Addy Faith
We introduce an interview with Addy Faith about Bold, the opening single from Bangers to Play on Richfield Way exploring nostalgia, mental health themes and creative evolution behind project EP.
1. “Bold” feels like a powerful statement both musically and emotionally. What inspired you to make this song the first introduction to your double album project “Bangers to Play on Richfield Way”?
Last summer, I performed at my first festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. While the show itself was fun and exhilarating, I know I didn’t connect with my audience well because with my last album, Rev, it covered heavy topics but in a targeted manner, not a relatable or digestible way. I thought about how I wanted to go about my music in the future and decided to create a project that covers heavy topics, but in a way that grabs the audience with nostalgia and a fun, quirky vibe to it. I wrote Bold soon after and it became the best example of “a fun song with a deeper, more heavy meaning to it”. I knew it would set the tone for the remainder of the Bangers to Play on Richfield Way EP and the sister album, all because of you.
2. Your music channels the energy of classic 2000s pop punk artists like Avril Lavigne and blink-182 while still sounding modern and personal. How do you balance nostalgia with your own artistic identity?
The EP’s name, Bangers to Play on Richfield Way, was created based on the street my childhood home is located in and takes place in the year I left Richfield Way. I channeled music I listened to during my childhood into each track, which included songs like Sk8ter Boi (Avril Lavigne) and All the Small Things (Blink-182). My whole brand is to create storyline albums. The best way I kept the nostalgia and identity flowing throughout the project was through the Rockstar characterized version of me and portrayed the story in the year 2008. Bold is the beginning of the rockstar’s journey through stardom and love but is written through experiences I’ve had in the present day.
3. The concept behind the project explores mental health and borderline personality disorder in a very honest way. How important was it for you to approach these themes openly through music?
Bangers to Play on Richfield Way and its sister album, all because of you, are mirrors of each other and both tackle the same concept: mental health. As someone who struggles with PTSD and BPD, I wanted this album to show what it’s like for the patient with these disorders. I wanted to show why mental health needs to be taken more seriously and why the stigma revolving around it needs to be erased. It was very important to me that I kept it factual and avoided villainizing the patients. That said, Bangers to Play on Richfield Way was written to show the fun, happy side of myself but portrays the illness the way the audience sees me, whereas all because of you frames it how it actually is.
The best way I know how to get my point across is to get others to feel the emotion I want to portray. With Bold, the emotion is the title of the song. I want my audience to feel what I feel, therefore framing the song (along with its following tracks) and its lyrics to appear basic, angsty and exciting.
4. You’ve been working closely with producers Giovi Castillo and Brandt Moon since 2022. How has that creative partnership evolved from your debut album “Rev” to the explosive sound of “Bold”?
Working with Giovi and Brandt on these projects in comparison to Rev is drastically different. With Rev, we didn’t care so much about relatability or how much someone will like it, we wanted to tell its story. While we still treated the project with love, we didn’t share the same experience making it as we did on this project. This time, we made songs from scratch and wrote in the studio, we did collective research on the topics, we used references from other genres, we shared our own personal stories and struggles and really connected with each other on a deeper level. Even just with Bold, we used different mixing techniques, songwriting styles and inspirations. I’m very proud to have them both on my team.
5. Even with its deeper themes, “Bold” has an uplifting and fearless energy that encourages listeners to feel empowered. Was creating that emotional contrast something you intentionally focused on while writing the track?
When writing Bold, I had to completely reshape the way I write. I use metaphors, speak directly and focus on my problem at hand in previous songs. With this song, I focused more on a feeling rather than a particular incident. What did the 2000s feel like for me? It feels refreshing, bright, and freeing. What does it feel like when I’m at my best? I feel bold, courageous, I go to parties, I enjoy the moment. That’s the feeling I wanted my audience to have. Lyrically, the main goal was to write about the feeling rather than its action and consequence.
6. You’re planning a special live show on August 21st, 2026 to celebrate the album release. What can fans expect from the performance, and how do you want audiences to connect with these songs in a live setting?
The release show is designed to feel like a music festival in 2008. It will include wristbands, tickets in the style of old 2000s concert tickets and festival VIP badges. The performance itself will feature every track from the EP and focuses on creating the illusion of 2008 and helps my audience visualize the rockstar and my journey via the music. Expect to arrive and feel the energy of Richfield Way and transport back to the 2000s.