Lyrically we tried to just not be the same as a lot of the other crap that is out there right now.
When I first started playing metal, lyrically, I sort of related a little bit more to the punk and hardcore scenes, where there was a lot more veganism and straight-edge people and people taking a stance for causes that they believe in.
Music critics think of lyrics first and don't consider melody but so many songs are lyrically depressing but musically great, and that's why they become classics.
Lyrically, the most important thing for me is, how can I tell a cohesive story?
I think rap in general allows you to be more lyrically expressive. It's a lot easier to state your identity, as opposed to with a guitar making all these weird metaphors.
Lyrically and melodically, Drake was definitely a big influence of mine.
Death Cab always gets right of first refusal on everything I write, but I tend to know early on. There's a song that has yet to be released - it might come to light at some point in the near future - that when I was writing it, I was really proud of it lyrically.
If you're going through a difficult time, and there's a piece of music that speaks to you - be it musically or lyrically or both - you are almost always able to access that music. You're always able to sit down with it.
I think one thing that's amazing about 'Resurrection' is that we weren't afraid to lay it all out there lyrically.
'The Driver' kind of set the tone for what I wanted to say, and lyrically, it especially did.
