Feb 2022 synth pop lofi self-care ska fourth-wave
@vomvorton - this one's been brewing for a little while! the ahhhh vocals bubbling along in the background are something that Jed put together OVER A WEEK ago (a lifetime in FAWM time) and offered up. I put together a drum track and bassline that fit with it but then got distracted by other collabs. When I eventually pulled together a full structure I sent it back to Jed, who wrote the choruses and sent them back - I wrote some verses and added one million layers and threw all my favourite "production" "tricks" at it, like recording guitar then slicing it to bits, and... uh... assorted noisy lofi FX. And here we are!
@thelowestbitter - I chopped about a load of ahs to create a sort of vocal arpeggio and then didn't really know what to do with it, so I shopped it around hoping to find some sucker to do the hard work and turn it into a proper song for me. Vomit Vorton obliged, thanks sucker!
I had the germ of a lyrical idea a couple weeks back when I was putting Otex Express ear drops in my ear after a bath to clear out some ear wax, just thinking about how much tedious maintenance we have to do on our flesh prisons. Came up with the chorus and sent it to Vom and he wrote the verses. Really pleased with how this one turned out, thanks Tom!
Mundane, running maintenance
In stewardship of all the stupid shit
Bath water growing tepid,
clip your nails
unclench your jaw,
A sigh, and nothing more,
Nobody tells you what you want to hear
It’s just distortion, and a crackle in your ear
I tilt my head and wipe away
an Otex tear
I start the new year feeling positive
I could do something brave
so I write the first week off
with a haircut and a shave
follow guidelines on the stuff that’s beneficial
write it down in a diary to make it official
by the time that the sun comes out and the world has defrosted
I feel absolutely fucking exhausted
Mundane, running maintenance
In stewardship of all the stupid shit
Spit mouthwash at the porcelain,
It’s dull, it’s such a chore
A sigh, and nothing more,
And who could tell you lies you want to hear?
It’s just distortion, and a crackle in your ear
I tilt my head and wipe away
an Otex tear
set rules and targets, make a game of it
to get me through the week
If I don’t floss tonight
then I am going to lose my streak
eye the scales under the sink with suspicion
are those numbers right, do I need an optician
too much to track, so lose the things I need to know
in the signal-to-noise ratio
@nuerdetjuligen Mar 2022
wonderful and catchy. 'the stewardship of stupid shit' is such a lovely turn of phrase. this poppy bop existential angst hits me in all the realest places. now i need to run out and buy some Otex so I can listen again and catch all those satisfying synths with clearer ears.
@kiffa Mar 2022
GodDAMN, this is catchy! Your voices complement each other very well. Somehow, this song reminds me of all the people on YouTube who post those 'morning routine' videos that make me sad for them lol. Fantastic job!
@seemanski Feb 2022
This was grand, I thought I knew what otex was just couldn't place it. Thankfully your pic jogged my memory. The contrast between vocal styles is great, lots of clever synth stuff going on and I thought the added distortion on Voms gave it an extra grit.
@shortdan Feb 2022
I remember hearing those chopped up aaahs when you first shared them. Great to hear they've found the home they deserve - it's a really cool texture on which to build all the other layers. Particularly enjoyed hearing you both having a sing on this one too. It's great is this!
@susyblue Feb 2022
Wowwww so frckn good you two! The sonic soundscape beneath the vocals is ridic - I love the production/sounds you're using. Then the vocals... and lyrics, sheeeeeet. So frckn good. I love both your vocals sitting happily next to one another. Love the melancholy yet somehow upbeat feel
@judypie Feb 2022
Flesh prisons :D
This was a joy to listen too, amazing job as ever you two. And I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who sees Sims ‘needs bars’ in my minds eye that need topping up to get me through the day! Oh.. I *am* the only one you say?
@kenficara Feb 2022
Love the growly analog (?) synth start and the way it moves into an indie pop song which sounds much cheerier than its lyrics. “By the time the sun comes out and the world has defrosted / I feel absolutely fucking exhausted” is every damn winter morning.
@cblack Feb 2022
This is a lot of fun. Very nice work, both of you! Every part in this fits with the whole.
