BEHIND THE SONG 

You never know how a song will come together, whether the music comes first followed by lyrics, vice versa or simultaneously but independently or all together in a glob of sweat-drenched inspiration. The music came first with Pounding Headache and was pretty much complete but for the playout before the lyrics even began.

I found the main riff around 4 in the morning when I couldn’t sleep and picked up my guitar in an effort to calm my racing mind. I made sure I recorded the riff before going back to bed otherwise the world might have been spared Pounding Headache.

My first go at lyrics that fit came up with the phrase Bounding Joy followed by lyrics about the merits of said bounding joy. I actually recorded a demo with these lyrics right before dinner one Sunday afternoon. Thankfully after dinner and a listen back, I realized the lyrics just didn’t fit the feel of the music.

This was back in late summer/early fall of 2012 and the US presidential election was heating up. All these ads and talking heads assaulting the airwaves and giving me a headache, a pounding headache at that. With that new theme in mind, the lyrics came quickly and all that was missing was a bridge or break in the middle.

The main theme of the song is feeling a lack of sincerity from political candidates who’ll say whatever they think it’ll take to get them in office and how they seldom have to face the results of their actions.

Sleuth Hound jammed on the main progression a few times before the inspiration to make the bridge a playout came together and it was done. Magic Mike’s drums and Steady Eddie’s guitar work brought it all to life.

- Frunkie le Bassist