B-Side Guys

Recording mental health awareness music inside a century-old sanctuary creates unexpected resonance between sacred space and psychological struggle. Lives Like Skyscrapers chose Studio Cimetiere, a converted Quebec church, to capture “Behind My Eyes,” and the location’s spiritual history amplifies rather than contradicts the song’s exploration of daily mental health battles.

Ryan Neeb’s songwriting approach addresses mental health struggles through musical architecture rather than explicit confession. The seven-piece arrangement provides multiple instrumental voices that mirror how internal dialogue actually functions—overlapping, sometimes contradictory, occasionally harmonious. Mike Dubue’s production, informed by his work with Timber Timbre and The Sadies, understands how to capture ensemble complexity without losing individual instrumental clarity.

The band’s genre-blending approach serves their thematic material effectively. Indie rock foundations support shoegaze atmospheric passages, while folk and chamber pop elements create space for vulnerability. This isn’t mental health awareness music that announces its intentions through obvious lyrical messaging, but rather creates sonic environments that reflect psychological states directly.

Lives Like Skyscrapers’ formation during pandemic isolation adds context to their understanding of mental health struggles without overwhelming their musical present. Their evolution from pandemic survival project to viable seven-piece collective demonstrates how creative collaboration can provide genuine therapeutic value alongside artistic fulfillment.

What distinguishes “Behind My Eyes” from typical mental health advocacy songs is its refusal to offer solutions or false optimism. Instead, Neeb and his collaborators create musical space for ongoing struggle without judgment, understanding that acknowledgment often provides more comfort than premature healing narratives.

The track succeeds by treating mental health awareness as ongoing community responsibility rather than individual burden. Sometimes the most supportive artistic gesture is creating music that says: you’re not experiencing this alone.