@radiobenedetto Feb 2022
Great sound! Getting Phoenix vibes from the chorus. The arps (vocal and otherwise) are infectious. The harmonies and background vocals on especially the last chorus are synth pop gold. Super catchy! Thank you!
@w1n Feb 2022
Great collab, feel both your distinct styles merge great in this track. Cool production and really like the lyrics and vocals, especially the chorus is so good.
@thedutchwidows Feb 2022
This is really nicely done. The alternating verses works really well and the ending is great - just everything all in there. Production is superb.
@adforperu Feb 2022
Ahh this is class! Some tasty synth sounds in this, that bassline especially. The whole duet nature of the vocals works such a treat, and it's lovely when you sing together. Has a bit of that 'sad banger' vibe you might get from CRJ. Love the different sounds and vibes of each verse too, so much going on but it's never overwhelming, even during the kitchen sink ending.
@paulh1237 Feb 2022
An ocean of sound! I heard this on my crummy phone speakers this morning but I'm glad I gave it another listen on some lovely headphones because the sound is proper cinematic, bleeps in all directions. I love how it is a whole new texture and feel for VomsVortons bits and then builds it up again. "I feel absolutely fucking exhausted" is a great line, and who doesn't love the wordplay of "Mundane, running maintenance.. In stewardship of all the stupid shit". This be fecking awesome.
@rayboneor Feb 2022
I always feel that the trademark lowestbitter sound is make something bubbly and bouncy and catchy and permeated with melancholy. This is glorious all the way through, but when it all starts to swirl around itself in a kind of recursive way at the end, well that was sublime
@balancelost Feb 2022
Quality collab this. I love how it sounds like you're actually writing together and bouncing off each other. It feels like Vom rhythmically and TLB sonically. Love all the layers of synths and samples, it's busy without anything stepping on each other. Sounds like a bastard to mix but came out clearly! Really nice. Very enjoyable. Another play I think...
@jimdgreen Feb 2022
loving the Hot Chip vibes here.
@frenchcricket Feb 2022
If I was to force a metaphor I would say this song is less Otex than that crystalline perfect sound you get when you've just had your ear syringed, when you know you'll never hear sound this good again (until the next time—although I think they stopped doing them on the NHS now... booooo)
That skipping vocal arp that you made that propels it is so good. Jed you are having some killer ideas this year! And that filtered acoustic guitar is so good as well. There are some great lyrics throughout: 'stewardship of all the stupid shit' is a fantastic internal half rhyme. This is a brilliant collab!
@sailingmagpie Feb 2022
Those skippy bits between the lines in the verse are brilliant. I'm all about the crazy production work on this; so dreamy. This is probably my favourite song about removal of ear wax. Well, definitely top three.
@chriddof Feb 2022
As ductapeguy just said, this is a surprisingly good subject for an 80s style synth pop song! The music itself is also really well done, and I liked the chopped-up and arpeggio-up-ed "ahs". Also I could do with some Otex myself...
@ductapeguy Feb 2022
Brilliant. The unbearable mournful weight of self-care is a perfect theme for 80s synth pop.
@owl Feb 2022
What a great idea for a song. These stupid flesh prisons! Can’t wait till we’re all brains in jars. Well worth the wait on this collab, all those synth sounds are amazing and I love the ah-arpeggios and all the intricacies of the arrangement. So good!
@popmythology Feb 2022
This is too good. Some people just have all the talent. It's wrong. The universe is unjust!!! No, but seriously, thank you both for such yummy yummy ear candy synth poppy goodness.
@fonte Feb 2022
This is awesome! So catchy. Can imagine it In a cool tv series. The vocal is great, production awesome. Flesh prisons lol that made me laugh
@loveonamixtape Feb 2022
AHHHH dream collab! So many soundssss! love how layered this is and the changes from section to section. The rhythm change in the first @vomvorton verse is siq, and those "aaahhhs" are great. Both of your voices sound great in this and work really well together. Fantastic lyrics, too. God, do I relate to how fricking oppressive it is to take care of this stupid meat body sometimes. Nicely captured...but in a fun way!