Love Like Enemies Talk “The Wasp & The Spider” | TOP8 Scene – Behind The Track
Photo: Love Like Enemies
Love Like Enemies Get Tangled in “The Wasp & The Spider” — Behind-the-Track
South Florida band Love Like Enemies came crashing in with their new song ‘The Wasp & The Spider,’ released on August 28th; the band teamed up with Dave Escamilla of Stray View for a heavy hitter that's bound to have your speakers exploding. Naturally, we had to pick the band's brain about the story for this drop, as we caught up with guitarist and backup vocalist Kalup Gallegos.
Love Like Enemies is a shared dynamic between Kalup, vocalist Jovan Ferrante, drummer Nathan Love, and bassist Javi Sepulveda; they have built a reputation for making music rooted in authenticity, transparency, and positivity, which, to us, is as cool as you can get.
If you have ever wondered how they describe themselves for new and old listeners, now is the time to open up the pit because that's exactly the kind of vibe Love Like Enemies brings. “Heavy, atmospheric, duality. For anyone in search of a band that makes you want to open up the pit, while simultaneously making you feel emotionally understood," Gallegos shared.
Behind every song, there are powerful lyrics and emotion that tell a story with 'The Wasp & The Spider' that is evident; getting tangled into those webs will either make or break you, and cutting those strings can be challenging. People who you thought were your friends could be the ones to betray you. “The story comes from having a really innocent dream and seeing how easily others will manipulate it to their advantage. Our dream is to inspire and teach that you can express yourself in any creative way you wish to do so! And doing it with a positive mindset is super contagious.” Says Kalup, some experiences shaped the band's understanding of music: “To be candid, I’ve had music stolen from me by other artists, money stolen, and collaborations that were presented to our team, and they would turn out to be really “scammy." We even ran into some artists and producers trying to take credit for songwriting." Because of this, the band stands for honesty. Due to these events, it was time to get those experiences out through their writing and help other artists. "Luckily, not everyone is like this in the community; it just shows you who your real friends are and who to surround yourself with,” the guitarist explained.
The metaphor of a spider and its web is intricate; comparing it to manipulation or control is one way to describe the complexities/emotions. “Personally, I’m terrified of spiders. But I mostly mean giant kaiju versions or the ones in Australia. (I may or may not have had a bad nightmare or two; I stay up watching too many horror movies.) Spiders are very sneaky and creative with how they trap their prey." But the beauty in the web is what gets you. Kalup went on to say, "A web is actually quite beautiful in every way and also a silver platter of temptation to other living things. Some webs are actually shaped in floral patterns and are more than a trap. It’s an unholy struggle. Meaning you have to surrender to the fact that you’ll be cocooned eventually. If you don’t break free from the web.” Honestly, we completely agree; the struggle always turns into something beautiful.
The wasp representation in this track is a unique one: “The wasp is a natural predator and frequent opponent to the spider. That’s the push and pull, the struggle and fight to break loose. Even if you go down trying, you gave it your all, and the wasp's sting will still set in. The sting of defeat can go both ways.”
To us, the music reflects heavily on being controlled and finding the courage to take your power back. It's no easy task, but with music, it is one outlet that makes it a little easier to put those thoughts into lyrics. Kalup shared, “The music has a very stern backbone, lyrically and instrumentally. When anyone hears it, I hope it inspires them to really shake the foundation of anyone trying to build a web around them. Or spot the signs of anything too good to be true; usually it’s everything you want to hear, but no actions that follow that match the promises you were given. It’s time to make yourself a promise and never let anyone take advantage of you being a good person to others! Actions speak louder than words!”
‘The Wasp & The Spider’ having a feature with Dave Escamilla of Stray View was kind of a no-brainer for Love Like Enemies, not only because of his talent, but because of the strength he has shown throughout the years. “Dave was the only one meant for this track. Seeing him adapt and overcome so many obstacles, while also watching his circle grow into such a loving embrace! That’s the type of message we stand for: to spread hope to others through music. Same belief, one message.”
We've all been in a situation where we can’t stop those feelings of negativity from taking over, and restarting is never easy, but it's necessary. It's like you've escaped a web but still have to deal with the aftermath, but what exactly is the aftermath? Kalup tells TOP8 Scene, “The aftermath was having to restart so many times. This will sound crazy, but we’ve finished songs that may never see the light of day. Due to a lot of the circumstances we’ve mentioned before. Maybe one day we’ll finally get to circle back to some of that lost material, but until then, as the great Relient K said, "I’m pressing on!"
If there is anything to take away from this release, Love Like Enemies wants you to know that doing what you love is always the most important thing. “Keep doing what you “LOVE” to do. Don’t let anyone stand in your way or try to steer your direction. We’ll sound like a broken record with this one, but your art matters- protect it!”
Make sure to keep up with Love Like Enemies and everything they are up to. We got the TOP8 Scene exclusive: “This is probably a good time to let everyone know we just wrapped up our 2nd full-length album! It has 10 tracks total! We are super excited to share this. You’re the first to know!" Stay tuned & hit play.
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