Get It Honest

Album: Get It Honest (2026)
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Songfacts®:

  • Revivalists frontman David Shaw's life changed during the making of the alt-rock band's 2026 album, Get It Honest, when his first child was born. The title track is about getting honest with himself about what it takes to break the cycle of generational trauma and the temptation to revisit old behaviors when he's feeling low. The song opens with Shaw, who gave up alcohol and hard drugs in 2009, singing,

    Well, I'm so bored, so bored with being sober
    Maybe I'll go downtown, to some bar down on Decatur
  • The inspiration for "Get It Honest" came to Shaw in his sleep. "It woke me up. 3 a.m. I'm sitting there, leaned over by the bedstand, writing these lyrics into my phone," he recalled in a 2026 People interview. "I was just like, 'Okay, this feels very important. I need to get this down now.'"
  • When it came time to record the album, the group had around 80 songs to choose from but narrowed the list down to 12 - including the lead single, "Heart Stop."
  • Shaw is used to projecting his emotions onto the band's songs. Their breakthrough hit, "Wish I Knew You" (2016), is about his love for his future wife, Sam.

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