We spoke with Thief Motif about “Disastrous Spells” and more!

Q: I’d love to start by asking: when you first began writing “Disastrous Spells,” did the idea come from a particular moment or feeling, or did it evolve more gradually?

A: (Brett, drummer): “Lyrically it kinda started as a song about my mom when I was growing up…someone that dealt with her share of struggles to overcome…and the rollercoaster ride of emotions that comes with that and being a young mother with two kids at the same time…when those emotions take you to a dark place (disastrous spells) and how you manage and overcome dark episodes.” 

(Tim, bass/vocals): “Then the general idea kind of morphed into talking about other things…with current events in the world shining a light on gender identity, we had that on our mind a lot because we have loved ones in that community who are being directly affected by the hate that is prevalent in our society current. So Brett and I took his core inspiration about his mom, and then we broadened it out to make it more accessible to others struggling with transitions.” 

Q: The song really captures that tension between wanting to grow and feeling held back. Was there a particular experience or emotion that helped shape that theme for you?

A: That was kind of the initial idea for the song lyrically…wanting to be your authentic self but having the world around you telling you that you can’t…and trying to push through all that outside nonsense and just be you unapologetically…and we wanted the music to kind of match that tension as well – especially in the bridge. 

Q: Musically, the song blends dreamy, hazy distortion with quite intimate vocals. How did you arrive at that sonic contrast—how much was planned, and how much happened in the moment?

A: Musically it usually happens spontaneously. But we almost always start with an emotional roadmap of what feelings we want the music to evoke. Then we drill down and fill in the details of how to get those feelings. 

Q: There are some really vivid, almost cinematic images in the song. How do those visuals usually come to you — are they something you plan out, or do they just emerge naturally while you’re writing?

A: Brett and I sometimes get phrases/descriptors that just pop out of the ether into us. But here apparently Brett heard “Disastrous Spells” used as a phrase in a D&D game and so we thought “yeah sure let’s work around that with this feeling.” 

Q: When you perform this song live, does it feel different than when you recorded it? Are there parts that shift, or moods that change?

A:Oh 100%. It’s so hard to bottle up that live energy into a recording. But yeah we try to lead people through the emotional journey in the song.  I think there’s a certain amount of tension, anger, despair in the song…and we definitely try to let those emotions run through us when playing. The choruses and verses have a happy pocket, but then the rug gets pulled out from you once you hit the bridge –ha! 

Q: If you had to sum up the emotional journey of “Disastrous Spells” in one sentence what would it be — and why?

A:  Live for yourself, not for how someone else expects you to live. Why? The song, sonically, moves from the obedient caterpillar to broken chrysalis to angry butterfly to help convey the message of transition and redemption and ultimately peace. 

Q: Looking back on writing and releasing this track, what surprised you most about how the song took shape or how listeners responded?

A: This was the first song where we intentionally set out to imbue multiple meanings into the lyrics. It was surprising to see how a relatively simple song could evoke such a range of emotion. You never know how people will react, but it’s been pretty cool to see bulging eyeballs when we’re going nuts playing this song. 

Q: Did working on this single teach you something new about your songwriting or your band’s dynamic—something you’ll carry forward into future tracks?

A: Not so much “teach,” but just reaffirm our practice to be open to feedback within the group. We’ve been together long enough to have such great emotional safety to try stuff that might not work. We all have such love and respect for one another as creatives, so when something doesn’t work in a song, we don’t take it personally when it gets vetoed. 

Q: For listeners who might be just discovering you through this song: what do you hope they take away, or what feeling do you hope lingers after it ends?

A: Well I hope they enjoy it…and would like to hear more from us…but for a deeper meaning kind of thing…that emotions good AND bad can have beauty in them…sit with them, maybe even dance with them! 

Q: And finally — looking ahead to the rest of this year: what’s next for you? Are there more singles coming, tour plans, new directions you’re exploring?

A: YES! We have another single called “Bones” coming out November 14. You can expect a pretty steady stream of singles to come out over 2026 too. We’ve been writing and recording like crazy.