Until They Burn Me Turn Hard-Won Experience Into “Addict”

For Cody Carlyle and Travis Jordan of Until They Burn Me, “Addict” draws on a history that extends far beyond the recording studio. The single confronts the complicated relationship between a person and their addiction, exploring the painful contradiction of craving something that can also cause profound harm. Its force comes from the duo’s own history of addiction, homelessness, and recovery, giving the subject a personal foundation rather than treating it as an abstract theme.

Carlyle and Jordan have shared a musical journey spanning more than 35 years. Before establishing Until They Burn Me as their current project in 2021, they played together in The Dry Season. During that period, they experienced homelessness alongside former bandmates, living on streets, in sheds, and in the wilderness. Those experiences now inform songwriting shaped by survival, regret, and the difficult process of confronting the past. “Addict” brings that history into focus through a subject both musicians know personally.

The single takes an aggressive, up-tempo approach, drawing on the garage rock and skate-punk energy associated with the late 1980s and early 1990s. Heavy alternative influences, including a subtle nod to early Faith No More, give the track a nostalgic edge. That familiarity creates an intriguing contrast with its subject: the sound recalls an era of unruly guitar music, while the lyrics examine a struggle that remains painfully current.

One of the song’s most striking images appears in the line, “I’m burning twice as bright, but only half as long.” The imagery captures the destructive momentum of addiction, suggesting an existence that can feel intensely alive while being steadily consumed. It also reflects the song’s central contradiction: recognising the damage does not automatically dissolve the attachment.

The recording process reflects the realities of the duo’s long-standing partnership. Working from home studios in Ferndale, Washington, and Cincinnati, Ohio, Carlyle and Jordan build their music remotely, meeting in person only a few times each year. Their collaboration may be slow and demanding, but “Addict” channels decades of shared experience into a direct, uncompromising statement about addiction and recovery.