Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by John Richards, host of The Morning Show on KEXP, is "Pushing Forward" by Spirit Award, from the 2023 album The Fear on Share It Music.
Seattle’s Spirit Award, the project of Daniel Lyon and currently with Chris Jordan of Sunny Day Real Estate on bass, has been fine-tuning his brand of doom-filled psychedelic indie for over seven years now, with his upcoming fourth studio album The Fear destined to be one of his best. While they may only have one single out, it’s an incredibly strong one and shows that Spirit Award are only getting better.
“Pushing Forward” is a psychedelic journey into the recesses of the mind that technically refers to drugs but can be taken to a larger level. Unlike the long journey that drugs often take a mind through, the song breezes by with its layers of dreamy guitar play. While the song specifically references the paranoia post-drugs that requires one to either succumb to the fear or push forward through it, it has deeper layers for Lyon.
“This idea for this song came about at a time of growth and realization, during some sleepless nights,” explains Lyon. “I had so many things getting thrown my way throughout my musical career; Vans getting broken into, gear stolen, rehearsal space getting robbed, identity getting stolen, van getting stolen, health problems, and most of all financial problems. The worst of all these has been a post-pandemic landscape which has changed how bands tour and put out music and try to make a living doing so. This has not only affected musicians but also music venues. Throughout all this, as a person and as a musician, I have always tried to keep ‘pushing forward’. So this song became a motivation to do so and sort of a rallying cry for our music community. I am thankful to have had the support of MusiCares and friends that helped me through a journey of growth and discovery. And knowing that no matter how low things get, there is hope.”
The Fear is out May 19th via Share It Music. The video for “Pushing Forward” sees Lyon traverse a wild night helmed by some mystically masked characters and is directed by Seattle’s Eric Luck. Watch it below.
