During our performance at the Special Olympics opening ceremony, I experienced a song take flight. Check it out here.

“Warriors” came from a Jamie Lidell and Allen songwriting session in the days leading up to our time at Sound Emporium. We tackled the track during our last couple days in the studio, with ear fatigue setting in and the collective attention span wavering. Tyler and I threw the bridge riff together, we all contributed some ear candy, but did we nail it? Honestly, I wasn't sure, and before I knew it I was back in full-on Clark Kent mode, mowing my lawn and recycling junk mail.

When “Warriors” was announced as the next single, I listened back with fresh ears. I thought it was pretty good, but obviously felt a deeper connection with the tunes we’d written as a band. Stylistically, it’s a departure from our wheelhouse, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but “Freedom,” the Capitol Records backed single off Radius, had fallen short of nebulous expectations and left Al in particular pretty dejected. It was smart releasing “Brown Eyed Lover” first, both to satisfy die-hard fans and, hopefully, ease the transition into a more pop sensibility.

Success on radio, Spotify playlists, potential Marshmello remixes? All good stuff, but fleeting and arbitrary to the point of disillusionment. On stage at Husky Stadium, watching the Special Olympians laughing and dancing along with Al, I felt profound gratitude - not only was this moment a personal turning point in so many ways, but I and the rest of the fellas understood why “Warriors” belongs in the world.