Icarus Phoenix - "High Tide"
Led by Drew Danburry as the primary songwriter, the Baltimore based Icarus Phoenix delve deep into the misalignment of money and inherent value of a human life. This kind of philosophical writing seems to flow easily out of the bands approach to Indie Rock - bright shimmering guitars, plenty of space and room around Danburry’s conversational and knowing lyrics. This incarnation of Danburry’s work invokes 90’s indie luminaries like Lou Barlow and Bob Mould - fearless freaks who knew their way around a hook. According to Danburry the crux of the song is as follows - “I got divorced a few years ago, was somewhat forced to pick up and start over in a new place across the country. I was grinding 6 days a week at a job working with people who didn't know me or value me. I think the hardest thing about divorce was feeling like my only value were the ones placed on me by my ex and by society, in that, my only value is how much money I can make. What I can provide financially. I was burning out, society, my ex and my new co-workers constantly reinforced a dehumanizing view of myself. This song was a battle for survival. Plodding slowly forward through the mental sludge that drowns us all.”