Binky says:
Eric sent me some depressing lyrics. More accurately, lyrics about depression. Lyrically, that's my sweet spot. I'm crap at love songs. Explorations of the edges of our fraying consciousness? Yes, please.
I wanted to try a specific angle. No minor keys. No slow progressions. There's a particular flavor of depression that puts its energy into maintaining the outward appearance of health. Putting on masks to hide behind. I wanted to make that song.
So, this is autotuned synth-driven dance pop. It modulates a couple of times. There are multiple drum machines. It's relentless and barely stops to take a breath. It. Just. Follows. You. To the club, apparently. This is sound design and arrangement as internal monologue.
I want to babble and over-intellectualize every random aspect of this tune. I won't… it's super boring and self-indulgent. For better or worse, this came out almost exactly the way I envisioned it, and that makes me super happy.
Anyway, some more pedestrian notes:
- I had a not-particularly considered disdain for Autotune for a long time, but I changed my tune (pun!) after watching Mark Ronson's "Watch the Sound" series on Apple TV. (An excellent watch.) After that, I've recontextualized Autotune as a tool rather than an affront. It's not any different from a distortion pedal. (And you're free to hate distortion pedals too.) This is the first time I've actually used it as intended, and it did exactly what I wanted it to. I'm not going to use it in many other contexts, but I love what it does here.
- One of my pre-FAWM activities was sampling drum tracks from songs I liked with the intent of re-using them in my own songs. This drum track comes from They Might Be Giants' "Man, It's So Loud in Here", from 2001's "Mink Car". It's a banger, and it gave me just the engine I wanted for this song.
- The backing vocals are done using Waves Vocal Bender, which is a hell of a toy for $30 or so. I messed with the formants and added pedal tones, and it was very fun. It's also got some Izotope VocalSynth on there for fun.
I think that's it. Hope you enjoyed listening half as much as I enjoy making it.
VERSE
I don’t like the taste of giving up
But it’s all I have to drink
Time to swallow ocean swells
Or learn the quickest way to sink
Salty water rocky shore
Is where I make my stand
Windswept shoals lie straight ahead
Behind me only land
PRE CHORUS
And I’m slowly sinking
Sinking Down
And I’m slowly sinking
Down Down Down
And I’m slowly sinking
Sinking Down
Until I touch the sand
CHORUS
Agony's my oldest friend
And he's topping off my cup
Nothing ever tastes as good
As the taste of giving up
VERSE
I’m learning how to float
In a boat that has a leak
Trying to row my way to shore
With oars that are so weak
And I’m drinking in the tide
While we rage against the moon
I’d sing a different song
If I could only learn the tune
PRE CHORUS
And I’m slowly sinking
Sinking Down
And I’m slowly sinking
Down Down Down
And I’m slowly sinking
Sinking Down
Until I touch the sand
CHORUS
Sadness is my oldest friend
And he's topping off my cup
Nothing ever tastes as good
As the taste of giving up
I've tried to learn the way to cope
When my resolve has thinned
I stare deep into the storm
And I lean into the wind
VERSE
The waves will slowly raise
And fling you at the rocks
But sometimes the sea forgives
And leaves you on the docks
Then you thank the lucky stars
That conspired to light your way
And spit out the bloody salt
To breathe in another day
PRE CHORUS
And I’m slowly sinking
Sinking Down
And I’m slowly sinking
Down Down Down
And I’m slowly sinking
Down
And I push back from the sand
CHORUS
Defiance is my favorite friend
And he's topping off my cup
The bitter sip propels me from
The taste of giving up
My cup's awash with purpose
and it's time to drink it down
Today I didn't learn to swim
But at least I haven't drowned
@tcelliott Feb 2022
Kinda reminds me of the SugarKrew a bit. This is some tasty synthpop. Good production, too.
@lindarling Feb 2022
So, this is your second happy song about depression this month... It's really, really lovely though. I have to admit the auto-tune really fits here. Lyrics gorgeous.
@kenficara Feb 2022
The lyrical metaphors are really something; drinking or drowning, the eternal question. Musically I like how it starts pretty quiet and builds into a full-fledged rock blast that wants to be in an arena.
@arthurrossi Feb 2022
Excellent lyrics, I particularly like the imagery of "slowly sinking" in the pre-chorus and the chorus is top notch! "Nothing ever tastes as good / As the taste of giving up" - wow, what great lines! Perfect musical take on the words as well, very catchy tune and such an amazing performance! Great collab, guys!
@wsharper69 Feb 2022
This is one of my favorite fawm songs to date. Enjoyable in every way.
@dulcimeric Feb 2022
Awesome! This rocks! I love the production and the happy pop direction you went with it. Definitely the right call. And I can back the Carbonleaf reference. Plus Europop.
@bethkille Feb 2022
Genius! Love everything about this. Your voice here reminds me of the lead singer from Carbonleaf.
@leslie Feb 2022
Key change! Please enter Eurovision with this song. I am hugely impressed by the melody lines you found in those chord progressions. Songs about mental health are awesome and I love the bouncy treatment of some really dark thoughts a lot of us have. Great job, guys!
@aaroneis Feb 2022
I like that the music and lyrics are at odds with each other. This reminds me of OG Linley Island. Or the end credits to an Anime show. Either or.
Great job with production!
@beyondthelimes Feb 2022
Yeah, totally digging the concept and the tune. I'm also a big fan of songs whose music and lyrics are thematically at odds (because who doesn't find the pathetic fallacy pathetic!) . And agree with you on auto-tune. In just listening, before looking at any of your notes, one of my first things that stuck out to me was the cool way you used it to create the harmonies in the choruses.
@bandybum Feb 2022
Fabulous opening, strong vocal and love the OTT pop synth feel. Great production, arrangement and delivery.
Wicked collab, guys :)
@tfish77 Feb 2022
Wow, depression never sounded so good! Powerful lyrics and amazing production and vocal delivery! I hope you realize that after FAWM I'm going to beg you to show me how to use Autotune properly...
Really dig the synths on this one and the overall beat. Well done, both of you!
@jayjay Feb 2022
Great pop rock toon. Kinda like the juxtaposition between the lyrics and music.
@dock Feb 2022
This is just too darn happy for a song about depression, :-) The production is great for epic rock. The auto-tune vocals are really pop.
The tune is good, with lots of hooky phrases. Fine work!
@nadine Feb 2022
I never know what comes next when I press play. Such a harsh contrast in between lyrics and instrumentation. If you don't listen to the lyrics you could sing about being or love. Or eating pizza. Production is great.
@sapient Feb 2022
This is pretty darn relentless. If you didn't pay any attention to the lyrics you really would think it was happy.
There is a completely different version of this song in a parallel universe where it was given the slow burn treatment with guitars. And I kinda know how that one sounds. But I'd never have imagined this one, so thank you for allowing it to cross over from whatever dimension or brane it was spawned in... :D
@nancyrost Feb 2022
This sounds super-poppy - very hip use of the stuff the kids are doing these days. And the lyrical arc is fantastic, with the music pushing toward the defiant edge. It's moving in a non-sappy way, a non-anthem anthem. Much respect.
@nahlej381 Feb 2022
Yes! This JAMS. Production is aces