to our roots with it.
Our early sound is
in there, sure, but
this is a new Sirens- it’s not like this
is a throwback to
[2010 debut album]
With Ears To See
And Eyes To Hear.
The main thing
to know is that,
yes, this album
is heavy, which is
what people were
asking for.”
Aside from the
heavier sound,
what else is
different about
How It Feels To
Be Lost compared
to Gossip?
“Both the music
and the lyrics are
really different,
but just because
we’ve made a very
different record to last time doesn’t mean
we see Gossip as a failure. That last album
was one that came during a period when we
hadn’t had any time to stop and focus on
ourselves, and I think that was the biggest
issue with it. We were thrown into a major-
label experience with a lot of people telling
us what to do, and I spent a lot of time
writing songs with other people instead of
sticking to my tribe and trusting our instincts.
We felt like we had to deliver something
that didn’t truly feel like us, and given the
emotional turmoil my life was in at that point,
it wasn’t the right record to make. We fought
through it, though, and that opened my
mind to what this record would ultimately
be. I don’t feel like I have to go out on a
limb to justify or force what we’re doing with
How It Feels To Be Lost – this all came very
naturally. I’ve written about everything in a
very transparent way on this album, to the
extent that people who’ve heard it have said,
‘Damn, dude, I love the record, but it makes
me wanna give you a hug.’ I want How It
Feels To Be Lost to provide that comfort for
everyone who can’t express their feelings.
That was really important to me, and I think it
comes across on the album.”Given the personal struggles you
experienced, would you say that this
album has a dark tone, lyrically?
“This is definitely a dark record – it’s a very
introspective look at the life I’ve lived. People
often say to me, ‘You’re in a successful band,
you tour and you make a living, why are you
depressed?’ This album is me making the
statement that it doesn’t matter what life youlead: if you don’t address your internal issues,
they’re going to take over. I’ve put my fears
out there for people to listen to in the hope it
may help them.”What does the record’s title represent?
“How It Feels To Be Lost symbolises being
trapped somewhere and struggling to see
the light, and for me, that’s how mental
illness feels – it’s like you’re lost, isolated and
nobody understands you. It just felt like the
right name for the album, and the title-track
is one of my favourites, too.”How does the album artwork echo the
themes of the music?
“The candle burning away represents anxiety
and depression. When you suffer in that
way, you can be constantly worried about
both the past and the future, and you don’t
notice the present that you’re living in. A
candle having burned out is a very abstract
and dark image in that regard, because
when it burns away, you toss it out, and that’s
kind of what life is like; you start out brand
new, melt away over time and when you’re
done, that’s it. But instead of watching that
time tick by, we need to enjoy our lives and
live in the present. That’s what the album art
means to me.”You worked with producers Zakk Cervini,
and Matt Good of From First To Last, on
the LP. What did they bring to the table?
“They were a dream to work with, and it was
a whole different experience for us. It wasn’t
like us going to a bunch of producers and
them having their own idea of what theywanted the
album to sound
like – Zakk just
wanted to work
with us because
he loves our band,
and he was keen
to hear about the
vision we had.
Me and Jack
[Fowler, guitar]
sat down with
him and told
him we wanted
the music to be
heavy and to
mirror the lyrical
themes I had in
mind, and we
went from there.
Zakk and Matt
basically joined
the band to record
How It Feels To
Be Lost. It was a
really fun process,
because when
you properly let
a producer into your world and allow them
work alongside you, it makes everything so
much more enjoyable, especially compared
to our past experiences where we’ve worked
with producers who just want to make their
own album. Matt was amazing to work
alongside, given how much we love his band
From First To Last. The first song we worked
on with him is one called Blood Lines – we
actually met up at the Madden brothers’
studio whilst Matt was working on the new
Hollywood Undead record – and when he
asked us what we wanted the track to sound
like, we said, ‘Take us back to the time
you made [2006 From First To Last album]
Heroine.’ I was blown away with what he
came up with, so we got him on board for
a few more songs after that.”Finally, is there a particular message you’d
like fans to take away from How It Feels
To Be Lost when they hear it?
“There’s no right or wrong way to interpret
it. I definitely have my own reasons for why
the songs exist, but I’m aware that they can
be read in different ways, so I’m interested to
see how the lyrics resonate with people. This
album, more than any other we’ve previously
released, is open to interpretation because
we want people to know that the thoughts
they’re having aren’t wrong. It doesn’t
matter what the listener extracts from How
It Feels To Be Lost; as long as they’re taking
something away, that’s amazing to me.”SLEEPING WITH SIRENS’ NEW ALBUM
HOW IT FEELS TO BE LOST IS DUE OUT
IN SEPTEMBER VIA SUMERIAN RECORDSSleeping With Sirens: “Yes, this
album is heavy, which is what
people were asking for...”“It was a crazy experience
writing Leave It All Behind.
The guitar riff actually came
from Mike Duce of Lower Than
Atlantis. We were talking to him
about how much we liked his
band and how we’d love to work
together, and he sent the riff
over. He said, ‘I’ve been sittingon this for a while now, and
seeing as Lower Than Atlantis
isn’t a band anymore, maybe you
guys could use it.’ We took his
initial riff and developed it into
a fully-fledged song. Hats-off to
Mike, because it’s a bad-ass riff;
when we first heard it we were
like, ‘Fuck – that’s so good!’ Itreally kicked the door open to the
track, and when we were working
on it with Zakk I was thinking,
‘When we’re headlining festivals,
this is the song I want to walk
out to.’ Anyone that’s holding
a drink will throw it across the
crowd when it drops – it’ll get
things going!”KELLIN explains how
a small favour from an
old friend spawned
SWS’ grand comeback...MIKE-DROP
8 KERRANG!