FEEL OKAY
What it’s about:
Feel Okay is about feeling like I’m constantly chasing this idea of what it feels like to feel “normal”. I’m going through life feeling like I’m working on myself, but not making any headway. It ends with the hopeful thought that I am doing the right things, and if I keep at it, things will get better!
Production:
I wrote this song when I was in a pretty bad place feeling like I didn't know who I was anymore, and it felt hopeless trying to figure it out. I started therapy after writing it which helped me find myself a bit and gave me hope that things could get better. When producing the song I was in this better place which I think comes through in how upbeat it is, along with the hopeful ending lines.
GREEN TEA AND GOLDFISH
What it’s about:
I very frequently embarrass myself and somehow I’ve been lucky enough to find someone who loves me for me, despite that! This song is about a particularly embarrassing moment. I wrote it during a songwriting workshop that I was also very lucky to attend. It was hosted by Luke Concannon (Nizlopi) and included a session from Ed Sheeran.
Production:
I wanted this one to sound a bit happier than my other releases so I kept with the acoustic theme, adding in a “beat” made up of just different hits on my guitar. Near the end things built up a bit with a synth and some vocal chops that were fun! I also set up a microphone when I showed my partner for the first time and we were able to capture some of her honest impressions and I added those in as well.
EVEN I’M TIRED OF ME
What it’s about:
Recently I’ve felt like I’ve been letting everyone around me down. This is a song about that, and how I can’t even blame those around me for being tired of me, because I’m even tired of myself. The sad lyrics are juxtaposed with the energetic chorus melody that is supposed to show what everyone tells me I should be feeling like, or I often pretend to feel like.
Production:
When I started this song my plan was to have it all be quite sad. Once I came up with the chorus melody I really felt like it perfectly expressed the outward confidence and happier facade that I put on in social settings. I wanted to song to still feel very close and intimate so I sang very close and quietly to the mic to give it that feel, and made the vocal the main focus of the song.
MY OWN TWO EYES
What it’s about:
This is a song that I wrote for someone that I love very much. This person doesn’t believe how amazing they are so I wrote this song about some of the things I love about them the most - my favourite being that they are always singing in the shower and I can hear them from all over the house.
Production:
I had this picture in my head when I finished writing the song that I wanted it to sound very intimate. Like it was just the two of us in a small room flying through space and I was whispering to them all of these things that I love about them. This idea drove the production of the song to be very sparse and focused on mainly the vocal. This is also why there aren’t any vocal harmonies in the song. I added a low rumble throughout the entire song to be like the rumble of jet engines up in space, and a tiny spaceship thruster-like snare at the end. I had a lot of fun putting this one together!
THE CHOCOLATE CAKE SONG
What it’s about:
Whenever I go out places people always tell me that I should “speak up”, that I’m “too quiet” or ask if something “is wrong”. Nothing is ever wrong, I’m just a pretty quiet guy and I spend a lot of time inside my own head. Because of this, I decided to write a song about some of the reasons why I’m quiet and it turned into a love song about chocolate cake!
Production:
With this song I had an idea to find a way to portray how I’m often in my own head when I’m anxious, so I added in these background high pitched noises to represent that. There is also the noise at the end of the song of a crowded bar getting louder and louder and then cutting out which was meant to represent that as well.