Anxious Hands unapologetically and transparently tackle tough issues; love, life and loss all playing a big part on 'Dissociate', an EP which shows bagfuls of promise as Anxious Hands looks to solidify their standing in the New England heavy music scene. We asked the band to tell us about each track. Check out their commentary on the album below.
Envy
The title and lyrics are fairly self-explanatory, Envy is a quick loud track about how imitation is flattery and people get nasty when they get jealous of you. I’ve been playing in bands since I was 13 and have devoted my entire life to this. I worked hard for everything I have and have unfortunately lost friends who didn’t have the same patience or work ethic and just wanted what I had. Envy also touches on toxic dependent behavior in those same types of people. No one should depend on other people for their happiness. If you keep burning bridges, you’ll be left with nothing but yourself.
Red Flags
Red Flags is an extension of Envy but it’s a little longer and its teeth are much sharper. The overall vibe is a vicious attack on people who only care about themselves and hurt others recklessly to get what they want. The further message deals with being in an abusive relationship or other situation with this type of person and not realizing how bad it is until you get out and see the other side.
Drifter
The next thematic shift of the EP brings me from writing about other people to writing about myself. Drifter deals with how mental health issues and isolation have impacted my life in the past two years or so. Letting new people in is especially difficult and I think a lot of people can relate to this feeling. But if I can write a song about being lonely and other people can relate to it, we’re not so lonely now are we?
Dissociate
This track dives deeper into mental health issues and struggling less with relationships and more general depression and anxiety. One feeling that sticks is when everything piles up so much that you just feel nothing. A lot of the lines in the track come from me literally dissociating and just sort of barely existing and floating through life for weeks at a time. A lot of musicians in particular suffer from this issue just because of how much we literally and figuratively distance ourselves from others for our art.
Farewell
The last lyrical theme on the record deals with loss and grief and regret. I was on tour working for another band when I got the call that my grandfather was diagnosed with brain cancer. The struggle of losing time or losing the chance to say goodbye is extremely tolling. The lyrics for this song were also co-written by our drummer Tyler after his step-mother passed away from ovarian cancer. We both were able to showcase all of the emotions we were feeling throughout these tragic times.