“CREATURE MACHINE” Lyrics Written by: Jeff Roach, Gordie Sampson, Carrie Karpinen, Moriah Peters, Jesi Jones & Julie Melucci

Verse There’s no conscience, no consequences Overstimulate, dull the senses

You want emotionless, so this is what you get Don’t look me in the eye, don’t make this intimate Now I can tell you off just for the thrill of it But I don’t have the right, ‘cause I’m a hypocrite

Pre-Chorus Do we know we are merciless? Did we know this was murderous?

Chorus I’m a creature, not a machine So why can’t you see me? I’m a creature, not a machine So why can’t you see me?

Verse There’s a criminal we’re defending Making progress, still we’re digressing

Just like a prisoner, we’re locked inside a cell I thought we wanted out, now I can’t really tell So we should turn it off, but we can’t resist It’s a hunger now, ‘cause we’ve tasted it

Pre-Chorus Do we know we are merciless? Did we know this was murderous?

Chorus I’m a creature, not a machine So why can’t you see me? I’m a creature, not a machine So why can’t you see me?

Bridge [Wendell Berry quote, spoken by Jim: “It’s easy for me to imagine that the next great division of the world will be between people who wish to live as creatures and people who wish to live as machines.”]

Do you have a problem releasing control? Do you have a body for a soul?

Do you ever wrestle? Do you ever win? What are you, stone or porcelain?

Keep breathing out, keep breathing out and in Do you get the feeling of falling? Keep breathing out, keep breathing out and in Do you get the feeling?

Trapped in this circle Got you spinning, spinning Don’t be afraid when you start slipping Into a holy collision

Looking for love, finding the truth It’s okay to abandon the condition of your youth

Now it’s getting real, a little too close Fighting your spirit, your ghost Now it’s getting real, a little too close Fighting your spirit

“I want to be stronger. I’m going to be bolder.”

Moriah Peters sings these words from a stage in obstinance to the threat of her own anxiety. Concert after concert, audiences are led in a fight against fear with her sophomore album BRAVE as the soundtrack. Almost three years after releasing her last album, the solo artist/actress/influencer finds new inspiration in the anthemic lyric to make her boldest move in music yet. 

Her title track reached #1 on CHR radio, featured a version with Reach Records artist Andy Mineo and made way for headlining shows across the U.S., Europe and South America. But two albums and seven years of touring left Moriah with a gnawing loneliness and desperate desire for change. During a trip to Jerusalem, she climbed the mountain after which she was named in search of her new mission, open to leaving music behind for the first time. “My prayer was simple, ‘Where next?’ The revelation I had in that very moment was that I didn’t need to go anywhere, I only needed to turn around and notice who was already there with me.” Peters closed her eyes and saw the faces of the two women who remained by her side as bandmates and friends through the highs and lows of her journey so far. The fear of being alone was suddenly transformed into a vision of future collaboration. 

Moriah invited Jesi Jones (piano) and Julie Melucci (guitar) into the writing process and the trio’s chemistry seamlessly translated from stage to studio. “We dreamed without limits or expectations. Our only rule was to write with complete honesty. It was the unchaining experience we all needed,” says Peters of the year long discovery. In January of 2017, the group put on a sold out show in their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, proving to themselves that their songs weren’t meant to be kept a secret. Each unannounced performance of their co-creations have garnered overwhelming audience response and unsolicited partnerships from pure believers. 

Their sound is unconventional and lyrics unapologetic. “As adults, it's easy to get stuck in our own creative confinements and we've made a point to write from an unstructured, childlike place,” says Melucci. “Gotcha,” whose bold lyrics are sung over a playground soundscape speaks to the power of friendship amidst a culture shaped by competitiveness in the arts. Their first release, “Holy Collision” is the bridge between the gospel themes of Peters’ past work and the band’s unpredictable yet classic sonic space. The track, anticipated to release in the fall of 2017, addresses the moments where life feels to be wildly spinning out of control. “It’s in the chaos where we often collide with a Divine holiness that brings us back to solid, steady ground,” says Jones.