It's inevitable that at one point or another, we become complacent in life and go through the motions without another thought. Or we get so caught up in the rat race that we lose sight of what's really important. Then one day, something happens that jolts you awake, and you realize that your priorities are in the wrong place.

SLC band The Last Gatsby were on a roll in the early 2010's—releasing great music, playing incredible shows like Warped Tour 2014 and getting their name out there. The group quickly burned out, though, and realized they weren't making music for fun. Plus, their friend/lead singer of the band Josh Paul was diagnosed with brain cancer, and that was the end of The Last Gatsby for a while. Now in 2024, Josh Paul, Jonathan Hoopes (drums), Chase Gerber (bass/guitar) and Garrett Samuelson (lead guitar) are back with a new purpose, ready to live life to the fullest.

After hard years of playing multiple shows a week, maintaining a rigorous recording schedule and acting like intense professionals, they felt like the wind had been taken out of their sails. "We never sat down and had a conversation with the band and said, 'All right, I think we're a little burnt out. I think we need to take a step back and reevaluate, and get our headspace correct and then come back,'" Paul said. "It's almost like, we just stopped getting together suddenly one day. I don't even remember what happened."

On top of that, Paul had been diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma, so all of that unintentionally spelled the end for The Last Gatsby. Coming back together with their new song "Life Lessons" this year, however, was a much more intentional act.

"Right when things were slowing down with the band and it was wrapping up, or to the eventual hiatus, we had written 'Life Lessons' one day at band practice," Paul said. "We demoed it out, and then the band fell apart. We had to demo this song that we all thought was the best song we'd ever written, and were really excited about it when we wrote it."

Enter Paul, challenging Hoopes to mix and remaster the song for 2024. Hoopes and Gerber worked tirelessly to get the song where they wanted it, and that's what listeners get to hear today.

"It has the energy that we needed," Hoopes said. "We were like, 'Yes, this is loud as hell. It's awesome, and it's cool, and let's release it.'"

While it was originally intended to be a bookend for the band, "Life Lessons" has instead reinvigorated the group, inspiring them to make more music—especially in the wake of Paul's returning brain cancer diagnosis.

"With time now feeling more precious than ever, we reunited with a renewed sense of purpose. Our music has always centered on themes of perseverance, overcoming challenges, and living life to the fullest—now those themes carry even greater meaning," Hoopes stated.

"Life Lessons" is an exciting, upbeat yet meaningful track that instantly pulls you in. Fans of alt rock/emo will immediately feel at home here; the driving guitar, longing vocals and punchy drums will transport you back to the early '10s, and you can hear why they were such a good fit at Warped Tour '14. You can tell that a great deal of love and care was poured into the song, and knowing the story behind it makes it that much better.

"Music has been a lifeline for Josh and all of us. 'Life Lessons,' our new song, encapsulates that journey. It's raw, emotional, and speaks not only to the battles we face but, more importantly, to the power of never giving up," Hoopes expressed.

"It feels very cathartic to finally be able to put 'Life Lessons' out there and give it the release that it deserves," he added, "because that song is more than just another song we've written. It's a super meaningful one, and it has even more relevance now with what Josh has gone through and what we've gone through, and how it communicates with our fans and potential listeners."

"I think before the band went on hiatus, sometimes we were a little overly focused and put too much pressure on ourselves to 'make it.' Make it big," Paul recalled. "That took away some of the fun from playing in a band. I think this time, now that we're back together, there's none of that. This is just about making music because we like to do it."

Now that The Last Gatsby is back together, there's going to be more music coming soon. They have a few more songs from the past that they're looking to resurrect and share with listeners.

"We won't go into what our strategy is, but we can say that there is music on the horizon, and we're really excited about it," Hoopes said.

"Life Lessons" is streaming everywhere now, and The Last Gatsby hopes that it resonates with their audience as much as it does with them. They want listeners to feel connected and to absorb the message of hope, perseverance and determination evoked by the song. They also urge everyone to live their lives to the fullest—just like they are as a band.