The opener on the album was one of the last songs we made. I really wanted to have an opener that set the tone both sonically and lyrically. We already had a couple tracks on the album with breakbeats but they were leaning more into the ‘UK Garage’ side of things. With this track I intentionally wanted to dive into our version of a skittery, drum and bass track. The instrumental started from an old funk beat I found on Youtube. I sped it up and chopped it, and created the main breakbeat of the song. I really wanted the album to have a defined opening, something almost cinematic, so I added those deep piano chords and a lot of reverby, ambient textures. The instrumental and chorus of the song came together in a day but I spent quite a while filling in the verses. I felt like the lyrics needed to almost be a “thesis” of the album. After a week or two of tinkering it finally clicked and became one of my personal favorites on the record.
What’s funny about the chorus is that I didn’t even have a name for the album at the time of writing it. I was just jamming over the track with vocals and ended up saying ‘Go Somewhere, It’s Nowhere’. That was definitely a eureka moment for me and the song ended up gelling the entire album thematically. It’s uplifting, but dark. It’s modern, but feels nostalgic. I feel like it’s a glance backwards while moving forward.
lyrics
last of 99
what to say
in a fit
but there’s more on the way
last one in half
before the even change it looks bright
but i can’t say the same
it comes too late we wait too long ride the middle hope we still belong
we carve out plans
to watch them break
cuz it’s funny to watch the feeling drift away
go somewhere it’s nowhere go nowhere it’s somewhere
go nowhere it’s somewhere go somewhere it’s nowhere
turn the lights all off
we’re creased
we open up better when we leave
when you’re not out
you feel alone
you’re never getting back what’s out for loan
it’s not enough we’re not too gone we carry more than we think we’re prone
so find the drone
and change it slow even if it’s all you know
credits
from Somewhere Nowhere,
released October 9, 2020
Produced by Chadwick Johnson
Written by Chadwick Johnson
Mixed by Sam Pura
Mastered by Sam Pura
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