Greensboro-based rock group LOWBORN recently dropped their track “Dark Inside.” We got to talk with band members Wes Lauterbach and William Clayton about what “Dark Inside” means to them, and how they use their music to help themselves and others during hard times.
Can you introduce yourself to our readers, and tell us your role in the band?
Wes Lauterbach: “Lead Vocals/Guitar.”
William Clayton: “Guitar/Vocals.”
Your sound is super unique, do you have any particular inspirations?
Wes: “A weird mix of older 2000’s emo and modern pop/hip hop stuff.”
“Dark Inside” seems like it comes from a personal place with the band. What inspired you to write it?
Wes: “I struggle with depression and anxiety, and so in a journey to to grow and be better I spend a lot of time kind of introspectively flipping over the stones and finding out there is a surprising amount of stuff to sift through, and that’s what this song is about. Noticing there’s more below the surface in us than I think we realize.”
If there could be one message you could have your listeners take from “Dark Inside,” what would you want it to be?
Wes: “I think ultimately, it’s okay to not be okay. You don’t have to hide being sad or depressed or anxious or anything. I would just urge everyone to pursue whatever help they need and to love themselves more. We want everyone at our shows to feel like they can truly be themselves, no matter what that is, and not get bullied or anything for it.”
When you face dark times, how do you turn them into something positive? Does your music play a role in that?
Wes: “I write about them. I get to dissect the situations and learn from and grow.”
William: “It’s all about having constructive outlets. Sports, arts, good people to be around. Music is one of the best outlets for me because it channels the darkness and the emotions into something better. Something that can’t always be expressed with words alone.”
The video for “Dark Inside” is reminiscent of “The Blair Witch Project.” What inspired you to take that direction with the video?
William: “I worked closely with our director, Luke Thompson, to come up with this concept. As Wes mentioned, the concept of the song is pretty deep. In essence, it’s about depression through the lens of being in a relationship with it, as if it embodies another being. Although it’s creepy, it’s very relatable. We wanted the video to have the same kind of tone as the lyrics and the best visual representation of that was something haunting and Blair Witch-esq. Even down the location that looks abandoned and/or cluttered all fits perfectly with the meaning behind the video.”
You can check out the video for “Dark Inside,” and stream the track, below.
