Double Exposure: Games We Play and the Grit Behind CRXSSOURHEARTS
Double Exposure: Games We Play and the Grit Behind CRXSSOURHEARTS
From Warped Tour wake-up calls to bedroom-studio catharsis, Nick Lewert and Kyle Fink of Games We Play are riding a dual wave — one loud, fast, and tongue-in-cheek; the other raw, grayscale, and emotionally unfiltered. In this exclusive Highwire Daze interview at the Vans Warped Tour in Long Beach, the duo reflects on arena-sized moments with Fall Out Boy, the DIY roots of their side project CRXSSOURHEARTS, and the sonic shift that led them from pop-punk punchlines to somber storytelling. Whether it’s black-and-white visuals or late-night studio sessions, their creative chemistry is undeniable — and this is just the beginning.
Introduce yourselves and tell me what you do in Games We Play.
Nick: I’m Nick — I play drums in Games We Play.
Kyle: I’m Kyle — I play guitar in Games We Play.
How did your early morning set at Warped Tour go?
Nick: It was lit. Nothing went wrong, which was a relief — DC was kind of a mess, so this felt like redemption. We were the first band up and didn’t know if anyone would show, but it was packed, as it should be. I still can’t believe we got to do it again. It was really cool.
Did you ever attend Warped Tour in the past?
Kyle: I never did. My first Warped Tour was actually playing it in DC — so this is technically my second.
Nick: This is my fourth time attending, second time playing. First time was in 2017 — I only knew Neck Deep, showed up, and my world was blown. It’s surreal to grow up knowing what Warped Tour is, finally attend it, and then a short time later be on stage. It’s really cool.
How did you wind up in Games We Play?
Nick: I sent the singer a DM. Kyle had already been in the band for about a year and a half, and I saw the 2023 tour got canceled. I just wanted to shoot the show — like, with a camera — and hang out. We’re all from South Florida, so I hit them up like, “Hey, didn’t realize the show was canceled, hope I can catch the next one.” Turns out I was free for the rescheduled dates, and Kyle vouched for me. I sent the DM, and they were like, “I guess you’re not the worst-case-scenario drummer.”
Kyle: Definitely not the worst-case scenario. It was right around the time we needed someone new, and I’d known Nick for a couple years — we came up playing local shows together in Florida. We started hanging out, became super close fast, and then he joined the band. Honestly, it was the best-case scenario.
What was it like touring with Fall Out Boy?
Nick: Our first show with them was in our fake hometown — Orlando. That was my arena debut, and it felt like getting my training wheels kicked off. Biggest show I’ve ever played. I think it was the biggest for both of us.
Kyle: That was the first arena any of us had ever done. Totally insane. It was also our first show back after a four-month break — and Nick’s first show with us. Just a wild, full-throttle reentry. We’d toured with Fall Out Boy about six months earlier, but this was our first time in a proper indoor arena. Totally different vibe.
Nick: And watching Fall Out Boy every night was hilarious — not in a surreal way, just in a “how is this real?” kind of way. We’d get off stage, go watch them, and be like, “Did we really just play that show?” It felt like a soundcheck or like we were the School of Rock band that got to sneak on stage. Totally mind-blowing.
Kyle: Yeah, every night we’d finish our set, hit the sound booth, and just watch Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy. Then we’d hit catering, load up, and not be starving. Crazy experience.
Now I want to talk about your other band, CRXSSOURHEARTS. For people who haven’t heard it, how does it differ from Games We Play?
Nick: Sonically, it’s super different. Even lyrically — Games We Play has its darker moments, but CRXSSOURHEARTS is heavier across the board. Someone messaged me recently like, “Can you believe the CRXSSOURHEARTS song is sad?” And we were like, every single one is sad. There’s not a single happy line on that record. I started it at the end of 2023, just loosely arranging five to eight songs. I’m not really a guitar player, so I was just messing around with ideas. I showed them to Kyle — he was one of the first people I shared it with. At the time, I didn’t even know what I wanted it to be. I just wanted to get the ideas down. I wasn’t trying to start a band. That wasn’t the goal. But a few hours after I told Kyle about it — literally in the car — he sent me a recording of the ideas. And I was like, “Oh, so this is what a song sounds like now.” From there, I was all in. He’d drive up to my house constantly for like three months, and we’d work on it every day. I couldn’t do this project without Kyle. It’s the two of us. It took a long time to put everything out — we self-produced the whole thing, and mixing took time. Plus, we were touring a lot, so it was hard to focus. But now it’s finally out.
