Switchfoot band members Chad Butler (drummer) and Jerome Fontamillis (keyboardist) recently spoke about their new album Fading West in an interview, specifically about the song "When We Come Alive."

NewReleaseTuesday asked the bandmates what the meaning behind the popular anthem song was.

"For us, it is sort of a diary of times in our lives that we've been through highs and lows together as a band. The songs that we've written and chosen for the albums over the years tend to reflect what we are learning," said Chad, "For this album it was a very real process of intentionally going around the world for a year looking for inspiration for these songs, experiencing highs and lows."

"For me, this is a song that speaks to the idea that a lot of times we go through life halfway, living halfway lives," Jon Foreman said of the song on a Spotify track-by-track, "And yet, there's a spark that can grow into a fire, that the song is speaking to... that we are fire when we come alive, burning brightly. The idea that all it takes is a spark to light that thing up."

The drummer continued and said the song features a lot of unintentional look backs at their lives and revisits of other songs. Words such as "Gone" for the song of the same name, and the imagery of "on fire" referring the wildfires that almost took their homes.

"We are trying to sum up how we live our lives and the journey that we've been through and we're trying to be honest about what we're going through now and have gone through the last few albums," said Jerome, "You always look back and remember times in your life and want to write about that. It is easy for me to become complacent in life and to just go about life as if it is dull. The idea of sparking a fire within me to live life is exciting."

Watch the band's performance of "When We Come Alive" below:

Perhaps, some of the most powerful lyrics Switchfoot sings in the song are:

"We are our souls on fire
We are reaching higher
We are our souls on fire
When we come alive
When we come alive"

Read the full interview here.