my reflecting on the past, is what led to the story.

With Into the Dark Divide on the horizon, can you share how ‘When I Feel Like  Giving Up’ fits into the broader narrative or themes of the album?

This one is a little different to the rest actually. The original group of songs I had were all  about different past relationships. Which is how I thought of the album name. ‘When I  Feel Like Giving Up’ shares the introspective vision of my first LP. 

Your lyrics often feel raw and emotionally charged. How do you navigate writing  about deeply personal topics while crafting songs that connect universally?

I tend to put an emphasis on keeping things as universal, as you say, as I can. I don’t  localise with place names, I keep things genderless when possible, and I talk a lot about  myself. As personal as it may seem to say “I” when dishing out vulnerable lyrics, I feel like  that really resonates with an audience when they can relate to those feelings as the  perspective of the singer becomes themselves.

Your live performances have been praised for their intensity. How do you translate  the emotional depth of a song like ‘When I Feel Like Giving Up’ to a live audience? 

I am yet to tackle this song live! I am very much looking forward to tackling that hurdle. I  can say though that I feel like the emotional depth of the songs increases at our live  shows as I give the band some freedom to express themselves and expand a little on my  parts. I also feel like singing live isn’t as calculated as a studio recording so with that