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By David Haynes –
Some artists prefer to remain shrouded in mystery, and have the work speak for itself. I know very little about the person behind Social Media, a new artist on the Blanket Fort label and artist collective. However, their newest song “Protector” speaks for itself. It’s a genius work of pop songwriting wrapped in a warm blanket of crisp, clean production.
Centered around a gorgeous acoustic guitar progression and a calming vocal, “Protector” is one of those songs for a lazy Saturday afternoon in August. It’s near impossible to not feel a sense of peace while listening to the song. It’s just so pretty. While the basics of the song might be simple, layers of production send the track swirling to new heights. A steady beat from a drum machine keeps the song propelling forward, while synth pads surround the acoustic guitar providing atmosphere. Background vocals drenched in reverb peek out of the quiet mix, adding a conversational, intimate air to the song. Likewise, bits of piano keep the song busy and vibrant. The song is almost staring out into a meadow. If you take in the whole thing, it’s gorgeous. But, if you start to notice tiny details one by one, the whole scene becomes that much more beautiful.
There’s something powerful about releasing songs under the name Social Media. If a song is created for the purpose of sharing with others, doesn’t that make it “social media?” Or, if this is a group of people, maybe they want us to think of the concept of creating a song as a shared social experience. Perhaps, the artist is asking us to reconsider our limited definitions of social media to platforms created by and for capitalists. Regardless, Social Media has created a masterpiece of soft-pop songwriting with “Protector.” Listen to the single below, and look out for more from the artist soon!
-What led you to the name Social Media? I think it’s a great artist name; really open to interpretation.
When I started this new body of solo work, I initially thought Social Media would be a funny artist name and was surprised it wasn’t already taken. I then realized that it could work as a great concept and prompt for writing music. I always write my songs through character avatars, and social media profiles act as a similar outlet – it’s a platform that allows someone to fabricate an altered or enhanced persona of themselves. I think It’s an extremely interesting cultural phenomenon and you’ll find that a number of the songs coming up for this project will reference it as well.
– What was the writing and recording process like for “Protector?”
I wrote and recorded the song at my apartment in Jersey City where I recently set up a home studio. I write and record almost all of my music late at night – it’s the time I set aside to reflect on things and that’s usually when the creativity strikes. It can be challenging for me to commit to a concept or melody and turn it into a song, but once I do, I will sometimes work for 10-12 hours straight and typically pull an all nighter. That was definitely the case with this song.
Protector actually grew out of a songwriting challenge curated by The Latest Noise, a Jersey City based music collective that curates events, connects local musicians and hosted a number of virtual showcases during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. I signed up for their “Wine and Song: Virtual Songwriting Showcase” back in November and wrote and recorded an early iteration of the song a few nights before the submission deadline. I took some time away from the song before listening back a few months later and decided to go back in on the production and mix. I used almost all of the original instrumentation as well as the original raw vocal takes and added more percussive details, textures, and double tracked “big” formant vocals to bring the song into the dream realm.
– The arrangement of the song is really lush. Was this always your intention, or did it go through some different phases sonically?
I love synthesizers, ambient music and film scores so those elements are always components in my productions. I wanted to make this song “extra dreamy” as the song references sleep and dream traveling. Also, given the state of the world at the time, I wanted the song to have a sort of post-apocalyptic sound which to me felt like broken sounding acoustic folk mixed with some futuristic digital beeps and glitches. My friend Eric Holsten (who ended up finalizing the mix of the song) likes to call me the “King of Risers” because I tend to use a ton of reverses and risers in all my tracks to lead the listener and build emotion. I definitely didn’t hold back in that regard on this track.
Once I got the mix to a point where I thought it sounded decent, I had Eric add the extra sauce. Eric and I are actually able to remotely share Ableton projects so he jumped in and added extra “swirlies” as he stated, and flooded the song with more tasteful reverbs and pitched delays just the way I like it. He made the vocals and drums sit way better and reigned in all of the chaotic layers nicely. Joe Lambert did a great job mastering the final mix and enhanced the final stereo image as well.
– What’s going on with this song lyrically? Inspiration from your personal life, or something else?
On its surface, Protector is intended to be an honest proclamation of love for a significant other. The narrator reveals his insecurities, the guilt and the anxiety that comes with love, but ultimately promises that he will do everything in his power to protect and care for the one he adores – even going as far as warding off monsters and demons in her dreams. I drew inspiration from the early stages of my relationship with my girlfriend Lindsey (who’s also a musical artist that goes by “PYNKIE”). Lindsey’s a nurse and has an early work schedule so she falls asleep earlier than I do most nights. Watching her fall asleep like a baby is what sparked the initial idea for the song. I also drew some inspiration from the show “Raised By Wolves” that I was watching at the time. The show is about two androids that are programmed to raise and care for human children. The cinematography and post-apocalyptic setting of the show along with some of the themes probably contributed to the aesthetic of the song and lyrics as well.
– What’s next for you?
I have a 5 track EP in the works and plan to release some singles in the coming months leading up to it. I had a lot of fun exploring elements of different genres, so each of the songs will be refreshing but still identifiable as Social Media.
– Where can we learn more about you?
Ironically enough, on social media. I have an instagram and facebook page dedicated to the project @social_media_music where I post some sneaks of my songs, some improvisations, and share stuff going on in my personal life.
