Already Heard Song Premiere: welcomehome – Feel You There

For any up-and-coming bands to succeed in this non-stop music scene, you need various characteristics. Amongst them is hunger and enthusiasm. And St. Louis rock quintet welcomehome have it an abundance. Since forming in 2014, they’ve fully embraced the DIY mentality of what it takes to sustain life as a band.

While they may have self-released their debut album, ‘Just Happy To Be Here’, welcomehome take more pride as spending as much time on the road as possible. Since March 2016, they’ve been touring on and off relentlessly. Although it hasn’t been plain sailing for welcomehome, they’ve embraced the musical and personal growth it has given them.

As a result of this, the five-piece found time to enter the studio to record new material this past summer. Today, we’re premiering a slice of the material welcomehome have been working on. ‘Feel You There’ is a rousing, tight-knit and textured number that mixes up elements of alt-rock and pop-punk in a way that doesn’t leave them confined to either genre. Ultimately, it’s a fine example of what welcomehome are all about and what’s to come in 2018.

To give you more of an introduction to welcomehome, we spoke to vocalist Nick Pirrone to discuss ‘Feel You There’, being self-sufficient and how touring has helped developed them as a band.

AH: Today, we’re premiering your new track, ‘Feel You There’. How did the track come together and what is it about?
Nick Pirrone: ‘Feel You There’ came together over summer. We went into the studio with a new batch of music and, more importantly, open minds. We wanted to really start carving out our own avenue in music and have fun while doing it. So we spent a lot of time with these songs hashing them out in the most organic way we felt possible.

When it comes to lyrics, I write with the intention to unburden myself with troubling thoughts and leave a specific message open to interpretation. I write down my emotions as honest and raw as possible so people can relate and hear the sincerity. This song itself is about the power a person can have over you. How a ghost of someone can leave you feeling helpless. That even self-medicating is only temporary, and not every wound heals clean.

AH: For some people, this will be the first time hearing welcomehome. Do you think ‘Feel You There’ gives new listeners a good indication of what you’re about?
Nick: ‘Feel You There’ is definitely a good song for you to catch us with first. We feel like this is our most transparent and honest track to date. Showcasing a new sound and overall vibe to look forward to from here on out.

AH: It also follows your last single, ‘Freaking Out’, as well as last year’s ‘Just Happy To Be Here’ full-length. How do you think the band’s sound has developed on ‘Feel You There’?
Nick: Our personal goal has been getting rid of limitations in our music. To not write within a specific genre, but do what feels real and honest to us. These two singles have been our best representation of that to date.

AH: We’ve noticed you spend a lot of time on the road. As an independent band, do you think constantly touring is now the primary way to stay financially sufficient?
Nick: Financially, we remain self-sufficient in the sense we make enough to fund our music and keep ourselves on the road. More money may come, but we do our best to not keep our heads in that space. It compromises the art we’re creating, and it’s truly not the reason we began making music in the first place.

AH: How has constantly touring developed you as a band?
Nick: Humbling is the best word to describe any development we’ve experienced. Learning that not only did we discover how much of a grind touring can be, but how much we enjoy it. No part of it is easy, but there’s nothing we’d rather be doing. It boils down to individual growth.

We’ve had the privilege of meeting wonderful people, discovering incredible artists, and seeing the most breathtaking parts of our country. But there are undoubtedly sacrifices we all make to give ourselves an opportunity to experience bringing our art to people in person. You really learn who you are, and you become immensely close to your bandmates, whether you want to or not. That closeness has luckily benefited us, and it can be found in our music. We know each other’s strengths and ultimate goals, so we’ve done our best to capitalize on those organically. Making music with my friends gives me a feeling unparalleled by anything else in the world.

AH: Although you prefer touring, we hear there is more new material in the works. What can you tell us about that?
Nick: I can tell you that there is a lot of new music to look forward to over the next 12 months, and I invite you to watch us grow through it.