Feature: Maycomb - 'Crystal Tiger Blues' Track By Track Guide

This week Wolverhampton pop-punk band Maycomb release their new EP, 'Crystal Tiger Blues' on All Aboard Records.

We recently asked bassist/vocalist Simon McCoy from the band to shed some light on the 5-tracks and tell us the story behind each track.

Hope House
The lyrics to this song are uncharacteristically skeptical on my part; I usually try to keep some semblance of optimism in our songs, but that’s not really the case here! It’s basically a cynical look at faith and religion.

I’ve never considered myself religious in any overt way, but I like to think there’s some kind of bigger picture; some kind of justification for the darker things that happen in life. The lyrics to Hope House are about wanting to believe in that notion, but finding it increasingly difficult to do so.

All I Know Is My Gut Says “Maybe”
This song is set over the course of nine months, and it tells the story of a pretty rough time I went through. It’s about hitting rock bottom, and feeling utterly helpless; like there’s no way out. But over time, things get better, and you realise that you won’t be down forever. It’s about facing your demons, and learning to believe that you can beat them.

Ghost Stories
This song is about a moment of realization; the point when you discover that you’ve been deceived, and you understand all that it has cost you. As depressing as it sounds, that can be a real turning point; if you don’t realise things aren’t right, you can’t set about changing them. This song is about getting back on your feet and starting over.

Always The Courage
This is one of the most personal songs I’ve worked on, and the lyrics mean a lot to me. I wrote them for my family, to tell them how grateful I am for their belief in me, and for understanding how much this band means. At a time when I should have been building a career for myself, I chose to put the band first, and I can appreciate how that must have looked from an outside perspective. This song is about focusing on the things I do have, as opposed to the things I don’t, and saying that it might not look like much, but I’m happy to be where I am.

Whatever Happened, Happened
The use of water as a metaphor seems to work its way into quite a few of our songs, and I just ran with it on this track. It’s a song about closure and redemption: admitting that you’ve made mistakes, but seeing how they’ve made you who you are. The theme of the song is pretty much the opposite to Hope House, and I like the fact that it closes the EP on an optimistic note; everything happens for a reason.

'Crystal Tiger Blues' is available now through All Aboard Records.

Maycomb on MySpace

Sean Reid