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January A-Side: The Drum Strikes Back
🕑 Added 2025-01-29 17:58:49 +0000 UTCCover art by Billis Helg
Writing:
This first idea to come up for this song was the chorus vocal melody, originally backed with a different chord progression. The two-note guitar riff and accompanying chords that start the song came separately; when I tried marrying the two together, the song really took off, and music was completed in short order from there.
Lyrically, I wanted something that matched the brightness and optimism of the music. I looked back on an old track like “The Drum”, a character sketch with a rather heavy dose of irony to it. My goal is to use these four-track songs to stretch my writing muscles, and tread in territories I’m less comfortable in - including ditching the irony and pessimism that has entered so often into my older material, and trying to write from a perspective both optimistic and sincere. I thought about what would make me happiest on reencountering a character like the Drum, and felt that him getting sober would be a triumph worth celebrating. I wrote the lyrics accordingly, trying to capture a portrait of someone uncertain about the future, yet with some assurance that even uncertainty is better than what they had before.
My mind kept going back to The Who song “Early Morning, Cold Taxi” as I wrote, an early favorite of mine. In the end, this developed into a new character detail, as I started envisioning the Drum as a rideshare driver, groping his way through another morning of grouchy customers, all laden with the same negative thoughts he used to cultivate in his own mind. More and more, he’s finding he’s able to “not tune in”.
Recording:
I admit that so far I have lacked the resolve to truly limit myself to four tracks, so instead I cheated a bit, by recording the first four tracks and bouncing out to the computer. Moving to a blank piece of tape, I’d send the bounce back onto the first track, then overdub onto the remaining tracks, creating a virtual 8-track. Finally, I bounced back to the computer, and mixed everything together.
The MIDI drums were also made on the computer, and vocals were sent through Ableton first for effects.
Track 1: Drums
2: bass
3: rhythm guitar
4: melody guitar
5-8: vocals
Lyrics:
Spent years thinking
He was better off bitter
Loving to hate himself
It’s a cold cold morning
Fresh pain is coming
But this time he’s facing it
The drum comes round the corner
Taking his orders
He’s got the whole world on his mind
Temptation coming/going
At twelve weeks sober
He’s taking it one day at a time
Customers are waiting
Fresh indignation
But he’s not tuning in
He was struck by a vision
Of better living
If he puts a bit of work in
The drum comes round the corner
Taking his orders
He’s got the whole world on his mind
Temptation coming/going
At twelve weeks sober
He’s taking it one day at a time
No longer on the common
Old friends say he’s lost it
But he’s got the sunshine in his eyes
Days are plus and minus
His life is just like this
He’s got the rest of it on his mind
And you’re never gonna know what the future holds
But you’re hoping that it might hold you…
The drum comes round the corner
Taking his orders
He’s got the whole world on his mind
Temptation coming/going
At twelve weeks sober
He’s taking it one day at a time
No longer on the common
Old friends say he’s lost it
But he’s got the sunshine in his eyes
Days are plus and minus
His life is just like this
He’s got the rest of it on his mind
The drum comes round the corner
Blowing his horn off
He’s got the whole world on his mind
The world is coming/going
At one day older
He’s making it one more at a time
(Customers:)
How long must I wait?
How much can I take?
I can’t wait all day
I’m not going to pay
Go easy on the brakes
I’m busy can you wait?
Turn off the radio
It makes me insane
Comments
Sac
Its nice to see the drum actually accomplishing something
bowie!!
oh how i love the drum and this track more than anything if the drum is ok, maybe there is always hope for all of us <3
Alex
“Your never gonna know what the future holds but your hoping it might hold you” hits just like someone finally wanting to live. It’s a beautiful feeing. <3
horseshoeballoon
OH HI KARA!!!!!!!!!! GOAT
Grayson hendrix
I think everything is gonna be okay
Lia
I love it!!!
