Clearwater, FL electro-pop duo Midnight Beach are gearing up to release their self-titled debut album on July 14th to celebrate we asked Steve Alex to tell us about their first single "Fantasy". Here is the story:
Back in January of 2016, Vovi Vu, who produced the song, sent me basic tracks centered on the intro synth/piano stabs. It had the chorus part too, but the arrangement wasn't in place yet. I recorded some temp vocals over it, originally calling the song "Don't Let Go". Where the chorus now sings "we have pretended for so long/we were so right/now it's just a fantasy�" used to be a repetitive "don't let go" 3 times, then it said "here comes the line". While we were building the arrangement, we both knew that the chorus lyrics were lazy. Vovi wanted to know when "the line was coming?" He had a point. I knew it needed a rework too. Maybe I was telling myself that the hook line was coming (a lot of times I sing lyrics, knowing they are just place-holders for a revision). Anyway, the chorus took on the "Fantasy" theme, inspired by the synth sound he uses in the chorus. It's very shimmery with sparkling arpeggios. Even more so, the bridge uses that same synth to create a dreamy, fantasy-like breakdown section. It has this sort of hazy, psychedelic feel to it, it's probably my favorite part of the song.
Once the song became "Fantasy" finished pretty quickly. The verse lyrics lined up with the new chorus by changing a few lines. The drum parts have a late eighties dance vibe to them. They remind me of Janet Jackson, Stevie B, Lisa Lisa, stuff from Club MTV days. Overall, the song is pretty lively but a little melancholy; because it's about longing for something in the past. Like most of the songs on this album, it lands somewhere in the middle of the style spectrums. Not up or down, happy or sad, but that in-between feeling that's hard to explain.
Vovi gets credit on our team for generally not settling on first ideas. This song is a perfect example. I often run with the first thing that comes to mind, wrap it up and move on to the next song. He has a meticulous attention to detail. I'm beginning to work that way a little more now. While at times our heads butted during the production, the balance of our two working modes ended up producing a fine album which will be out in a couple weeks.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!
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