ABOUT SPIRIT AWAY Spirit Away is about the self-reflection that occurs post-relationship. In this case, it’s about me looking in the mirror, seeing the crows feet around my eyes, a few gray hairs, and wondering, "Do I still have what it takes to pursue what I want in life or am I kidding myself?" I imagine a lot of people go through this at some point in life, perhaps multiple times. Spirit Away is simply me acknowledging when those feelings arise. If someone listens to it and can relate, at least they’ll know they aren’t alone. SOME EXCERPTS “Who is this? Looking back at me? The creases in his eyes try not to lie but can’t help talking through the steam and he knows talk is cheap." It’s sobering when I realize that while I’ve put countless reps into pursuing what I want in life, there’s still plenty of times when I’ve been all talk. I know that the solution is in the reps, so that when the opportunities (or luck, however you want to frame it) come along, I’ll be prepared for them, but I’m also 40 years old. As much as I believe age is simply a number, there’s a different level of self-doubt that surfaces as I get older. It’s odd, like simultaneously living between confidence with age and self-doubt with age. “And he’s had love, but not the lasting kind. Like a rolling stone, he has big dreams, but can’t quite seem to see clearly that the moss you gather’s fine." I’ve come to realize the culmination of experiences I’ve had, both in love and life pursuits, are just those — experiences. Rather than viewing them as failures of where I should have turned left instead of right, I now try my best to view them as a stone that has gathered moss, but the moss is a defining feature of the stone, and what gives it character while on its journey. “It’s like I’m waiting on everything I’m chasing to come and spirit me away from here." I used to live in Japan, and while many people know of the beautiful movie Spirited Away, it’s the concept of being spirited away that inspired me for this set of lyrics. I feel like the concept of someone vanishing and returning at a later time is a part of Japanese folk lore — enough to where there’s terminology for it, 神隠し (kami kakushi) — in a way that I haven’t seen in the United States. Indeed, the best translation seems to be spirited away. In the case of the lyrics, I’m trying to convey that it often feels like I’m waiting for something to happen, some magic spirit from my goals to take me where I want to go, and in doing so, have missed opportunities, either from a lack of putting in the reps or lack of being proactive. OTHER INTERESTING NOTES Spirit Away (as well as the whole EP) was co-produced by me (Mike Bass), Alara, and Steven LaFashia. This was my first time working with other producers, and enjoyed the process very much! Spirit Away features an incredible singer-songwriter, musician, and friend, Emma Miller. The beautiful background/harmony vocals you hear that give the song another depth of life are done by Emma. The Branches EP was recorded at Retro City Studios in Philadelphia, PA. Spirit Away blends more into the indie-folk genre, which is new for me. The same goes for the EP as a whole, which has dream pop, indie folk, and even indie pop elements.