I was lucky enough to get a copy of the new Ampline record this last August, so I’ve had endless months, days, and hours to wrap myself all around their new album. I’ve gone over and over the lyrics song by song. In the last year I’ve also rekindled my love of BMX. The track ‘Passion Relapse’ hits right to the chest like a handlebar or to the gut like a handrail. So much about the song is all about the slow build, then the aggression, then the triumph, and in the end you’ll have to start the process all over again.
It reminds me of first learning a trick called a toothpick. It’s where, on a ramp, you roll up the ramp, then stall on the coping on just your front peg. This trick, as simple as it seems, can be such a beast. Lean a slight bit too forward and over the handlebars you go; lean too far back, and you are sliding down the ramp on your hip or your back with the bike on top of you. There is the one little delicate spot to get the balance right. You’ll totally eat it over and over, but then you adjust and it starts to come together. You finally get one. You think you have it then, but no, it’s right back to the start and you have to continue to learn. So you push harder and more aggressive, which will land you on your ass more times than not. Then you reset yourself, cool down, and just start hitting the trick over and over. When you win, the feeling of triumph washes over. Now, you have to find a new trick and start all over again. -Randy Floss
