The first glimpse of the new Hollywood & Hard EP was released January 21, 2021, Inauguration Day: “Fists.” At the time, Secily was fresh out of the hospital from her neck surgery, Kate was frantically preparing for her military deployment about to start in February, Elliot was in lockdown, and Lurssen Mastering had worked wonders to master the tracks in time for “Fists” to release when we wanted it to. There was no big radio promotion or campaign… no highly publicized strategy to this one. We just KNEW it needed to be out. There was just too much going on to ignore the timeliness of the song! The January 6th insurrection event had happened, Kate was running out of time before she left, and the message of the song felt too pressing to leave sitting in our laps.
“Fists” was much anticipated by the band. We had been eager to release new music and even more eager to share what we had worked so hard for with Bear Creek. We made it through the pandemic, two massive surgeries, long-distance coordination with everyone, and deployment prep to lead up to that moment. Then BOOM! “Fists” burst forth like our long awaited child! The more we heard it, the more we wanted to open the flood gates. “Quick! We need a music video” we said! Lucky for us, we have one of the most talented animators in LA as a neighbor and friend, Ms. Stacy Parker of Parker Animation! In a matter of weeks, Parker built a concept, reel, and final lyric video complete with cartoon character, “Sparky!” She pulled the story and character development out of her imagination and brought it to life in ways we couldn’t have done on our own in a million years. We are forever grateful for her expressive creativity and generosity in helping bring the music to life!
Fun side fact: the hand in the beginning of the video (striking the match) was drawn from Secily’s brother, Shaun Saunders. Shaun usually does our make-up and hair for photo shoots/music videos, but he lent some modeling skills here to help Stacy generated a realistic hand motion!
The lyrics of “Fists” came from a lot of places: some from Kate’s experience in the Army… some from the tension around US elections… some from Secily’s experiences from protests. In the end, we were happy to have finally put the pieces together to capture the feeling we had been writing to for years. Here are the lyrics in case you can’t recall:
“I used to know it was good/ It used to feel right/ There used to be a satisfaction to the action/ To the thrill of a fight/ We can see you out there/ Locked and loaded/ With your fists in the air/ Until the fire came down/ Burning higher now/ Yeah the fire came down/ And there’s no way to put it out/ And it breaks our hearts/ It breaks our hearts.”
“We put it to bed/ Threw dirt on the grave/ There’s no cure for absurdity/ Too many to save/ We can see you out there/ Locked and loaded/ With your fists in the air/ Until the fire came down/ Burning higher now/ Yeah the fire came down/ And there’s no way to put it out.”
“Don’t just be a fire/ Be at torch/ Be a pyre/ Be a beacon on a cliff/ Be a prayer upon a wick/ Burn higher/ Higher/ Don’t just be a fire”
“We can see you out there/ Locked and loaded/ With your fists in the air/ Until the fire came down/ Burning higher now/ Yeah the fire came down/ And there’s no way/ We can see you out there/ Locked and loaded/ With your fists in the air/ Until the fire came down/ Burning higher now/ Yeah the fire came down/ And there’s no way to put it out/ And it breaks our hearts/ It breaks our hearts”
Since the release of “Fists” over a year ago, we’ve been pleased to hear how it resonates with our listeners. One of our favorite reviews came from BuzzMusic LA who we will quote and then leave you with. We send all of our love to our friends and family out there, fighting the good fight still and letting our music inspire you to burn higher and higher!
From BuzzMusic LA,
“With the help of Grammy Award-winning Ryan Hadlock masterfully handling the production of their recently released "Fists," it's without a second thought to righteously throw your hands in the air to this anthemic, bold and striking tune.”
“A true testament to creative minds alike, the unfettered artistic erudition of this song screams deliverance from the restraints society is subjugated to face in our lives. The immersive duality alone brings a sense of liberation, elevation, and grace while touching on the importance of unification and rising above and beyond. Blissfully written to provide a simplistic connection of emotion, the audience can interpret the sentiment involved throughout this piece with incredible ease and satisfaction.”
“The melodic instrumentals, in conjunction with the vibrant, pitch-perfect vocals, create a true sense of belonging, enthusiasm, and insightful atmosphere. Winter Grain's revelatory sound echoes greatness through the many prominent venues they've played in combination with festivals, private events, and on the radio.”
“With overflowing gratitude, we can look forward to hearing more of their tremendous talent with the upcoming release of their EP that's dropping this summer. With the blistering integrity Kate and Secily have portrayed. Audiences everywhere can count on Winter Grain to continue to climb to new heights, remain the beacon on a cliff, and invigorate our fists to stay forever in the air.”
Read the full interview and review from BuzzMusic LA here.