Singled Out: Brodie Christ's IDWTBFriends

Toronto-based indie pop/rock artist Brodie Christ recently released his new single and video "IDWTBFriends", and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the song. Here is the story:

Songwriting is like therapy. A song is like a memory - perfectly preserved - and while it stays the same, I keep changing as does my relationship to it. And because the process of capturing a song is long - going from idea to demo to recording, mixing, and mastering - I spend a lot of time with it. It's fair to say that during our lifetime together, "IDWTBFriends" has been a friend, an enemy, and a lover to me.

On its surface, "IDWTBFriends" is a song for forbidden lovers. It has a feeling of "stepping out" - cheating as the old kids say - getting outside your comfort zone, and asking the focus of your desire to join you. When I wrote it I wanted to express the irresistible nature of an early relationship - how intense the pull is, how all consuming the feelings are - as a way of being honest with myself and the person I wanted. But who was being cheated on? For me, I was cheating on stability, routine, complacency, comfort, and safety in exchange for excitement, spontaneity, adrenaline, and risk.

I am different now. "IDWTBFriends" is a timestamp for how I felt in a moment. It's a confession of love and a desire to step out. But these days I think of it as a metaphor for acknowledging that a certain aspect of my current life is not what I want. I am asking for something different, something more. This is not a "grass is greener on the other side" scenario. It's an acknowledgement of where my heart truly is, because that is where freedom lives.

For you, Dear Reader, maybe it's . . .
"I love my partner but I'm not getting what I need."
"I hate my job and I have always been an artist at heart."
"This relationship isn't working out and I want someone/something else."
"My parents are toxic and I'm better off when I don't see them."

These can be painful things to admit but I think it resonates with everyone that liberation is the result of overcoming and removing obstacles. It is something you must fight for.

For me, that "something more" is music. I want my energy and time to be spent writing songs, dreaming up new ideas and melodies, and playing with great people. Even as I write that it threatens my sense of stability, routine, comfort, and safety and makes me feel almost afraid. And so here I am at the next juncture in my therapy journey. Listen to my next record to find out where I end up! ;-)

Much like a song, if your view or reaction to a memory hasn't changed over time, perhaps you haven't grown emotionally in that way and it's time for another look.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

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