Behind the Record: One Step Closer to Heaven (2023)
Concept
The concept of the LP revolves around Heaven - not just the Heaven people commonly refer to, but also Heaven on Earth, a place of content and happiness, one is working towards to day by day, and hopes to experience once in their lifetime. A place where everything has fallen into its place and where tranquillity and harmony defines existence. Although not every song has direct references to this Heaven or the other, in some way, each relates to the journey one has to take in their quest for this ideal place, as well as some of the joys, sorrows, challenges and realisations along the way.
Similarly to my previous LPs, I had a number of ideas for new songs, but I also wanted to include some of my older works that others really liked. I also aimed to be more picky as to what makes it onto the album, so there are a number of songs I dropped from the tracklist in the end. Many of the songs that made it onto the album were inspired by the vibe of some of the soundtrack from Baywatch (the original series) - you wouldn’t believe some of the gems you can find there! Shame you can’t find many of them on Spotify, YouTube, etc. (yes, really - it’s quite interesting how they were licensed and how the remastered series has completely different songs!)
About the Songs
The opening track, "No Stopping" was amongst the first songs to be recorded for the LP. It is about being on a journey, full of excitement about what's ahead and envisaging the long awaited destination, where land meets sea. It was inspired by a meeting with a high-school friend after some 15 years and reliving some of memories and the things we talked and dreamed about back then. The song was written and recorded in a couple of hours in August 2022, and the final version features mostly the same tracks as the very first demo.
"Turn the Page" is based on a riff that conceived after receiving some unpleasant news, and the first versions of the song featured rather mellow themes musically - despite this, the final version is made up of uplifting and easy chord progressions, giving it a much more pleasant vibe. Lyrically however, the verses refer back the mood surrounding the conception of the song and discusses the difficulties in everyday life and the longing for long gone weightless days.
"Heart's on Fire" was originally written and produced in 2010, the demo then being more bass-heavy and featuring acoustic guitars in most parts as well. The album version is also in a different key, slightly faster and features piano and extra backing vocals. The song itself is about those first days of spring when nature starts blooming again, when impulses once again stimulate your senses, and, after a long winter, the air is full of excitement and yearning.
"Tonight" is also a rework of one of my early songs, dating back to 2005. The original version only featured an acoustic guitar and lead vocals. The song is about the sour feeling that keeps striking you following a break-up, when, at the end of the day you close the door behind you and remain with your thoughts and that feeling of loneliness. A little sad, but the lively guitar sounds and the echoey piano melody makes the song more of a catchy ballad, taking you back on a coach, staring at the scenery rushing past you.
"Open Arms" was the first song produced for the LP in June 2022. The song was inspired by my then recent, rather impulsive purchase of a Fender Jaguar guitar during a work trip to Lincoln, UK. The pedigree of this guitar has encouraged me to write a punchier rock song and introduce a fresh sound to my heavier side. The lyrics suggest an otherwise reserved person putting their foot down when being wrongly judged or written off. It does not convey any anger however, simply the message that "I know where I stand, I believe in all that is good and true, and if you are one, you are welcome to join me." Fun fact: the pulled tape effect at the beginning is a recreation of a glitch my phone produced when listening back to an early version of the demo - it did exactly what you can hear, but on an mp3! Tape is not dead.
Originally intended to be the B-Side for "Open Arms", "Reason to Hold On" is also based on an older demo recorded in the summer of 2008. It is an uplifting song about finding your other half far from home and thus finding the strength to go through difficult times. It was included on the album as per a request from a dear friend and long-time fan, Petya. Fun fact: I sometimes struggle to find the exact chords for some of my older songs to which I no longer have multitracks, leaving me having to learn my own songs after hearing again. This is one of those songs built around rather unconventional chords (for me, that is) and I must say I did struggle! In fact there is one chord in the middle eight I still can’t find for love no money!
"9 Seconds" is one of three songs written for a single recorded during 3-day holiday off work in 2010. The single was originally intended to comprise of the first two songs (“Riding Waves” and “Don’t Let Go”), however as the recording session required less time than anticipated, the first half of the last day was used to write a third song, which became "9 Seconds." Commonly referred to as an ideal soundtrack for a 90's adult movie, the song is based on a simple, but heavy drum pattern and hypnotising guitar riffs, complimented by vocals with the lows and high ends rolled down, giving it a mysterious and mellow atmosphere. Fun fact: this is the only song on the album where guitar tracks were recorded with a physical amp modelling DI box, a Palmer PocketAmp Mk2. The same unit was also used on the unreleased track, “Fire and Rain”.
One of the most intimate songs on the album, "Closer, Tighter, Deeper" is about the desire of wanting to create a sculpture for the generations to come, to reflect the values of the good we believe in. All the things we love and fight for so hard throughout our lives, and the realisation that despite what we think, we are all just drops in the bucket. In our quest for finding that something that will make our sculptures stand the test of time however, we find something equally important; someone who shares our beliefs, struggles and passions. Even if the sculptures will be washed away by time in the end, the love we have found is eternal - all we have to do is to always remember to cherish this invisible treasure just as much as we seek the obvious. It is basically about Peter of EP Guitars and me - crafting instruments and songs.
Building on Hungarian folk melodies and metaphors, "White Dove" is a song about someone writing a letter from a prison cell, where they got for an unjust reason. While nearly losing every hope to see the daylight again, his biggest sorrow is still the fact that he left his sweetheart feeling cheated and betrayed being unable to explain the reason for his disappearance. In his deep despair, he is asking a white dove, a symbol of love, to find his sweetheart and deliver his message to her. The song was built around the solo part featuring several transposes and a developing choir, counting 12 individual vocal tracks at the end.
A late addition to the LP, "An Angel to Take Me Back" was written and recorded after the rest of the album was already mixed. Featuring atmospheric synth leads coupled with a mellow guitar sound and long delay on the vocals, the song recreates the feeling of waking up in a middle of a dream. Fun fact: it was actually written right after waking up in the middle of the night, in those first minutes, when half of you is still in dreamland. After recording a few voice memos, the first demo was laid down the same morning before getting ready for work.
"Reset" was inspired by a night in a hospital and is about self-reflection and re-evaluating your life; realising how it has gained a different meaning through the years and finding the strength to face the music. The unusual vocal harmonies and the powerful lead guitar in the chorus brings mystery and an eerie atmosphere to the energetic grunge tune.
"There With You" is a cosy acoustic love song, almost a serenade, reassuring your other half about your devotion and everlasting support, through good times and the bad, and your commitment to be there by their side, come what may.
As the title song of the album, "One Step Closer to Heaven" summarises the key questions one often wonders about in their adult life in their quest to find their happiness, while the instrumentals create a heavenly atmosphere with stretched harmonies, gentle yet deep thumping low toms on the drums and reversed riffs and a slightly changed tuning on the rhythm guitar.
One Step Closer to Heaven - Release date: 6th January 2023. 13 songs, 45 min 20 sec.
Bonus:
Comments
Post a Comment