Dante’s Paradise, “Collide” (2026)

“Lyrically, the track tackles the suffocating weight of the modern grind. Songwriter Jay Cote doesn’t sugarcoat the transition from youthful idealism to the ‘cold and mechanical existence of life as a working adult.’ He explains, ‘Living with mental illness has become a burden, as opposed to the glorified character development it was in the past. I am now stuck with my choice of being an artist, and I have to learn to live with the fact that my art might not matter to many. It belongs to me and the people I love.’ This tension—the friction between late-stage capitalism and the creative soul—is the engine driving the song’s intensity.”

“Despite the heavy themes of insecurity and the ‘washed-up’ fear of aging, ‘Collide’ isn’t a dirge; it’s a communal anthem. It’s an honest reckoning with the idea that while the industry might be a machine, the act of creation is a sanctuary. As Cote beautifully puts it: ‘I have always been about the experience, not the outcome – and if experience, friendship and family were capital, I’d be a very rich man.'” —Broken 8 Music, February 8, 2026.