Are We Rebel Young?

This is one of the older songs on the album, though I can’t pinpoint exactly when I wrote it—probably not long after Quiet as Fists in 2020. Like many of my songs, it centers on the lives of teenagers, but this one isn’t autobiographical. It tells the story of a group of teenage radicals who are deeply infatuated with each other and the idea of themselves as subversive. They’ve left home, and now things are getting real.

At the beginning of the song, they’re starting to question whether there’s actually anything unique about them or their ideals. Maybe they’re just like every other kid who leaves home for whatever reason. But by the end, they’re miraculously reassured—convinced that they’re “new,” not like the failed movements of young people before them. They’re going to change everything.

Why did I write about this? I’m not entirely sure—it’s just what came out. To me, the song explores themes of altruism, the intense attachment to self-concept that often comes with youth, and the search for belonging. I remember the song really took off when I decided to pair a familiar finger-picking pattern with a steady backbeat. I think the rhythmic idea came from Phoebe Bridgers, but like so much of this album, it’s Josh Kaplan who provided the lift.