Author: Olive Your Music

Singer. Shrek Enthusiast. Music lover. Sad boi.

Car Lyrics

I always tend to come up with lyrics while I am driving. Probably because I get inspired from all the amazing bands I listen to on my commutes. Who knows, but I try to type them in my notes on my phone quickly so that I remember them later. I have close to 100 notes on my phone of random lyrics. Some, I can’t even put any context to, yet they are all something I have felt at some point, so here, I will write them down. And I pull from these a lot for inspiration for lyrics I write for YA.

  • It comforts me to know that with every bad decision made, I’m constantly bringing myself close to the grave. My sick sense of positivity, happy that there’s one less day of me.
  • I’ll smoke my lungs dead, you won’t have to listen to me anymore. Forgot I can’t make someone even fake giving enough of a fuck about me. Your facade perfectly masked the selfishness underneath. 
  • What does it mean that I would give you everything? ‘Cause it’s scaring the living hell out of me. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, been rotting away from what’s inside of me.
  • Told me sometimes that you love me, started to feel more like you hated my every fiber. Taught myself I deserved all of that, that no one would ever be willing to love me back. If I could let you slip underneath my skin, I swear you’d come crawling back out.
  • The language of us has become the language of you. The words that you say have become your only truth. You fit into me like a splinter in a hand. I could never love you as much as you hate yourself.
  • Why am I this way? That sounds so god damn cliche. 
  • She said I’m always trying to argue, a bone you pick to back me into a corner.
  • Would rather sit at home gettin’ high, letting every minute pass me by, than ever really go outside. ‘Cause somehow sitting at home gettin’ high, letting the hours fly by, makes me feel way more god damn alive…than any of this.
  • There are ways to die without being dead. Could never figure out what that meant. Sleeping’s something I was born with knowledge on how to do it, but I still can’t seem to get even that right.
  • Are you still finding me there? Pieces of my hair everywhere.
  • Tried to be your morning sunrise, your breath of fresh air. But you just wanted sunsets in smokey basements, suffocated.
  • Still wish I was dead every single day, but there’s a piece of me that wants to stay. That would miss waking up each day to the same old bullshit, the constant headaches.
  • Always too much for everyone, but never enough to love.
  • So close, your breath like fingertips on my cheeks.
  • Mediocre. Like a benign tumor, neither good nor bad. Most choose to remove, some have to keep. Never out of love or necessity, just the lack of tools.

Top Music for 2018

Everyone else is doing it, and I sometimes enjoy being part of the crowd, so I figured I would break down who made my top music list of 2018. I am going to be including singles, LPs, and EPs in this list, in no particular order (except number 1, which will actually be my favorite of the year). These were the albums or songs I found myself going back to time and time again. A lot of these helped me get through some pretty crappy stuff this year. I got to see almost every band on this list live this year as well, which is pretty flipping sweet; my band even had the opportunity to play with a lot of these folk! Here we go:

11. kellen – “lowercase god”

This EP blew me away. I first heard their single, “filigree”, on Community Records’ “Compilation No. 6” (which is one of the best compilations ever, by the way). Hauntingly beautiful is the best way to describe that track, and I was hooked immediately. The rest of this EP is just as beautifully composed, and I am so happy to have stumbled upon this little supergroup. kellen is compiled from members of several other amazing bands: Claire Puckett from Mother Falcon/Hikes, Nay Wilkins from Hikes/Monte, and Dwight Smith of Dwight Smith. This is an incredibly solid release and I cannot wait to hear more from them in the future. “filigree” is going to be my favorite off this one.

10. Charmer – “Charmer”

These dudes took the emo scene by storm this year. My band played with them in the Fall of 2017, and you could tell then they had the passion to drive them to where they are today. When “Topanga Lawrence” was released, it became an instant favorite of mine, and not just because of the name (Boy Meets World for life!). That song has all the critical components of an “Emo” song, without being seemingly “overdone”. The entire album is wonderful and I bumped it all summer long with my windows down. If you haven’t been listening to Charmer, you need to start, like…2 months ago. Check out “Roy’s Our Boy”!