Elijah
Damn I don’t think I’m gonna like the new album :(
Kenny Rohan
Dude, I am so STOKED for the new Sincerity of Car Seat. I welcome this exploration with open arms. It gets easier, even if things are less clear. Maybe we're made to not know all the answers. To quote Nana Grizol: "Cynicism isn't wisdom, it's a lazy way to say that you've been burned... It seems, if anything, you'd be less certain after everything you ever learned"
alo
this came out at such a wonderful time for me. relating to the drum as a character and going through many life changes this year, being extremely uncertain about the future and my role in it, this one really hit. so grateful for your music every day, but especially right now:)
wern
I Am Kara
horseshoeballoon
im gonna be honest i do not recognize you here, what's your 𝕏
horseshoeballoon
hello wuzz (wern huzz)
very.happy.ben
From passing out in hospital hallways to seeing the sunshine at 12 weeks sober; The Drum is shaping up to be quite the fellow
very.happy.ben
when it go lalalaalalalalaalalalalalal and i go lalalalalalalala with it
nate!!
Love love love!!!!!!
Luka Buchanan
particularly love the little “lalalala”s in the chorus break (?) & the outro with the customers is sooooooo good i just wanna dance!!!!!!!!!
Carmen✨
This was so sweet , I love the more optimistic music 💜 and that the character from The Drum turned his life around! hopeful music is so important at the moment
wern
hi horseshoeballoon
lunaoel
I love this sm.
sam liptak
reminds me of sparks!!!
Cooper
This seems like an awesome song to shovel snow with
eden
this changed my life
Ricky Manchego
This is so good
Eric (pyrrhicloss)
woowww!!! what a perfect way to brighten up this week. such a distinct sound yet comfortingly CSH all the same. Reminds me of the uniqueness in the other one-offs like Culture and War is Coming!
Ashley Fox
listen to the who song that will mentioned its very similar imo
Luixo :D
avian
this is so sweet. i woke up today feeling a lot of dread about the state of the world, but this really helped ease my mind a bit. the drum is one of my favourite songs, i'm really glad to hear he's doing better now! i'm curious if the ending was at all inspired by kendall :3's "waiting", with the repeating "how long can you wait/how much can you take" refrain?
Luka Buchanan
omg this is SO so great, it feels like it’s the soundtrack to a transformation montage in an 00s movie!!!! so danceable!!! sincerity suits your writing :’) the accompanying text is very interesting too, thank you so much for sharing!! is it challenging to share all this?!
elliott
love the part that goes “and you’re never gonna know what the future holds but you’re hoping that it might hold you…” such a good track
scranton
i love 4-tracks so much
alo
OH HAPPY WEDNESDAY EVERYONE!!! what a wonderful gift for today. amazing
Naz Kaynakcioglu
very very in tune with how i am feeling post graduation and post recovery, thanks will love u!
Scrade Cottontail
Has the energy of your old demos from the early 2010s, love love it!
Car Seat
Not intentionally, I have just been afflicted by talk radio for 12 years.
Sarahbeth White
🩷🩷🩷🩷
Jack
I love this!
adn dot
we used to pray for times like this
horseshoeballoon
⁉️⁉️⁉️
Sarah O
I love this. It has a nice hopeful feeling to it. Like that first walk outside when you can tell that Spring is coming.
sylvie
this is the dose of optimism i needed this morning. it’s a cold cold morning, fresh pain’s coming, but this time i’m facing it
callicoeidoscope
this has its own distinct style from madlo, the start of the matador era, and the self-released stuff— and all of the styles including the new one are amazing in their own ways! thanks for making music, csh :)
Tal
I fw this heavy!
Alien
Cool!
Alex Stewart
Missed the drum glad to hear from him again
endstoppedline
great stuff!!!! 🔥🔥🔥
Human Cigarette
I am running on the Treadmill to this rn thank you
Drew
holy peak
Cpc
I’m so happy to see the drum get revisited as I love the song and the character
Caiden
plane crash blues refrence at the end?
peiner
the most christmas sounding csh song
Luixo :D
Yeeeees
woozer
HELLS YEAH!!!!!!
surfjerk
Billis' art is so lovely!
Embry Pierce
chat clip this
sylvie
oh my
frankie
HOLY FIRE 🔥🔥 just in time for me to dance in the shower to this
oxroot
oh we’re eating good today
oddtrovert
peak
Elise Brown
GELL YEAH
barfingraiinbows
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Jessie
WHAT
horseshoeballoon
PEAK
Thom Pyle
What is this unc
