The Philadelphia-based 5-piece Humilitarian releases an agitated and relatable single titled, "She Said."
Born out of dusty basements and indie Phili-based venues, Humilitarian draws their inviting sound from jam-band psychedelia and crunchy Alt-Rock with funk and jazz elements.
Finally releasing their staple closing number "She Said," Humilitarian takes us through modern-day turmoil of unwanted criticism from loved ones that linger within the mind.
The song brings listeners deep into the five minds within Humilitarian, as they noted that this is one of their more disturbing pieces. While delivering bright and lively Alt-Rock instrumentals, the band pointed out that this was their first completed track, making it incredibly close to their hearts.
"She Said" begins with plucky electric guitar layered with drifting electric guitar melodies, both perfectly setting the track's reflective and deepened tone. As the lead vocalist begins describing scenes of judgment and criticism, the approaching chorus drops into this scorching hot atmosphere through the layered electric guitar, powerful drum patterns, and a gripping bassline.
The front-person's vocals resemble a unique blend of Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks, giving us prime melodies that stick around our mind while evening out her lyrics with powerful delivery. We can't help but relate to the heavy lyricism portrayed on "She Said," and Humilitarian perfectly supports the song's lyrical theme with their lively and passionate Alt-Rock instrumentation, delivering heart and soul in a matter of minutes.
Listen to "She Said" here.
We're heavily relating to the lyrical theme within your blazing single, "She Said." Was the lyrical content a collective inspiration, and how did your group initially begin discussing the song's theme?
While we do tend to collaborate on the musical elements of the song, the lyrical content is all produced by Kira. While some of us knew each other before the band formed, others of us were strangers, so in the beginning, we focused on jamming and getting to know each other more than we ever discussed lyrics.
Kira: The way that I tend to come up with lyrics is to listen to the guy's jam and apply something that I’m feeling to come up with lyrics; it’s pretty standard but has been a reliable method for me so far. At the time when we were writing “She Said”, I was dealing with a lot of negative feelings following a breakup and processing residual family weirdness. When I first heard the beginnings of what became “She Said” as the guys played it, all I could think about was how frustrated I was with being spoken down to, and I just felt so done with it, but also hurt. I think that comes through in the lyrics of this track.
Could you break down your creative process for "She Said?" How did the five of you go about your individual parts to build the track to what it is now?
Brendan: I remember one of the first times we ever hung out as bandmates, Kira came over to my place in the winter of 2019. In my cold basement (which became the site of our very first show) she and I were just sitting there playing some tunes. Out of nowhere, I kinda just started playing the opening riff of She Said on my guitar while I was messing around. Kira immediately found the melody and some lyrics and we really liked what we had. A few days later I was hanging with Noah and Eli, and I showed them the song on my guitar. After hearing it the first time through, the first thing Noah played was the lead guitar melody that you hear on the track. Eli added his drums and it all came together very easily, despite having no real idea to start with.
Seeing as "She Said" is a staple closing number for your group, what pushed you to finally release the track to the public on streaming services?
We knew this song meant a lot to us and to our listeners, family, and friends, as it tends to be many people’s favorite song in our set. We waited to put it out because we wanted to be very selective and intentional about who we worked with on mixing and mastering, and we’re very happy with the results. We also waited to release this song because we felt that stylistically and thematically it is pretty different from anything on our first EP, “Humilitarian”, and it is definitely different from the new set of songs we are currently recording for our next EP. We had always planned to release it as a standout single.
Would you say that your music is a reliable introduction to who Humilitarian is and what your band tends to stand for and represent?
Kira: So far, yes, I think the five songs we have put out so far sort of showcasing the influences and elements that we often use in songwriting and jamming. I think it’s really cool because we have a wide range of styles that we like to touch on, from pretty indie rock to jazzier elements to the super emo-sound of “She Said”. Our first EP is really representative of these different ideas. If you listen to our song “Safe in the Center” immediately followed by “She Said”, you can definitely hear a stark difference in the structure of the song, the approach to lyricism, the guitar tones, everything. I really enjoy getting to put on many different hats when it comes to songwriting with Humilitarian. And as we continue to write for the next EP and eventually an album (someday), I think that you’ll see those elements coming out again, though interacting in new ways as we grow in cementing our style.
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
Kira: Honestly… Just the fact that we are lucky enough to live close to each other, the fact that we have multiple spaces where we can jam and practice, and the fact that we have a home recording studio where one of our two guitarists, Noah, operates his engineering business and records almost all of our songs with Humilitarian. Just being lucky enough to have the opportunity to keep playing and writing and hanging out together during this quarantine is what has kept my head on straight as we all stomach the loss of live shows, among other things.
Brendan: We genuinely like each other, and just really enjoy making music together and hanging out. In my experience, It’s very easy to stay inspired when you get to work with people you love, who also happen to be immensely talented at what they do.
Eli: The release of “She Said” has been a big factor in our inspiration lately. Ever since it came out it seems like we are all on the same page of wanting to continue to write and develop new songs together. It’s just refreshing when everyone wants to work towards the same goal.