Throughout the many themes of this record, the predominant theme is the feeling of being stuck and yearning for change. The title track “The Hideaways” is about finally transitioning to that change by letting go of childhood and the oncomings of transitioning into adult life. In the chorus of the lead track, Scheifele sings “stuck as dust, waiting for the wind to blow” – a reminder that for Scheifele the wind is finally blowing now. “Things are changing and moving both in the physical and spiritual realms for me and while that feeling of being stuck still rings true in many ways, it is starting to lift and I think releasing these songs is just another step towards that growth,” says the artist. The album also features already released tracks “Company Clothes”, “Back Then”, “All The While”, and “Turn To You” – all of which each point to their own message of finding ways to free your past self, and create change within your life. “To me this record feels like an accumulation of my life up to this point, even if some of the songs weren’t about me or my life, it just feels like every little interaction, relationship, up and down, high and low made their way into these songs.”
As someone who has clung tightly to the past, Scheifele says that releasing these songs into the world is sort of a final goodbye for Scheifele while also honoring all that those memories, people, and places have brought him thus far. “They are all near and dear to my heart but in a lot of ways it feels like I am letting go of these songs and stepping off the ledge into something new and I don’t quite know what that entails but I know that there are endless possibilities both musically and in life.”
