Aidan Bissett Breaks Down Every Track of His Debut EP, I’m Alright If You’re OK

If you haven't been witness to 19-year-old singer-songwriter Aidan Bissett's rapid rise, you're definitely missing out—and it's time to remedy that.

Today, the artist released his debut EP, I'm Alright If You're OK, consisting of five indie-rock bops, and heartbreak has never been so much fun. The songs take us through various stages of a relationship, exploring what it means to lose your individual identity when you're with someone, and all of the little things that fated it all to end with a bang. We were enamored from the first listen, and we just had to learn more—and we were honored to be able to chat with Aidan and have him break down every track on the EP for us, below.

I'm Alright If You're OK

Aidan Bissett: Figuring out what to call this EP was one of the most difficult tasks I have faced as a musician. I wanted to make sure that whatever I was to call it would perfectly encapsulate the emotions I went through when creating it. This EP came about during a short-lived relationship I had at the beginning of this year. This relationship, like many of my other relationships, ended with a crash and burn. At first, I was frustrated at another failed attempt at a relationship, but that frustration later turned to curiosity. I wanted to understand what it was in these relationships that caused them to end. One thing I noticed during these relationships is I would always focus on the well-being of the other, constantly putting their feelings ahead of my own, which, in theory, is not a terrible thing, but I noticed I would never stop and ask myself how I was feeling. If any problem would occur, I would do everything in my power to make sure the girl was okay. I would sacrifice my own emotions, opinions and actions in hopes that it would keep the relationship stable and the girl happy. I wanted to figure out a sentence that would capture this feeling of sacrifice, which led me to the phrase I'm Alright If You're OK.

The themes for this EP are sacrifice and self-acceptance. I hope with each song, listeners can hear each emotional stage I was in during this relationship. I hope that people can learn from my mistakes and focus on their own mental health in relationships, as well as their significant others. It's important to not lose yourself in a relationship.

 

'All That I'm Craving'

AB: This song was created during the first few weeks of getting to know the girl I got involved with. All I could think about was how much I wanted to spend time with her and how happy I was when I was with her. She took up every inch of my brain, and I loved it.

I got with one of my producers, Andrew Wells, and sonically we wanted a song that felt like classic two-door cinema club. We created bouncy guitar riffs to match the bubbly emotions I felt towards this girl. Once we had the music laid out, lyrics just flew out onto paper. It felt like the song was writing itself.

This song showcases the initial emotions/infatuation I had with this girl. She made me feel special, and the creation of this song allowed me to capture a glimpse of what that felt like.

My favorite lyric is, "The way you hold your breath got me screaming." This lyric perfectly encapsulates what the initial attraction to a girl feels like to me. I could tell she felt the same way about me and that she was holding back her words and feelings. That drove me crazy.

 

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'I Can't Be Your Friend'

AB: This song has actually been in the works for a very long time. Chase Lawrence (lead singer of COIN) reached out to me via Instagram over a year ago when I still lived in Tampa, Florida. He asked about hopping on a Zoom writing session together, and of course, I agreed. Having the opportunity to write with Chase was truly a dream come true. I had been listening to COIN for years. Chase and I went back and forth for a few hours and made a demo that we both really enjoyed that we called "I Can't Be Your Friend." Days passed and we would shoot vocals back and forth to each other while working on the song until we got to a point where we had a strong verse and chorus demo. Chase had to leave for tour, so naturally, we had to sideline the song for a bit, but we both knew that this song was something special. Every once and a while we would text about how we loved the song, but nothing happened with it for months due to our busy schedules. It wasn't until I announced that I was recording an EP in the spring that Chase and I decided it was time to finish the song. Luckily, the song fit perfectly with the story I was trying to tell about my relationship. It made sense to put it after "All That I'm Craving" because it showed me coming to terms with these new feelings towards this girl. I was ready to take the next step with her, pushing us past just being friends.

