The second track on the EP is "Nowhere I'd Rather Be." Unlike its predecessor, there isn't much of an intro to the song. The whining guitar at the very beginning crescendos for only a second before Jacob starts the song. The chorus, stating that "I'll stand here soaking up your sadness; there's nowhere I'd rather be" is, as is typical of Inventions, melodically powerful and catchy. The chorus sort of has a call-and-response style that reminds me a bit of AFI. The third track is technically the EP's lead single. Titled "Worthless," it is about, as would probably be expected based on the title, being made to feel worthless by others' words and actions (such as bullying and abandonment). During the summer, Jacob asked fans to comment on a post with one word that was related to why they have been made to feel worthless. Consequently, in the corresponding music video (which I love), Jacob is seen shirtless with such words as failure, betrayed, inadequate, rejected, sterile, ugly, empty, helpless, used, damaged, etc. painted on his body. (See screenshot below.) This is really powerful imagery because it represents the marks that hurtful words and traumatic experiences can leave on us. The song is a ridiculously catchy (seriously - good luck getting this tune out of your head once it's in there) piano-driven power pop ballad featuring guest vocals by Vonnie Sofia.
The EP follows with "Lay Your Bones Down," one of the heavier tracks on the EP that, on some level, reminds me of "Halloween," a song from the band's previous EP. Perhaps my favorite part of this song is the pulsating piano segment that comes in after the first time that we hear the chorus. A true highlight on Exist, Explore, however, is "Oh, Anxiety," the fifth track. Jacob personally told me that he believed that I would really like this song, and he wasn't wrong. It's a beautiful masterpiece that brought tears to my eyes the first time that I heard it. The song is mostly piano-driven that is, as the title suggests, an ode to anxiety. "I'm slipping all the time," Jacob confesses. "My hands don't feel like mine." The lyric that really gives me chills, though, is the following: "Wishing I could hear myself say, 'You're not alone...'" The song starts as a slow song driven by piano and strings, but the band joins in after about two minutes and forty-five seconds, and that's when I really start to feel all the feels. The song reminds me a lot of Evanescence's "Lost in Paradise" in its structure, and since Jacob is a fan, I am sure that he doesn't mind that comparison. "Oh, Anxiety" is just an utterly beautiful piece that was more than likely therapeutic for Jacob but is also very therapeutic for listeners who have suffered and/or do suffer from mental illness, reminding us that "you're not alone."
"I Said Goodbye," although considered a bonus track, closes the EP, and like "Coming Home," this is another song that was originally released quite a while before the EP was released. Also similar to "Coming Home," the song opens with a driving guitar riff, which is followed by Jacob half-singing and half-whispering, "I had a dream..." The chorus assertively states that "I said goodbye to the gravity below, to resistance and to every anxious thought I've ever known." The song features a powerful message of hope - hope for the future, hope that mental illness is a war that you can win. I remember how shortly after this song was first premiered, I could not get it out of my head for the life of me. I couldn't say goodbye to it, and one thing that I know for sure is that I will never be able to say goodbye to Inventions. Their music has reached my soul on such a visceral level. It has, for about two years now, given me an emotional outlet for the depression and anxiety from which I have suffered for years. Dealing with, coping with, and conquering emotional pain is a common theme amongst Inventions' tracks, and for that, I am grateful. Another one of my favorite bands, Otep, often advertises a slogan: Art saves. Inventions is a perfect example of that truth, and now that they have released an album's worth of material within the last two years, I can't wait to see what's next. (Oh, and another awesome thing about this band? They give back to the fans. Anyone who proved to Jacob that they preordered the EP got a special electronic care package containing instrumentals, HD photos, and an HD video file of the "Worthless" video!)
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