The XCERTS, a rock band that has defined bassist Jordan Smith and vocalist Murray Macleod's lives for a quarter-century, encountered unexpected upheaval when both members' parents received cancer diagnoses. Rather than processing their emotional turmoil openly, the band continued touring and performing—the only coping mechanism they knew. Murray's father eventually recovered, but Jordan's mother did not survive, an outcome that forced the group to reassess what truly mattered. These experiences temporarily sidelined the band's usual activities and created distance between the three musicians.

Confronted with loss and mortality, the band regrouped with fresh perspective and recognised that their early success came from uncomplicated creativity—three young musicians writing together without chasing commercial trends or heeding external influence. Their latest album, 'i think i want to go home now.', crystallises this realisation: a collection of rock songs characterised by directness, emotional honesty, and the collaborative warmth that originally drew them together. The record stands as both a document of hardship overcome and a reassertion of the raw joy found in making music as a tight-knit unit.