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Song Studies V: set fire to our house and burn these old spirits out
Released March 14, 2024
Album Context:
Ok, so here we are starting relatively fresh. The period of time immediately post-album is one of the most compelling and burdenless. The tank is essentially empty and it’s interesting to see what kind of songwriting starts to take shape. Finishing IT’S ABOUT LOVE threw me right into a new school year, which always halts my songwriting as my artistic energy gets channeled towards building out new classes. The backdrop of that regular business was the dissolution of a 5-year relationship—and the emotional & logistical nightmares that come with that—as well as a burgeoning new relationship. So these are the songs that emerged throughout fall & winter 2023 (into 2024). Stylistically, I wanted to be as raw and straightforward as possible, so I went with simply recording voice memos, running them through some mastering software presets, and uploading. The whole point of these “Song Studies” EPs is to unburden myself from the faux-professionalism of making a whole “album,” with all the time & (over)production that entails. Who needs any of that?! Voice memos are the best. All of these songs start as voice memos anyways, so why take away from their natural state. We all have the ability to record a song at any time with these things that are always in our pockets. Somehow the iPhone voice memo microphone sounds better than almost any other microphone I’ve heard (something Laura Jane Grace has even corroborated on an old tweet that I can’t find any more), so I’m not going to question that any further and I’ll just pump out some voice memos like some kind of 2024-coded tape deck John Darnielle. Here ya go.
