Chicago-based pop-punk band Cliffhanger released the new lyric video for “The Oaks”. The track, which is on their self-titled EP, focuses on staying true to yourself and not caving in to peer pressure and your current surroundings.
About “The Oaks”, vocalist Matt Meindl stated:
“[It] is a very personal song for me. When I was in college, I felt as if I didn’t belong because I wasn’t focused on playing music. Creating music had always been a huge priority growing up, but no one at college even knew about my musical background. It was very disheartening, but I was able to stay rooted and true to myself. Even in times where I felt like I was disassociating myself from my past, I kept my focus to follow my passion.”
The band self-produced the melodic, high-energy track at Flashpoint Chicago and partnered with Michael Govaere (ex-Every Avenue) for mixing and mastering. The lyric video was created by the talented Cecelia Hotzler. It includes dark artistic time lapse images which evokes the feeling of being alone in a new environment while fighting to stay true to yourself.
The members of the band are Matt Meindl (vocals), Dan Rickert (guitar), Mike Centracco (guitar), Lou Pontillo (bass), and Mike Licari (drums). The self-titled EP, which has generated over 55,000 streams on Spotify, features prominent electric guitars and thoughtful melodies.
Cliffhanger has an impressive history of shows including performances at the Vans Warped Tour, Subterranean, and Beat Kitchen. They have also shared the stage with the likes of Belmont, Keep Flying, We Were Sharks, and Light Years.
Photo Credit: Sasha Strahler
