Shared experiences in Dashboard Confessional and BOYS LIKE GIRLS’ “Watch the Fire”

After a tumultuous journey in the pop punk scene across two decades, first emerging as a singer-songwriter act, Dashboard Confessional partnered with pop rock band BOYS LIKE GIRLS to introduce “Watch the Fire,” an immersive integration between either band’s 2000s influence and modern energy.

Immediately, this single resembles the sonic landscape Marianas Trench leans into across their projects. Opening on an illustrious string arrangement before entering into an acoustic guitar strum and a steady beat, “Watch the Fire” sonically captures a hopeful twist on 2010s pop rock with rich production and tempered instrumentation. Its sound is complemented by the intonation and rasp in Martin Johnson and Chris Carrabba’s voices, emulating the era of contemporary pop-leaning punk.

As veterans of the rock scene with parallel trajectories, Johnson of BOYS LIKE GIRLS and Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional have reached new peaks. From hiatuses to life-changing injuries, either band’s longevity was uncertain. However, in the last few years, the two similarly found new opportunities to advance. “Watch the Fire” emerges as the rainbow following a storm. Both Johnson and Carrabba meditate on their experiences and the healing that needed to be done: “Guess some wounds you gotta feel / …Cause I left without a look / Made an exit for the ages / Through a door that’s still revolving in my mind.”

Each band member saw a perfect collaborator in the other, whether through mutual admiration or through shared experiences. Carrabba notes their bonding:

“Martin and I had bonded over some horrific accidents we’d had and about the recoveries that we had both worked our way through. One of the things you carry heavily when your body is laid up and your spirit is heavy is, inevitably, the past. One thing Martin and I share between us was a desire to put the past down for a while. Maybe for good. I hope so. I guess I do know one sure way of putting the past down, for a little while anyway: pick up a guitar. Reckoning with your past can be painful and ugly. It can also be rejuvenative and beautiful. I don’t know whether you get to decide. I just know that it’s worth it.”

Reflecting on their experiences, they dwell on the “stories of [their] lives,” as they outwardly watch them fade in “the fire,” allowing themselves some closure. The song then reaches a conclusion, “Now I’m taking up what I buried alive / Yeah I’m burning down the story of my life / Just to watch the fire.”

Along with this new single, the two bands are also currently on a joint tour across North America, so be sure to catch them in a city near you!