I hope you’re having a good week so far!
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting as we begin thinking about writing our next record, drawing inspiration from everything we’ve been through since we recorded Addicted To You. And it’s made me realise that although we’ve often said this is our most personal album yet… we’ve never really explained why.
As a fully self-managed, self-releasing band, we handle all of our own promotion. But in focusing on getting the music out there, we’ve sometimes missed the chance to share why we made it. And that why is everything.
It’s also made us reflect on why we stay independent in the first place. It’s not the easy path, but it’s the right one for us, because it gives us the freedom to make music that matters to us. Not music that’s crafted just to be commercial or hooky, but songs that come from something real. Songs that come from experience, emotion, and meaning… like Just Let Them.
This past weekend was Father’s Day in the UK, and it brought up a lot for me. So I wanted to share the story behind that song, one we’ve never really spoken about before.
I rarely talk about my father publicly. As a child, my family unit was whole, he was present, and I never felt like I was missing out on anything. I’m truly grateful for that. But as I got older and began to find my own voice, I challenged some of his behaviour, and from that very first challenge, he cut me off completely for what has now been over 20 years. Over the years, I’ve reached out four or five times, hoping to reconnect. Each time, he’s made it very clear he doesn’t want to see me or have any sort of relationship.
I don’t share this from a place of lack. I’m incredibly grateful for the people I do have in my life. My mum has been more than I could ever have hoped for, and her presence more than made up for anything that might have been missing. I feel so lucky to have the marriage, family, and friendships I do. I truly believe the challenges we face, even the painful ones help shape us into who we’re meant to be.
But I do want to share with you how Just Let Them came out of all of this.
Foxy came in with a beautiful chord progression, and he and Ads worked together to shape the musical foundation of the song. While they were working on the music, the phrase “just let them” kept circling in my head. If someone pushes you away… just let them. You can’t control how people behave, but you can control how you respond. That idea became the emotional anchor for the song.
In the same way as with a few of our other ballads, like Golden, as soon as I heard the music, it was like the melody had already been written. Aaron and I then took that inspiration and went away to shape the lyrics together.
When I went into the studio to record the final vocals with Ads, it was the first time he’d heard the melody or lyrics. It was extremely emotional, and one reason I haven’t spoken about the song until now is because it’s always been so emotionally charged for me. I worried that if I explained the meaning, I might not be able to perform it live.
But something this process has taught me is that even though I’m someone who wears my heart on my sleeve, I also want to be able to carry that emotion in a way that allows me to fully express it, not be overwhelmed by it.
We know Just Let Them already means a lot to some of you. That’s the beautiful thing about music, you take your own meaning from it. But this time, I just wanted to share the root of where it came from.
As we’ve been working on the live album and video from Norwich and The Palladium, it’s reminded us how important it is to stay connected to the reason we do this. We’re here to share something real, and that’s what being independent allows us to do.
Thanks so much for listening, it means more than you know.
Love
Grace x
