It was January 6th of 2021, and The Revivalists' Zack Feinberg was feeling good. Not only had the guitarist of the chart-topping rock band just found out that his partner was pregnant with twins, but he also was amid creating some of his best music yet alongside bandmate David Shaw.
There was just one problem. The country was falling apart.
"We started seeing the headlines," Feinberg, 35, tells PEOPLE of the fateful day in which the pair found themselves in the studio writing and recording while the United States Capital was being attacked. "We knew this crazy stuff was happening. And I remember thinking, we can't let this distract us. Let's keep doing what we're doing because this is important too."
In a way, it was this feeling that seemed to symbolically mirror the exact feeling Feinberg and Shaw were writing about that day — the feeling that in this cluttered world, we must block out all the distractions to find our most authentic self. And it's these feelings that made their way into The Revivalists' new single "Kid."
"It's about being in the spirit of the now and not letting outside distractions or past traumas steal you away from the moment," explains Feinberg. "What was happening in the world certainly did affect the art we made that day."
"Zack and I have such a great chemistry when we write songs together," adds Shaw, 39, who will accompany his The Revivalists bandmates once again to this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival this June. "When you listen to 'Kid,' the song can be talking to your inner kid, your own kid, or anyone you care about that you're lending a word of encouragement to. It can apply to whatever it is you identity with because that's the beauty of music and songwriting."
Certainly, both Shaw and Feinberg admit that just a handful of years earlier, they could have both found themselves completely distracted by the national upheaval on the day they were writing "Kid."
"I think age helps navigate a lot of our experiences with a more steady hand," remarks Feinberg. "When I was younger, my heart would have been racing. But we help keep each other stay on track."
Indeed, the pair and their fellow bandmates have long found a creative shelter within each other from the moment The Revivalists broke onto the scene back in 2015 with their double platinum Billboard Hot 100 hit "Wish I Knew You." Since then, the eight-piece band has amassed more than 800 million streams courtesy of hits such as "Change" and "All My Friends."
"It's amazing the power of music," says Feinberg, who alongside his Revivalists bandmates will release their fifth studio album Pour It Out Into The Night come June. "We try to use our music as a force for something positive. And I think with 'Kid,' we did just that. Everybody has an inner child. Everybody was a baby at one point that was helpless. Everybody has shadows of things that they've been through. The music is the place where we go to process those things."
Using their music as a force of positivity also plays into their passion for their philanthropic umbrella fund, Rev Causes, in which the money raised from a portion of ticket sales, fan donations, and a variety of other fundraising efforts helps the band assist multiple national and local organizations in building a better future.
"I think we're at a point in our career where we're really able to make some real impact," concludes Shaw. "It's been really great to be involved in [Rev Causes] and pick the different organizations we want to highlight this year. We hope to be able to continue to support great organizations and just be decent people in our interactions in everyday life. We just try to spread kindness in every way."
