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somebody had to

by phoneswithchords

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  • somebody had to cassette
    Cassette + Digital Album

    2nd album from phoneswithchords....co-release with Z Tapes Records.

    On blue swirl tape with a yellow case.

    Tapes ship from NY via Totally Real Records

    Includes unlimited streaming of somebody had to via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.
it wasn’t what you wanted in your head every ghost you swore to God was dead hiding in the halls, under your bed just to remind you everything was perfect till it was not your mother had a mind she lost your Daddy went to work I guess somebody had to Picture day for the t-ball team your own baseball card you looked happy but that was right before the stubborn storm came through And settled over that yellow house you learned to hide out back in the trees by yourself and imagine a different world I guess somebody had to somebody had to Putting on your mask your thicker skin unaware you were just a kid I’ve seen you with flash flood eyes longing for an end you’ve taught me to give it time just put the work in it wasn’t what you wanted in your head every ghost you swore to God was dead hiding in the halls, under your bed just to remind you everything was perfect till it was not your mother had a mind she lost your Daddy went to work I guess somebody had to
2.
Darren 04:31
underage, hidden rage banging our heads near the stage part scared to death part teenage pride we knew the truth, but loved the lie stole all our stubborn confidence from a punk rock poser some college kid who talked a lot about everything we met at a show he asked us our names He drove an old purple Subaru at night it looked dark blue wore a studded belt and wallet chain when his folks split up he tried to hide the pain talking real, real big, but we knew he was full of shit still he wasn’t cruel like the jocks and jackasses at school despite all the facts we thought he was so cool Darren said he was straight edge, his teeth were crooked you could tell people thought he was lame, but he had a car and he knew our names he drove us to shows And got us in said Nirvana was technically a punk band I thought he was wrong, but I didn’t say a word I was out of the house away from my helicopter mom kind of like the one on Almost Famous it was good for a bit to break the spell, to finally be free in a suburban hell you know sometimes with fast friends they fall away just as quick you rack your brain, but you can’t recall nothing happened nothing at all it’s like you woke up and you’ve moved on you can barely remember your favorite song you get older and it comes on and you remember when you were underage so much hidden rage banging your head near the stage part scared to death part teenage pride you knew the truth, but loved the lie stole all your stubborn confidence from a punk rock poser some college kid who talked a lot, but he was my friend he was my friend he was my friend
3.
freckles 04:05
someone spilled all the freckles out emptying the jar on her cheeks arms and shoulders a thousand scattered little stars in the sun finding patterns curing constellations I was in love but she didn’t even know who I was in the stands near the drum line my heart a bleeding metronome her smile a spark laughing with her friends she was my only home- coming queen though all the votes went to the token high school Barbie in my mind no one else wore the crown I knew every word until she walked into the room like a runaway train of thought I would always lose myself in my mind wishing I was really someone else someone she would notice
4.
slow release 05:34
always had a feeling there was more below the surface rooms long been locked told myself we don’t go in there but why not? why not? if I remember it all would it cover up or right these wrongs? to know what I buried secretly carried for so long I tell myself we don’t go in there but why not? why not? the Christmas after I moved out said all I wanted was a letter you sent me a fuckin’ sweater couldn’t take the time to even try to find the words your silence hurt I think I thought you’d eventually admit now you say your therapist says we drove you to it, but that’s bullshit I’m learning to release slowly letting go Now, I look in the mirror and see a person you’ll never know Here I am who I’ve always been Here I am who I’ve always been
5.
the ammo 04:38
Write my words down in permanent ink all my failures every mistake then chisel in stone The worst of it The secrets red running Through my veins Here’s all the ammo You’ll ever need I’m ready for the take down The cancelling Of my existence Just follow the thread You thought you were original Those words were always in my head A kid in his room Raising himself On videos games And loneliness took a while to know who I am I found the door far away from this town I fucked up, but I’m no fuckup
6.
You were the only one at the time I knew had tried I listened lying on your bed to the words your lines are still in my head “I took all the pills I had Woke up feeling so mad about it Couldn’t even kill myself… left me even sadder than before” You’re the only one I trust to talk me through down off the ledge when I’m caught in the cage lost in my head sooner or later i remember what you said Turns out they call it depression You were the first one to mention I might need to talk with someone I memorized your words speak them out loud sometimes it helps to free my mind You said I was love I think you were right
7.
burnt orange sun falling fast behind the hills into the past there was a time I had the day in the palm of my hand Here’s comes the night running in looking for a fight don’t care where you been there was a time I held the light in the palm of my hand I’ve been barely hanging on I’ve been barely hanging on Burnt Orange Sun coming up so fast over the hills a new day at last one more chance to feel the light in the palm of my hand
8.
Could have swore you said You’d come back to get me I waited on the porch you never showed All these years I’ve been thinking I might be crazy, but now I know you’re the one not me Getting really close to standing on my two feet the scars will keep me like a doorway open to the light Have you ever in all this time had me on your mind? All these years I’ve been thinking I might be crazy, but now I know you’re the one not me I have this dream I carry it with me I’ll come around the corner and there you’ll be Makes me shake I wake up sweating, fighting fever I want you to be here yet I wish that you were dead All these years I’ve been thinking I might be crazy, but now I know you’re the one not me
9.
You’re always here all the others have gone so why’m I getting your hopes up? Cutting you down to size down to the quick swear to you I’ve changed, but you’re not buying it You know how dark how dark I can get A night with no stars you’ve come to expect I cut you down to size down to the quick swear to you I’ve changed, but your not buying it Been waiting for something dying in the dark reaching I felt you cut the night with a spark They say that no one gets older without some kind of baggage to carry around I’m tired of standing on these stages of grief maybe pain is all we get and there is no relief… but you’re not buying it you’re not buying it
10.
blank blue canvas not a single cloud I left I’m sorry I just had to get out I’ve been walking by the river to clear my muddy mind you always know how you feel for me, it just takes time hey, what if we go out driving just to drive do the unthinkable and leave our phones behind I’ve got way more questions than answers in my mind all I know is when I keep quiet the walls go up inside you always know how you feel for me, it just takes time I’m not sure why it’s so hard for me to say out loud
11.
all this time every stubborn little second leaving me low far behind my peers I’ve had the chance but I don’t ever take it I’ve stuck around this Sorrowtown for what? I’m still waiting Somebody give me a chance Somebody get me to dance why can’t I ever seem to let go? I’m sure that California would have me I guess I’ll never know I thought by now that someone would notice look me in my eyes and tell me, “you’ve got to get out.” swore the day I turned 18 that I would leave, but I’m still working overtime loved the lie they told me I never got away
12.
all over 04:17
the day after getting the results we looked it over as reasonable adults and took a walk around the block hoping we’d return and it would be all over all be over I ask myself why’m I here and not somewhere else? the months went swimming with the years the days went missing the hours were replaced with tears we took some time some time apart hoping we’d come back together and it would be all over it would be all over I ask myself why’m I here and not somewhere else? there’s a line on the map and there’s driving down that road you never know what to expect till you pack up and go the day before you left for good I remember thinking if there’s a God I wish they would let me close my tired eyes and wake up in the morning and it would be all over all over I ask myself why am I still here? and you’re somewhere else

