Behind The Tracks: Mohawk Bends - See What You Do To Me (Single) (2020)

1. What can you say about a song like “See What You Do To Me”?

In all honesty, the song itself doesn’t really hold any discrete double-meaning, or intellectually compelling ideals. It’s the product of not overthinking in the writing process and not worrying about a message. Opinions are everywhere. Politics are inescapable. And tales of a broken heart? I think we’ve all had enough of them. As the song came together, it not only proved to be a tune that we simply loved playing, but it seemed to reinforce exactly what we want to be as a band: an escape.

We play music to blow off the steam of our jobs, daily lives, etc… and when people listen to our music or come to our shows, we want to provide the same blissful, worry-free mentality that we experience when we’re writing songs or practicing together. While this isn’t reflected in every song we’ve written, See What You Do To Me was a step in the direction of wanting to write fun, positive music that people could enjoy, without stepping into the slums of being preachy, sappy or gimmicky.

Like most songs, it started with the opening riff. We were gathered in a room at a local rehearsal space in Austin called Music Lab, and I think it was sort of just me (Chris) fiddling on the guitar while everyone was setting up. But as I played, Colin joined in with a blistering lead tone, Alex started slamming on the drums, and Jon just laid a perfect foundation with the bass and the song just immediately came together. There was no questioning about the vibe, direction or anything like that. We all just heard the same thing at the same time, and it proved to be one of the quickest songs we’ve ever written- perhaps unsurprisingly, since the song is essentially just one chord for about 80% of its length. But that’s neither here nor there. Beyond the music, the lyrics came just as fast. After the practice I went home, threw together a quick demo using midi drums and rough guitar tones, and started writing the first verse. The vibe immediately influenced the direction of the lyrics, but I paused to think about whether or not the song needed a deeper meaning or story. I just told myself to continue with the mindset we’d started with when concepting the song.

And so a fictitious interaction seemed like a logical way to go. Well, not ENTIRELY fictitious. I thought back to times when I was single, maybe even a little bit younger, and the energy and excitement that comes with making a connection with a potential love interest for the first time. I thought of the women we had in our lives- my girlfriend, my bandmates’ future wives- and the incredible personalities they have. I thought about the confidence they all display and continue to display, and that became a huge inspiration for the direction of the lyrics.

So in the end, I suppose what this song really is is an homage to the strong women we have in our lives, and the ones who exist in the world at large. It’s for every badass gal out there who doesn’t slum it with the average riffraff of the male gender (excluding our girlfriends and wives, since obviously their taste is questionable), and it’s about the excitement of taking a leap and trying to make a connection with someone you immediately hold in high regard. I think I can speak for everyone in Mohawk Bends when I say “take the leap.”