the stevens are | back

these are probably _not_ the stevens.

they‘re back from their vacation in spain. but what do they want from me, here, back home? an almost philosophical question. hopefully answered in this very slow song from today. the “photo“ above was created in 20 seconds with text-to-image AI. the music is licensed by GEMA/germany. for composition details, pls scroll futher down.

I have no story to tell / My seat is too high for the world / And too low for the hell / Of a miniature bird / The Stevens are back / From their holiday in Spain / There’s nothing they lack / And much more to gain

Chorus: If it helps, my name is not Jack / And I don’t live in the house / That Jack built / That’s the home of my spouse

The Stevens ring my doorbell / I’m not there, but I can feel them / I have no stories to tell / Will they leave, and when? / You all please be patient with me / Leave open your door / I’m a vulnarable he / Don’t want to surrender no more

Chorus

I was standing in the mud, not in the snow / Everybody watching, quite a show / While the Stevens came back / I lay on my back / They came in the door / Asking for more / Nice people indeed / Let’s close the door / I stand in the mud, not in the snow

i wrote the lyrics first. i played a few chords on my midi keyboard until the text and the music fit together nicely. maybe a cliché to slowly step down from c minor. more tricky was finding the proper chords for my hommage to a well known metallica song for the chorus. of course, the chorus needed an electric guitar. other than that: super 8 retro sounds for the leading chord sequence throughout the whole composition. super 8 also for the (sub)bass. the drums, partly hand played with EzDrummer 3. a few melodic ornaments with horns and violas from spitfire audio. there are three vocal tracks, one with a reverse reverb, and one with a slight formant change and secondary melodies using waves harmony. mastering, like always, with iZotope ozone.

below you see two screenshots. one with the first layout and one with the final mix.

first layout
final mix (click to enlarge)