E48 - "Upside Down" by Battery Eyes with Johnny and Andrew
In this episode of B-Side Breakdown, Brett Johnson talks with Johnny Laberda from Battery Eyes and Andrew Cahak of Unstable Shapes about “Upside Down,” a collaborative track that stretches beyond both bands’ usual comfort zones.
Born from a casual conversation at Minneapolis mainstay Mortimer’s, the song evolved into one of the most anthemic and stylistically distinct moments on Battery Eyes’ upcoming album zero three.
The discussion digs into the song’s “Frankenstein” creation process—written separately, then stitched together through trust rather than traditional co-writing—and how shared vocals were designed to blur identity and perspective.
Johnny and Andrew unpack the song’s central idea of reframing situations, looking at problems from new angles, and embracing found interpretation over fixed meaning. The episode also highlights the importance of scene-level collaboration, thoughtful studio production, and why “Upside Down” feels just as much about creative process as it does about the lyrics themselves.
Follow Battery Eyes:
https://batteryeyes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/batteryeyes
Follow Unstable Shapes:
https://unstableshapes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/unstableshapes
Follow Cloudland:
https://www.instagram.com/cloudlandtheater
https://www.cloudlandtheater.com/
Thanks for supporting B-Side Breakdown — where the song is just the start of the story.
Brett Johnson
Host, B-Side Breakdown
https://www.patreon.com/c/bsidebreakdown
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https://linktr.ee/bsidebreakdown
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