Breathe, It's Over

Blue October's 2011 album Any Man In America came from a very dark place, arising from frontman Justin Furstenfeld's divorce from his first wife and the ensuing bitter custody battle. However when the singer-songwriter and guitarist came to write its follow-up, he found himself in a much better place and the more upbeat feel of Sway reflects that. Furstenfeld told MusicRadar.com why the band decided to open the record with this gentle tune. "We wanted to start from a dark place and show everybody how we've grown," he explained. "It's more of an intro for the album, really. I wanted to show people where I was on Any Man In America, which is where I left off at, and take them someplace new. People might be expecting the dark: 'Oh, God, let's see what drama he's got for us now.' Going from that song into 'Sway' is a nice way of building up and up."