Recovery can be a slow process, especially now that I'm getting older. Two cocktails devastate me.

It's 2018 in Los Angeles, and we've wrapped up an acoustic album & tour: a welcome distraction, as our three live-members have left the band. Grief evaporates into relief, and the burden to create a forced sense of inclusivity is lifted. Our little tribe has disbanded, but we've come full circle as the group began as Alisa and I. In some ways, this is nothing new, but we no longer have a committee to hide behind, and without group consensus, our disagreements become a perfect stalemate in this democracy of two. A shared dictatorship. Parents fighting over custody. The lyrics from ‘All Of This’ become relevant for our new management; "If there's anyone near when we collide, we throw them in the middle - they can pick sides." Alisa and I met in 2006, fell in love, and began making music together. We wrote a hit in 2009, and become an international act the following year. We ended our romantic relationship in 2013. This potted history is a brief explanation of why The Naked and Famous has and continues to be, such a challenging endeavor.

We spend the beginning of the year bickering about how and why and how to proceed. I ask myself whether it's worth it, twice per day. I have quit-while-you're-ahead discussions with any friend patient enough to humor my partial recount of our history. My friends are helpful and honest. And patient. They mainly empathize and listen - to both of us. We have a small friend group—quality over quantity. No one takes sides.