Lots of words:

A bildungsroman is a piece regarding the literal/mental/emotional journey of a protagonist, and often times is considered a “coming of age” story. This thought, paired up with an image I took of the Chicago skyline from the lake, quickly became the concept of my coming of age story: Roman Buildings. (I’ve most likely had more creative ideas at other times in my life, but the partial ridiculousness of the title was something that was too sweet to let go.) Almost all of the music and lyrics on the album deal with growing up and stumbling from adolescent life to a somewhat more adult lifestyle, whether it be the ups and downs of going through high school, being in relationships that thrive or crash & burn (lovers and friends), the departure of my family/loved ones, good and bad coping mechanisms, or countless other themes. It’s a look into my life over the past few years, with themes that I hope others can relate to on some level.
Within the bildungsroman concept lies a story with a bit of a clearer concept: a protagonist journeys through the cycle of a year’s seasons and faces the bliss of summer’s sun and the harshness of winter’s wind. The album begins with a song titled “ERA” that describes a story of summer love, but as Autumn approaches and the warmth and light of summer begin to fade, the themes get heavier. Themes of heartbreak and desperation accompany the Fall season in "Our Heart" & "Anything At All" and things take a plunge for the worst as a brutal Wisconsin winter sweeps over the protagonist. In the long, cold nights of winter ("Das Winterlude", "Lucy", "The March"), the subject matter begins to deal largely with longing, depression, poor coping mechanisms, and an overall lack of hope for the future. But as the album progresses, spring is upon us, and a more uptempo feel arises ("Name Your Price", "Just Like You") though pain is by no means gone as winter lingers around. The summer finally makes its way back around and the protagonist is freed of the chains that the colder seasons shackled him in and love is once again in the air ("Lions"). On the last track of the album though, “Goodbye”, things take a turn for the melancholy one last time. This was an essential track for me to put last on the album because it deals largely with the most recent chapter of my life: having to say goodbye to my family who moved to Texas, some of my best friends heading off to college, and also ending a chapter with a special soul who I spent the majority of the summer with.
Creating and developing Roman Buildings has been such a gratifying and life-changing experience, and though much of my life recently has been spent cooped up inside working on it, I have no regrets. I believe that people can jam out and dance to a song’s beat--which is always a great time--but I think music can also take on a deeper role as medicine and help push people through the darkest of times or simply motivate them to get through other walks of life so that they can pop in their earbuds later in the day. To me, life is incomplete without music, and this process of making Roman Buildings has kept my head up and a light in my heart through all of the darkness life has thrown and is throwing my way.

Dedicated to Elizabeth Johnson (the giver of life and instiller of creativity)