9. Biff K’narly and the Reptilians – “Biff K’narly and the Reptilians”/”Take Me Under”

“In this hell, we all burn together” is a lyric that stuck with me the first time I heard it, and is a very strong message in their song, “Unfamiliar Armchairs”, off their self-titled EP. Biff K’narly and the Reptilians are from good ol’ Alton, IL, which I’ve found out is a hotbed for great music. My band has played several shows with them, and they are truly some of my favorite musicians. They bring the energy every single show and you get the added benefit of praising our Reptilian Overlords in the process of listening to them. Their self-titled EP is a super solid release, each song a banger of its own. They also gave everyone a present of a new single, “Take Me Under”, a few months ago, and they did the darn thing again! Support this local band, they deserve it completely. Obviously going with “Unfamiliar Armchairs” as my favorite song!

8. Queen of Jeans – “Dig Yourself”

I hate the word “angelic”, but it is the word that always pops into my head when I try to explain this album to anyone. The harmonies on “Dig Yourself” are insane; listen to “You’re Never Alone” (which is completely acapella) if you want to be taken into another dimension of beautiful music. This band has taken off this year, and it’s definitely no surprise. This album has something in it that anyone will love, and I haven’t talked to a single soul who didn’t enjoy it. “U R My Guy” is a straight banger.

7. Oso Oso – “gb/ol h/nf”

I don’t know how Jade Lilitri does it, but every single song they write is a bop, for real, and this EP was no exception. I would include “the yunahon mixtape”, but technically that was first released in 2017 so I will talk about this EP instead! I think I listened to “gb/ol, h/nf” at least eight times the first day it was released. It’s upbeat, yet the lyrics tell a slightly different story of what seems to be old lovers slowly turning into just friends. “Subside” is also on this EP, which is the person song to jam while driving down country roads, or chilling on a boat. I don’t know, I am making stuff up here as I go…main point, LISTEN TO THIS.

6. Hop Along – “Bark Your Head Off, Dog”

I am very happy I had several friends tell me to listen to this band because WOW. Just. Wow. Frances Quinlan has the most unique voice I have ever heard, and it blows my mind what she can do with it. You’d think with such a crazy vocal range and powerful voice, their live performances might sound a little rough, but my experience when seeing them was quite the opposite. They sounded even better live. I am honestly quite jealous of her voice and could gush over it all day long. The album as a whole is incredibly well-written and full of little intricacies. The only thing I wish is that I would’ve have found out about them sooner! Give “The Fox in Motion” a listen, you’ll like it, I promise.

5. Honey and Salt – “Honey and Salt”

I will start this one off by saying the dudes in this band are some of the best, coolest, and lovely people I have ever had the pleasure meeting and playing shows with. Their self-titled LP shows off their strengths as musicians incredibly well and is filled with lyrics that make you wonder about the type of world we currently live in. Wade, Austin, and Ben are all masters of their instruments, and they blend different styles beautifully to make a very cohesive sound. If you enjoy math rock and haven’t had them on your radar, you should probably rethink that – these guys are going to take that genre by storm soon, I can feel it. “Bowling Green Memorial” is my jam.

4. Mess – “Cave”

Another group of people that make my ice cold heart get the feels (yes, I know, very emo of me) is Mess from Kansas City. Their music speaks to my deepest feelings, and seeing them live takes me out of my body to someplace that’s nice, warm, and a lot less terrible than the real world. They only released a single this year, “Cave”, but it’s definitely one of the best songs I’ve listened to in a long time. The harmonies, the lyrics, the little guitar parts…I could go on. This band deserves the world and more, and anyone who enjoys music should be listening to them.

3. Delta Sleep – “Ghost City”

I was able to travel to Chicago to see Delta Sleep play their FIRST EVER show in America, and it was one of the highlights of my 2018. These guys are so humble- they seemed genuinely blown away that their show was sold out and that people were singing along to their songs. I will be honest, when I first listened to this album, I really didn’t like it, because to me it was quite different than “Twin Galaxies”, which is in my top 5 albums of all time. However, when I was giving it another go while driving to Chicago to see them, something clicked, and I fell in love. Seeing them perform the songs live solidified that love. This album is about going against the grain and enjoying the world in all of its natural beauty, making it the perfect companion for any road trip. “Floater” is my favorite.

2. Tiny Moving Parts – “Swell”

I saw TMP four times this year. One of those times, my band also had the insane pleasure of opening for them in Columbia, MO. Very suiting, of course, for them to be on my list. I have found that “Swell” has made the top album list for such a wide range of people, and that makes me so happy for them. This album is full of energy with sweet, sad underlying tones of emo. It’s different from a lot of their previous work, but the difference is a positive one; they are growing as artists and creating something new. “Warm Hand Splash” is a song I have probably listened to one hundred times already, and I recommend you do the same.

