A great song can make you feel seen in one line, and David from Bike Routes writes those lines like it’s his job to tell the truth even when it hurts. We talk about why dogs keep showing up in his lyrics as a symbol of pure goodness, and how that simple, unconditional presence can hit harder than any grand metaphor when you’re carrying grief, guilt, or burnout.
We also go deep on the story behind losing his friend Jesse, the “kingdoms” we build to find peace, and the way vivid dreams can become real material for songwriting. David opens up about living with OCD and anxiety, and the strange disconnect of being a genuinely upbeat, dancing frontman while writing words that sound like the bottom of a spiral. If you care about mental health in music, lyric analysis, and how artists translate intrusive thoughts into art without glamorizing them, this conversation stays honest and specific.
