Our recurring new music feature Track by Track gives an artist the chance to discuss the gritty details of each song on their latest effort.
Rising indie pop/alternative artist Bishop Briggs inked a sweet record deal on the strength of her sole self-titled EP, released in 2016. The CoSigned musician then went on to amass over 400 million global streams thanks to early singles like the Gold-certified “River”. Now, Briggs — who was born in London to Scottish parents — is taking the next big step in her still-young career: releasing her debut album.
(Read: Five Rising LA Artists You Need to Hear)
Out today through Island Records, Church of Scars collects together 10 songs. Each one showcases a different side of the chameleonic 25-year-old pop artist, with Briggs tackling everything from pop and rock to folk and electronica. Among the highlights: the pastoral stomp of smash hit “River” (natch), the anthemic rallying cry of “White Flag”, and the electronic pulse of “Wild Horses”.
Stream the full LP via Apple Music or Spotify.
For more insight into the creative process behind Church of Scars, Briggs has broken down each song Track by Track.
“Tempt My Trouble”:
If you have an ex, even if it’s a fling, even if it’s five months, it’s worth writing about.
“River”:
This song will always have a nostalgic place in my heart. Every time I perform it, I feel angrier and more passionate. I hope this is a song that brings you back to where it all started for me. This was one of the first songs I released – very proud of this one.
“Lyin”:
If you listen closely, you can hear Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons come in at the end. We wrote this song together and he is someone that inspires me so much. I think it follows the theme of this album, which is if you’re lying to yourself about anything, you can’t truly be happy.
“White Flag”:
This is a song that’s about never giving up and continuing despite any obstacles that may stand in your way. That being said, the music video was one take and was definitely an obstacle in itself!
“Dream”:
“Dream” was written with Dan Wilson, who co-wrote “Someone Like You” with Adele. I think his specialty is bringing the truth out of people and right when I walked into the session, I knew it was going to be the most direct that I’d ever been.
“Wild Horses”:
This was written during a really dark time in my life and it was the first song I ever released. It felt important to have this on the album to show ‘Baby Me’ how much I’ve grown.
“Hallowed Ground”:
“Hallowed Ground” is about that safe place that you have around yourself at all times. It’s where your secrets and your insecurities lie. I wanted “Hallowed Ground” to be a very unapologetic song.
“Water”:
This was the last addition to the album and I think because it was written so recently, it’s the most special song to me off this album. It was produced by John Hill (“Feel It Still” Portugal the Man), who is someone I admire and respect so much which is always the cherry on top to any recording experience.
“The Fire”:
This was written right when I broke up with my ex. It was about leaving that safe place because I didn’t truly feel like myself and I didn’t truly feel happy, but that meant I would be running into the fire.
“Hi-Lo (Hollow)”:
Ultimately if someone in your life doesn’t care about your feelings and doesn’t act in a selfless way, it will leave you feeling hollow. That’s what this song is about.
“Hold On” (Target Bonus Track):
This is an end of tour song. It’s about never giving up, no matter how tired you are and never turning on the people around you.
“Dream” (Noah Neiman Remix) (Target Bonus Track):
I felt really honored to have someone remix “Dream” that wasn’t afraid to take risks, be creative and really make it their own.
