Track-By-Track: The Gills – 2
With their second EP, The Gills really dig into their personal experiences about overcoming struggles as a band and as individuals. The five-track EP from the Nashville-based band had a retro feel to it while still sounding modern and unique.
We caught up with vocalist and guitarist Jesse Wheeler to find out the inspiration behind each song on 2. Check out what he had to say about each track and stream the EP below!
Lend Me Control
This is probably the favorite melody of the album for me personally. It hits a deep place because I’m talking about asking for help from a person that is involved in the same situation. Trying to work something out together can be a difficult thing, and I feel like it’s something most people can relate to.
“Aria” is a special song because we wrote it differently than any of the others. The Prince brothers had been jamming on the intro just instrumentally for a while. The rhythm got stuck in my head and all of a sudden one day I heard “Aria” from the heavens. I couldn’t stop singing it until we finished the song. The song is fictional, I don’t know anyone named Aria. I was watching a lot of Game of Thrones back then and there is a character named “Arya,” but the song is most definitely not about her. The song is about a girl who is tough as nails but secretly wants to escape. I offer her a way out with a little sense of carelessness and relaxation and we have fun.
Growing up in a very conservative environment can lead to rebellion later in life, and that’s what’s happened to a lot of my friends and also myself. This song is about understanding being enlightened and me telling people, who may not be and are still judgmental of other people’s lives, that I feel peace with my decisions and way of life, even though they might not agree with it.
This song is about forgiveness essentially. Letting petty useless grudges go and getting on with life. Harmony central at the end, very emotional for us as a band. Andy [Prince, bass] and I wrote the lyrics to the verses together which makes this one very unique.
Clearly this song is about a relationship, someone leaving because their partner has been running off and doing things that were hurtful. It also has a tie into the band staying together and communication being a key part in maintaining a relationship. It’s the only softy.
