Since forming in 2021, The Fortitudes have built a reputation for blending relatable storytelling with high-energy, anthemic hooks—and their latest single, “Purple Dinosaur,” is no exception. Taking inspiration from an unlikely source—an episode of How I Met Your Mother—this track captures the push and pull of hope and anxiety that comes with navigating feelings for someone who may not feel the same.
With new lineup changes solidifying the band’s “ultimate form,” and a commitment to crafting songs with live energy in mind, Purple Dinosaur stands out as one of their most intricate and emotionally charged releases yet. From its shifting time signatures to massive electric guitars, the track brings a fresh sonic intensity to their catalog while staying true to the band’s signature sound.
We caught up with The Fortitudes to chat about the inspiration behind the song, their evolving creative process, and what’s next as they gear up for another big year.
TRACK REVIEW
From the very first massive riff, Purple Dinosaur grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. The energy is immediate—punchy, raw, and impossibly huge. As the chorus kicks in with soaring double vocals, it’s the kind of moment that makes you want to fully embrace the chaos… maybe even turn into a purple dinosaur yourself.
Halfway through, the track takes an unexpected yet seriously satisfying turn—a breakdown groove that shifts the momentum, introducing a fresh melody before slamming back into that crushing riff, now with a soaring lead guitar weaving between the spaces. It’s a moment that builds intensity and amplifies the emotion in the lyrics, making for a dynamic and cinematic listen.
“Purple Dinosaur” has been a long time in the making. What inspired this track, and how does it differ from your previous releases?
This track was inspired by a combination of things as previously mentioned by an episode of how I met your mother and by a previous relationship I was in, where I felt far stronger for the other person then they did for me. This track differs from our previous stuff as it is a bit heavier and it experiments a bit more with different time signatures and song writing techniques we haven’t experimented with before.
You’ve mentioned that “Purple Dinosaur” was influenced by an episode of “How I Met Your Mother.” Can you delve into how this inspiration shaped the song’s narrative and sound?
So basically the story goes I was re watching “How I met your mother” for the 5th time , and I stumbled across and episode where the main protagonist ted mosby says “ I hate this journey, I just want to skip to the finish” or something along those lines, which in turn inspired one of the lyrics in the song and it kind of just snow balled from there , where I was kind of writing from experience but also about the characters in the show, or how I envisioned they were feeling.
The single has been described as capturing feelings of hope and anxiety simultaneously. How did you balance these emotions in both the lyrics and the musical composition?
By nature I’m a very anxious person haha, so I feel like lyrically in the the song captures the feeling of being anxious in revealing how you feel about some one, but it through out the song there are glimmers of hope with the lyrics like at the end where the protagonist of the song seems to be more confident with the way the feel and their feelings.
Musically these feelings have been captured in several ways. In the bridge of the song, the musics time signature switches too 15/4 which is a really jarring meter as it almost feels normal just one beat is eventually off. in turn this makes the listener feel a little uneasy.
And hope comes across as massive electric guitars, because if massive sounding electric guitars doesn’t fill you with hope I don’t know what will happen:)
With the release of “Purple Dinosaur,” what message or experience do you hope listeners take away from the song?
I honestly just hope that our listeners can relate to this song, because for the longest time this song has sat in our back pocket and the longer its sat dormant the more I’ve found more personal meaning with it.
Your music often blends relatable storytelling with catchy hooks. How does “Purple Dinosaur” continue or diverge from this approach?
Purple dino definitely continues this theme as there are so many catchy elements about the song such as the guitar riffs and the choruses. And I feel like this song is very relatable as we’ve all been in a similar situation to what I’ve described previously.
The band has undergone lineup changes over the years. How have these changes influenced the creation and recording of “Purple Dinosaur”?
Over the years we’ve had heaps of changes through out the band but we’ve finally landed on what feels to be our full and ultimate form.
Our new Drummer Harry is probably one of if not the best drummer I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and his ability to manipulate the kit has completely and utterly made this song what it is with the little tasteful dabbles of double kick to the little drum fills in the choruses. Our new bass player also called harry has also had a massive impact on how the song has turned out, as I have the curse of trying to overcomplicate things and he has really pushed to keep things more simple and refined.
You’ve encouraged fans to listen to “Purple Dinosaur” with headphones at full volume. What elements in the song do you feel are best experienced this way?
I’ve always preferred to listen to music through headphones because I feel you can get lost in it so much easier than you can through speakers.Additionally a lot of the lyrics in the verses are quite soft I feel like listening to purple Dino through head phones creates a far more intimate experience for the listeners as they will be able to truely experience the lyrics and the vast instrumentation of the song.
The band has been active since 2021, performing at various venues. How have your live performances influenced the recording process of “Purple Dinosaur”?
All of our previous live experiences have shaped how I personally write music and how purple Dino was written. We really pride ourselves on being a good live band, because that’s the element we enjoy the most. I think there’s nothing better than going to see an amazing live band so that’s why all of the songs we write will always consider how it will interact with the crowd if people can sing along or if a certain part of the song will just hit different.
Comments