Summer Memories
About the EP
The EP Concept
After finishing my first major work "Sounds of the Biomes", I started planning ideas for a new album. As I was doing this, I looked back at two songs I wrote in the past summer. These songs both hold special memories that I have wanted to share for a while. I thought of releasing them both as singles, but I noticed that they both had something in common: they were summer memories. With these two songs already written, I wanted to create an EP with the theme of memories I have collected from the summer time. These memories are not all the same. One of them was a very happy memory, and the other one was rather annoying (but still fun). Along with these two songs and the memories they hold, I wanted to add a third track that describes my feelings when I think about them.
The EP Background
The EP is all about memories of the summer. This was the second work I have released on music streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify. Unlike "Sounds of the Biomes", the songs in "Summer Memories" are alternative pop songs. I wanted to say a lot in just these three songs, therefore, the songs are longer than the average length of a pop song. The music borrows ideas from many other genres such as R&B, jazz, and electronic music. The music also focuses on irregular harmonies, rhythm and timbre. Each song also conveys a certain emotion. I tried to convey this with the album cover complimenting the music. I designed it with small memories from past summers either written down or shown with images. Overall, I tried a lot of experimentation with these three tracks and how they connect to each other.
The EP Layout
The EP contains 3 songs that I wrote during different summers of my life. The songs are in the order of "Freest One", "Delayed, AGAIN?", and "Thinking About the Summer". The first song is about leaving high school and being free of its grasp (featuring vocals by Lexie Jorgensen). The second song is an instrumental song about the experience of a major delayed flight. The final song is about the times I spent with my friends and the feelings I had when I thought about those times.
Main Songs in the EP
Remember
This quick intro to the EP contains samples of the songs coming up. It also teases some of the messages and themes present in the EP.
Freest One (feat. Lexie Jorgensen)
I started the main beat for this song a couple of years ago and left it while working on other projects. When I revisited it, I decided to add lyrics to it. I use lyrics written by Amanda Godfrey, a peer from high school. She wrote the poem about being free and letting go of your worries. This song to me is about my experience of leaving High School for a better future. Overall, I was leaving the troubles of high school behind me. The song is slow and uses jazzy chord progressions throughout. Lexie Jorgensen is the singer in this track.
Peak of the Arc (Interlude)
This interlude track is supposed to be a teaser for the track "Growing Up". It starts out like a normal beat, but then gets interrupted by a lo-fi recording of me talking about being afraid to grow up. Then the beat distorts and becomes filled with rage.
This interlude track is supposed to be a teaser for the track "Growing Up". It starts out like a normal beat, but then gets interrupted by a lo-fi recording of me talking about being afraid to grow up. Then the beat distorts and becomes filled with rage.
Delayed, Again?
Ever been stuck at an airport waiting for a delayed flight? We all have. But then have you ever had to deal with an inexperienced pilot flying the aircraft you were waiting for with ice dripping from the air conditioner? That's a whole story. Luckily, I had music to calm me down. However, instead of listening, I was writing. "Delayed, AGAIN?" is meant to calm you down during rough flights, delays or any other inconveniences you may experience at the airport.
Growing Up (Interlude)
This interlude track is a spoken-word piece diving into my detailed feeling about letting go of childhood and becoming an adult. I connect the previous songs by explaining some of the summer memories I have had, and I how I feel seeing them fade away.
Thinking About the Summer (feat. Celine Iris)
The final track is about the longing feeling I had towards the memories portrayed in this EP. For this track, I had a lot to say and ultimately chose a longer song format to allow myself to say what I had to say as naturally as possible. I started creating the music for this track while enjoying my summer back at home between school years at Oberlin Conservatory. When I arrived back, I gave this track new life with an incredible vocal performance by jazz vocalist Celine Iris.