Kyle: Yeah, it’s finally out. When Nick and I first started hanging out and becoming friends, that was one of the things we bonded over — just being in his bedroom studio all night. His dad would pop in with notes that were low-key fire. It was a great experience. That whole project feels like a time capsule of that period. It’s definitely special.
Nick: As soon as Kyle sent me something, I knew it worked — not just because of what he’s capable of sonically, but because we were going through a lot of similar stuff. I forgot until just now how many parallels there were. Some of our first hangouts were just us realizing that. It’s kind of poetic that we ended up doing so much together and have something to show for it.
Tell me about “Cheerleader” and the inspiration behind it.
Nick: I think unless you’re reading the lyrics while listening, it’s not super obvious what I’m writing about. It’s kind of an accumulation of experiences I’ve had in personal relationships — where I often find myself trying to help someone wean off a vice. There’s a scene in Daisy Jones & The Six where she’s overdosing, and her friends and bandmates can’t reach her. That stuck with me — the idea of someone needing support and not getting it. It’s not that I’m going out of my way to fix things, but I’ve felt helpless in situations like that, over and over. Especially when I’m away on tour — it’s about something horrible happening to someone and me being afraid of it happening again. So, I’m kind of their cheerleader, just hoping nothing terrible happens. That’s really where the song came from.
That song wouldn’t fit in Games We Play.
Nick: No, definitely not. Games We Play can get heavy sometimes, but it usually has a tongue-in-cheek humor to it. I’m not as clever with the humor — CRXSSOURHEARTS is just a different emotional space.
The black and white aesthetic of the video — how did you come up with that?
Nick: We’re soft for that early 2000s Tumblr aesthetic — think early 1975, The Neighbourhood, that kind of vibe. It matched the sound. Static Dress was also a big inspiration for me — even though they’re super color-forward, there’s a grit to their visuals that influenced how I wanted to frame this project. We shot the video ourselves while on tour in November. Found a few cool spots along the way. It’s the only video we made, but I’m really happy with it. Black and white just felt like our vibe.
Kyle: Yeah, 100%. That ended up being the visual hook of the whole project — the green, black, and white. That aesthetic came to mind early on when we were thinking about how to present the visuals. We leaned pretty hard into that early 2010s look — very curated, very moody.
Nick: It’s also a great way to keep things cohesive. Not a cop-out — it’s genuinely what I wanted to do. I’ve done the whole “every release has a new color” thing before, and it just doesn’t blend for me. This felt right. When you see it, you know it’s us.
Would you like to tour in support of CRXSSOURHEARTS?
Nick: We don’t really have the means to do it right now. I think we’ll play a show at some point — probably in LA. But we’re both involved in multiple projects, so it’s about finding the time. I’m not opposed, but it’s probably a ways off. If people really start listening, though… that wouldn’t hurt.
Kyle: If the demand is there, so is the supply.
Looking back on your time with The Haunt — what do you think of it now?
Nick: They’re a super talented band. My chapter with them creatively came to a close — just where I was at in my life. I know they’re killing it, charting, making waves. I hope they’re enjoying it.
What’s next for Games We Play and CRXSSOURHEARTS?
Nick: Games We Play is playing the next Warped Tour in Orlando this November.
Kyle: This show kind of marks a live-show hiatus for Games We Play. Orlando’s the only thing on the books for now.
Nick: With Kyle already in LA and me moving there soon, we’ll have more time to work on CRXSSOURHEARTS. Hopefully it won’t take as long as the first round — that was like a year and a half. I think we’ve found our rhythm and can pace it quicker.
Kyle: We’ve got songs in the tank, so we’re not starting from scratch. There’s a solid foundation to build on.
(Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Vivian Ortega)