Chase and I decided to bring in David Marinelli (artist named Marinelli, who also produces for artists like Wallice and spill tab) to help finish out the production. He really helped tie things together. He brought in new synths and drum sounds as well, which really elevated the track.

This song allowed me to lay my feelings toward this girl flat on the table. All I wanted to tell her was I can't just be your friend I feel like we are much more. Being able to work with Chase makes this song very special to me. It was the first time I got to work with someone I truly looked up to.

My favorite line from this song is, "I fall in love like every night, a little salt in the cut." I love this line because it shows how much I lead with my emotions. I am a very emotional person and can "fall in love" with someone who reciprocates those emotions back.

 

'Tripping Over Air'

AB: I started writing this song in my apartment when I started seeing a shift in the way this girl would interact with me. It felt like she began looking at me differently. I knew something bad could be headed my way. but I chose to turn my cheek because I still longed for that connection. The first thing I wrote was literally that intro guitar and the line "I hear you talking in your sleep again." It was the first thing that came to my mind when thinking about someone who is trying to hide change. After recording the first idea, I immediately sent it to the Captain Cuts boys. They loved the idea and we set up a session to get working on it.

"Tripping Over Air" was one of those songs that we just knew was special as soon as we started writing it. There was something about the melodies and lyrics that really connected with all of us. This song signifies a time when I knew heartbreak was on the horizon. It shows my naivety and immaturity towards relationships and how, even though I knew she was bad for me, the idea of being with her was more important than saving myself from her red flags.

My favorite lyric from the song is honestly the first two lines, "I hear you talking in your sleep again, you're holding on to something real." I love this because it's a metaphor for showing how a person hiding something always ends up showing their true colors even if they don't intend to. Their subconscious will always break through.

 

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'A Song For Her'

AB: This song took the longest to perfect out of any of the songs on the EP. This song shows how truly heartbroken I was after the girl I was seeing left me to "go explore other options." I felt lost because I had invested so much time and emotions into this girl. I remember waking up one morning before a session and pulling out my voice memos and saying "I want to make a song that is super quiet and small in the verses and then explodes with all kinds of sound in the chorus, then back to silence right after." I wanted the production to showcase the inner battle a person has inside their head after heartbreak. It feels like chaos, and I wanted to bring in instruments that showed that chaos.

I brought this idea to my friend apob and we spent three long days refining and recording this idea. We for some reason felt like we needed to bring strings into this song and wrote an entire string section that really completed this song. The music truly transported me to a different place. I can still feel how heartbroken I was by just listening to the instruments alone.

To be honest, this is probably the most important song on the project to me. It is the first slow song/ballad that I have decided to release. I have been so picky about choosing a slow song because no one has heard that side of me. I wanted it to be perfect, and this song is perfect to me.

Personally, I love the line "You're the voice inside my head it says," and how it transitions into the chaos of screaming and instruments. It shows how loud and chaotic the idea of this girl made me feel after she broke my heart.

 

'Twenty Something'

AB: This song was the first song Captain Cuts and I worked on together. It started as something completely different than what it turned out to be. I remember three hours into the session, we all agreed that we needed to pivot and re-write all of the guitars. It wasn't until after we re-wrote the chorus guitars that it clicked. The song truly began to write itself after that.

We spent the next three months going back and forth on the song until we decided we wanted it to be the single. The only thing we had trouble with nailing was the verses. We wrote them probably 20 different ways before settling on what they are today.

This song nicely wraps up the EP for me. It talks about how timing is everything, and sometimes you're not meant to be with someone at this time. And this is how I felt about this girl. Obviously, we were not meant to be, and this moment in time was not the time for us.

My favorite line is probably, "But love's an education, let's wait till graduation." I just think it's a fun, playful line that explains how you learn a lot through love and the timing of when love is supposed to be in your life.

 

For more on our favorite new music from the week, click HERE to read our interview with Sadie Jean on her new single, "Locksmith."