1. Foxing “Nearer My God”

Is it cliché to have the hometown heroes of music in your city be the top album of the year on your list? Probably, but I really don’t care, this album is perfection. It’s so innovative, so fresh, so new. This band has taken themselves to an all new level, and it has definitely been appreciated by so many people. I listen to this album to pump me up, warm up for shows (Conor Murphy’s range is wild), even to clean my house. Every song is completely unique from another, yet they all somehow meld together to form this beautiful record. I am unable to choose just one, so you should listen to “Lich Prince”, “Five Cups”, and “Gameshark”.

Intro to OYM

Music has been, is, and always will be a very large and important aspect of my life. My parents brought me up in a musical household (Mum is trained classically in singing and piano playing; Dad taught himself, by ear, how to play piano and guitar), so it is something that resonates deep into my core. When I was younger, I would put on “plays” for my family, singing silly tunes I made up as I waltzed down the large hill in our backyard. As I grew up (and, of course, more self-conscious), I stifled my creativity, and instead began to find solace in bands that seemed to speak to my inner dialogue. Going to shows tended to be the highlight of my entire month, because it felt as if they were the one place I “belonged”. I have often pondered on what has led me to where I am today, and I firmly believe the former band, letlive., was one of the biggest catalysts. I discovered them back in 2011, when they were opening up for Pierce the Veil in Chicago. Immediately, I fell in love with the emotional lyrics and powerful voice of the singer, Jason Butler. I was also blown away by their guitarist’s, Jeff Sahyoun, pedal board and his ingenuity when playing guitar. What struck me most, though, was Jason’s stage presence. He was jumping around, swinging the mic everywhere, crawling around on the ground, and even called people up to the stage during their final song. He had so much energy and passion, and every single show I saw him at afterwords (seven, to be exact) got crazier. I started to realize that when he got up on stage, he was letting the music take him over completely, allowing it to control his movements. I wanted that, needed that. A small spark erupted within me, and I began to crave being back on stage.

I am an extroverted introvert. I work a job that is heavily committed to top-tier customer service, so that drains a lot of my “extroversion”; I find myself wanting to stay home a lot. I am also INCREDIBLY socially awkward; I avoid eye contact at all costs and unless you come up and talk to me first, I guarantee I am assuming you either don’t remember me or secretly hate me and won’t talk to you (did I mention I also suffer from severe anxiety?). Why in the world, then, would I ever want to get up on stage in front of people and bare my soul? The “normal Olivia” would respond by saying that you’re right, I am absolutely crazy, and that I still get scared to the point of almost throwing up before all of our shows. “Stage Olivia”, however, would reply that when I am on stage, every single worry, care, stress…every thing falls away. It is truly the best feeling in the world: losing all inhibitions, allowing the music to take control, knowing there is at least one person in the room locking their attention onto your band, experiencing this emotion with you. I know this is something a lot of my fellow musicians experience, but it can be hard to get your foot in the door. St. Louis has such a wonderful music scene, yet I have begun to feel like a lot of the fantastic bands we have to offer have been stifled, silenced, or just plain ignored. I am only one person and I know that I alone cannot change the world. However, I can at least try to make a small impact on our little DIY community we have here. Hence, this blog.

My main goal for “Olive Your Music” will be to help others discover local music or places that heavily support local music. I will provide short, sweet, and fairly simple reviews for bands in our community, with links to their social media and music. This will be an all-inclusive blog, and I will be featuring music from all genres and people from all walks of life. It is extremely important to me that this is a hate-free, negativity-free, and safe forum. I want to bring positivity into the community and, with that, build camaraderie and partnerships among musicians. Starting in the new year, my hope is to write a review every week, along with eventually providing a Spotify playlist with my favorite songs from each band featured. I am definitely not well-versed in actual writing, despite being part of the Catholic school system K-8th grade, but I promise to try my best to remove any errors before publishing. If you’re interested in your band/music/place being featured, shoot me a message on Facebook or email me at: oliviaschulte6@gmail.com. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for listening to me rambling about myself, and I hope you enjoy the content I start releasing!!!