Credit: Vincent PeriniGiven that the members of PHASES come from bands such as Rilo Kiley, Bright Eyes, The Like and Phantom Planet -- groups not exactly known for writing particularly uplifting songs -- it's a bit surprising that their single is called "I'm in Love with My Life." The upbeat, life-affirming track will be featured on PHASES' upcoming debut album, For Life, which will be released on September 18.
"I love that the most controversial thing we could do in our world was just be psyched," frontwoman Z Berg tells ABC Radio.
"I'm in Love with My Life," certainly has a bit of a goofy vibe, which is exacerbated once you know the origin of the song's eponymous line. As it turns out, the track's title came from a sitcom-like misunderstanding between drummer Jason Boesel and guitarist Alex Greenwald.
"I was in the kitchen eating olives, and I said something about the olives -- I don't remember what -- and Alex misheard me as saying, 'I'm in love with my life,' which is not what I said," Boesel explains. "But it got him very excited so he just started singing that phrase over [For Life song] 'Spark' at the time, and then every other thing that we worked on until it finally fit."
Even without the absurdity of its background story, PHASES were a bit concerned with writing such an overwhelmingly positive song like "I'm in Love with My Life."
"We first kind of heard that and it sounded like a joke to us because it's ridiculous," Berg adds. "But then we were just like, 'This is kind of awesome!' I mean, besides the fact that it's kind of a silly sentiment, it's also one that I think is pretty rad and apropos and that I feel all the time."
Of course, with a song this inspiriting, there's the question of whether the band is being "ironic." Boesel says that the PHASES are being sincere with "I'm in Love with My Life," even if it does come with "a little bit of a wink."
"I think it's genuine but there's an acknowledgement that it's such a purely kind of saccharine statement," he tells ABC Radio.
Berg, Boesel and the rest of the band are currently focused on PHASES, which will be touring in support of For Life alongside Lights this November. As for Boesel's old band, Rilo Kiley, the drummer believes that a reunion might be possible.
"I would say it's likely at some point, but there are no current plans," Boesel say of a potential Rilo Kiley reunion. The band hasn't released an album together since 2007's Under the Blacklight.
"Everybody likes each other," he adds. "We're all doing our own stuff, obviously, but I think that's a real possibility."
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