about

On July 14th, phoneswithchords will release their highly anticipated second album, somebody had to (ZTapes Records/Totally Real Records) - a follow-up to their debut album cut the kid.

“I wanted to build a world on top of those lo-fi guitars from Cut the Kid,” says Arthur Alligood, the sole songwriter and producer behind phoneswithchords.

“Cut the Kid was essentially a concept record about kids growing up in the rural South…I knew I wanted to continue that thread, but also I wanted to branch out musically.”

On Somebody Had To, Alligood covers new sonic ground, adding a myriad of sounds and textures to his signature lo-fi guitar work. “I love working within strict guidelines, but I also love to break the rules and see where each song leads me.”

Through twelve songs clocking in at just under an hour, Alligood takes the listener on a winding journey through the five stages of grief. The opening/title track reveals, “Everything was perfect till it was not, your mother had a mind she lost, your Daddy went to work…I guess somebody had to.” Speaking to the inevitability of brokenness in life, Alligood sets the stage for the album.

Songs such as “Darren” and “freckles” appear like musical Polaroids, describing in stark detail defining moments of loss and acceptance amidst a teenager’s “suburban hell.” These narratives bleed into open confessionals with songs like “slow release” and “burnt orange sun,” inviting the listener to contemplate their own personal losses and seek some sort of lasting acceptance.

At the midway point, on a song called “sadder than before” Alligood sheds light on the elephant in the room: suicide. The song’s driving drum beat plods along as Alligood sings, “I took all the pills I had, woke up feeling so sad about it”. In other songs like the tension filled acoustic track, “i feel a weight” Alligood confesses, “You always know how you feel, for me it just takes time.”

The final two songs of the album ultimately reach for hope, while still acknowledging the loss and pain ever present in Alligood’s mind. “Somebody Get Me to Dance” starts with a simple “four on the floor” drumbeat and mixes with intricate acoustic guitar lines and distorted guitars to create a cathartic song of desperation and longing. The song fades with a simple, high octave piano part into the final track of the record, “All Over,” a beautiful acoustic ballad layered with lush vocal harmonies.

“There’s a line on the map and there’s driving down that road” confesses Alligood, making a clear distinction between a life filled with longing and actual life itself. The song slowly fades with the delicate strumming of his guitar, a moment of solace at the end of a reflective musical journey.

“Somebody Had To” is an album that descends into the bleak darkness of the human experience in search of some kind of spark of meaning. That spark, if anything, turns out to be the journey itself, the processing of one’s own pain and turmoil.

“I think pain is a universal experience, but somehow we still feel alone in hard times” says Alligood. “I want this album to be a reminder that we are never really alone.”

phoneswithchords second offering shows Alligood has much to offer and many more songs up his sleeve.

credits

released July 14, 2023

All songs written and recorded by phoneswithchords
Amiable Alleycat Music ASCAP
Shep Alligood played bass on "sadder than before"

Produced by phoneswithchords and Conor Ryan
Mastered by Max Gowan

So many people helped make this album a reality....Tiffany, you always give me room to create. These songs are just as much yours as they are mine. Thank you for continually encouraging me to be me. Jonathan, you up and gave me a computer and without it this record would not exist. Thank you. Nick, you are usually one of the first people to hear my tunes and this time was no different. Your encouragement continues to be so vital for me. Angie, I am still so glad we crossed paths my faraway, Tennessee friend. Thank you for being so supportive and being open to my ideas. Bryan, thank you for your instant enthusiasm and being so on board for a co-label release....and your tape design looks killer! Thank you so much! Curtis, your encouragement has been a lifeline for me. Thank you for being a wonderful human being. Conor, thank you for mixing the record and being down in the trenches with me. Your feedback was invaluable and I'm really glad I gained a friend during the creative process. So grateful to have met you. Max, thank you for mastering the album and being so damn kind to me. Thank you Doug for some early feedback. It was very helpful. To Elsie, Lucy, and Corban...your faces never leave the mantle of my mind. Every song, every melody has always been for you, always. And you the listener....thank you for listening and telling your friends about the music. I don't tour right now, but one day I'll come your way and play some songs and by that time I'll have many to play. Again, thank you everyone. Connection is our currency.

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phoneswithchords Tennessee

"If time is a fast car then who cut the brakes?"

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