SPOTLIGHT: THE INSIDE OUT
Meet The Inside Out and tune into their upcoming single “The Way It Was”
“The Way It Was” is such a heartfelt blend of nostalgia and energy. How did the idea for the song first come about?
The song first came about while I was sitting at home messing around with a song idea called “we don’t talk anymore.” This was around late winter/spring 2024.
James, you mentioned the loss of your brother inspired the emotional depth of this track. How did that personal experience shape the songwriting process?
To tag onto your last question, because they go hand in hand, last year in late winter/early spring my brother was fighting his hardest against his brain cancer. He had become for the most part non-verbal and needed 24-7 assistance. One of the most difficult things about seeing someone you love who is so young and so strong undergo such a battle is knowing how they were before. It was devastating. Someone who I could spend hours with talking to about anything I couldn’t anymore. I channeled my own grief from that experience into a song, which later morphed into what it’s called now.
There’s a bittersweet tone to “The Way It Was,” but it also encourages living life fully. How did you balance those contrasting emotions in the lyrics and production?
Even though the depth of “The Way It Was” can be vast, it can also be simple too. I sat down in the studio to start fleshing out pre-production for the song, and I came up with this fun beat with a cowbell and claps and a tambourine. I started trying to cram in the lyrics to the song and nothing fit. I decided to try to say more with less, if that makes sense. It allowed me to have fun with an upbeat song that can be simple with nostalgia, but I was also able to get across what I need to say. I think the pre-production period of this song was one of the most healing processes for me personally, and it sort of balanced itself and me out.
How would you describe the musical evolution from your previous singles like “Good Times” and “Too Late” to this new release?
Layering, layering, layering! I’m trying to really lean into everything I can write as a musician, including some synth and key parts. This song just has so many layers, and instead of stripping it down to account for being able to play it all live to a “T,” I kept it how I wrote it in pre-production, and live just has a different feeling.
The upcoming album is already generating buzz, how does “The Way It Was” fit into the larger theme or arc of the project?
I’d say that the obvious is the upbeat nature of the track, lyrically the song is about reflection and letting go of the thoughts that things would have been any different any other way in your life, just enjoy the moments as you go. I think this is mirrored in “Good Times,” and in a lot of ways they’re saying the same things.
You’ve described your sound as familiar but fresh. How do you approach crafting music that nods to nostalgia without sounding dated?
I think the fact that we take on a lot musically from our influences is important; it keeps things sounding familiar sonically. I also think that we’ve got something different to say than those artists we relate ourselves to. I think what our songs are saying is what keeps things fresh.
What have you learned as a band since releasing your debut No Brains, No Blood that you're applying to this next chapter?
After working so long on “No Brains, No Blood.” during the pandemic, it’s been so nice to have a change. I was writing from a darker place–and a lost place. I’m finally able to head back and work my way towards the roots of what I was trying to tap into off our 2019 EP “I Want To Wake Up Where You Are.” This project was always supposed to be indie rock and less emo/alternative. I think playing our songs live on tour and seeing the crowd's reactions to the more upbeat newer indie songs really did the trick too. I’d much rather see a crowd dancing than anything else.
You’ve played everything from CT Rocks Fest to Music for Meals. How do those community-focused shows shape your relationship with fans?
I love supporting any shows and events wherever we can, especially if there’s a cause. Creating an understanding community is important, and that’s what we always strive for. We’ve met so many great people from every show we’ve played. It’s important to really take as many opportunities as you can.
How do you prepare for emotional performances of a song like “The Way It Was” while still keeping the energy high onstage?
For me I love the music as much as I love the lyrical message it invokes. The whole process of performing for me has always been cathartic–performing and hearing what I’ve created with my close friends is the positive emotional energy that carries me through and then I don’t need to even overthink any of it.
The upcoming Battle of the Bands at Toad’s Place is a big milestone. What are you most excited (or nervous) about for that show?
We won our preliminary round, so we’re on to the finals on Thursday, June 26. I think for me it’s all excitement. We’re well-rehearsed and I genuinely have seen people I’ve never met take a liking to our music when we play live, so the only nerves I have are the practical ones in the back of my mind whispering things like, “Don’t break a string,” “Don’t get sick,” “Don’t be awkward in between songs.”
There’s a strong thread of emotional honesty in your discography. How important is vulnerability in your songwriting process?
It’s everything. If I wasn’t writing about something I was genuinely feeling, none of it would make sense to me. I use music–and create and write music–as my outlet for self-therapy sometimes. It’s how I stay grounded.
You’ve referenced influences like Brand New and Modest Mouse. What elements of those bands’ sounds do you bring into your own work?
With artists like Brand New and Modest Mouse, for me they both have two big things in common: its raw unfiltered energy sonically, and honest and emotive lyrical storytelling. I think, without sounding too much like one another, that’s a great thing musically to aspire to do as well.
With over a year of steady singles leading up to this album, how do you decide which songs stand alone and which belong on a full-length project?
This question is such a good one! It’s not really an easy answer, however. The world we live in with marketing and social media and campaigning a song properly is changing every day, everywhere, all at once, all the time. It’s impossible to keep up with. I try to stick with my guns and think, do I love this song enough to give it special attention or not? That’s how I personally decide.
Looking ahead, how do you want listeners to feel when they hear “The Way It Was” for the first time?
I want them to feel how they felt when they were with those dearest to them and the best moment they can think of with them, hold on to that memory and feeling and run with it. Take a beat, a breath, and then feel whatever you have to after that, and then let go.
What’s one message or reminder you hope fans take away from your music as they head into the second half of 2025?
Music can bond us in ways we could never even imagine. I hope they find some relative comfort in our music, or any music in general, and then share it with someone they care about.
Listen to “The Way It Was” here.