A Life Motion Worth Celebrating
Dear brothers, sisters, friends, fans and loved ones,
I hope you are doing wonderful, as we just let go of 2017’s fair share of emotions and presently dwell on the already full-motion stream of the utterly promising 2018. And with the invitation to redefine ourselves that comes with all the passion of such new beginnings, we can envision to unfold life with a renewed faith in the most hopeful of all dreams, one color at the time, one discovery after another, breathing with exaltation and excitement, living in the present tense, knowing that tomorrow will somehow take care of itself, as it always does.
I can say that the last 12 months have made of 2017 quite a mesmerizing and deeply significant year for us all. Us, as a band. Us, as friends. Us, as a family. It has been a seasonal period rich in moments, generous in fulfillments. Both collectively and personally, we discovered, as much as we rediscovered, the meaning of having a joyful “togetherness”, took the time for a simple smile, lost ourselves in communing laughter, contemplated the beautiful grace we have to grow alongside each other still, even when separated for some time – and we’ve been for quite some time.
In fact, maybe that’s why 2017 has been such a significant year for us. Me being away, drifting for a while in order to find a little of what was left of myself, realizing that even if the truth may reside in places we can’t fully comprehend, freedom always blooms from the honesty we have towards ourselves and those we dearly love. We tend to fight our personal shadows with so much alienation that we inevitably become darker than the shadowy companion lights create around us. Our personal pilgrimage might lead us to the end of the world, but it rarely finds us settling down where we initially saw ourselves kneeling at dawn, enlightened in let go, in acknowledgment, in acceptance, maybe… Something far from the fatalism of our covenants, our personal dogmas, evolving certainties and other make-believes.
Therefore, I guess it’s no wonder that I’m presently seated at the very same table where the journey began for me, almost 2 years ago, in Tangier. The very same place where I worked on the band’s latest book project “A Journey Beyond Ourselves”, where I wrote so many songs, but most importantly, where I’ve been able to find peace gazing at the sea from early morning to dusk, from my ever-growing fear of abandonment to the liberating grace of silent introspection, of personal reflection and retrospection. Some talk about emotional cycles, a rebirth of sorts, while others talk about getting back to where your soul belongs, where you’ve been in another life… I don’t know… Maybe it’s as simple as finding a place where you can look at the reflection in the mirror without having to bear the burden of being yourself, the deception of what you became… A place you can call home, be received as whoever you may be in that particular moment in time. I don’t know… Tangier is all that to me… Elusive as honesty, as love, as death and everything in between… The sum of all, or the sum of nothing at all.
And it’s quite significant for me that, adding to the amazement of how unbelievable of a voyage our common life story has been over the past 10 years – and what a crazy decade it was, made of numerous collective miracles, witnessed within ourselves and into others – I had the great privilege of inviting my brothers, my sisters, my friends and fellow life partners to my place, Tangier, where we have the incredible blessing of establishing a recording studio in order to work on sounds, on words, on colors, on images, that we’re all opting to turn into songs, lyrics, paintings and movies in order to discover and rediscover who we are as a band, as friends, as a family… Uplifting pieces of hope we are impatient to share with you all.
So, in that refreshing creative new space of ours, Ben and I, with Sef’s collaboration, gave life to a new musical project that should be released this upcoming spring. It’s something very different from everything we have given life to before, an artistic landscape made of blissful and galvanizing emotions, a conceptual project inspired by the resilience of those who seek, by the solidarity of those who stand with those who kneel, by the triumph of an idea greater than oneself, of pure love born out of desperation. We are very proud of that project and can’t wait for you all to discover its nature.
As for Your Favorite Enemies’ next endeavors, the upcoming few months should be rich in communion, as the 6 of us are now assembled in Tangier until April to explore and experiment together, which has always been our way to firmly resist the temptation of creative convenience and comfort. The only perspective of being reunited here is already magnificently inspiring, to say the least, so we can’t wait to see what will emerge from the blooming sea of our artistic heartfelt revivification.
Impatiently awaiting the moment we will be with you all, we want to wish you a fulfilling and exhilarating new year, knowing we will see you very soon, may it be for a cherishing hug, a mutual smiling instant shared, a concert or a musical type of communal ceremony, or someplace on the road somewhere.
Much love to you all,
Alex, alongside Jeff, Miss Isabel, Ben, Sef and Moose
PS: Make sure to join the band’s fan club (SFCC) for more info on the upcoming projects and our current North African adventure.
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