Singled Out: Vern Matz's Trampolines

The indie rock trio Vern Matz are giving fans an early taste of their forthcoming self titled debut (out in Jan) with the lead single "Trampolines". To celebrate we asked them to tell us about track. Here is the story:

Trampolines was the first track that we ever recorded, and it's probably the most tender song on the EP. We recorded the tune during a weekend in October, 2016, but we carried the song around for ages before then. The song started with the verse that Danny wrote as a kid, and it changed in the context of the band over the course of a tumultuous year.

Our first arrangement of Trampolines featured this huge synth pad and was altogether so much more spacey and reverberant. There were also synthetic vocal lines that repeated throughout the song. Altogether, it was pretty over the top. But we played it live anyway� once. The band broke up promptly after our first show. And Trampolines aged in the meantime.

In a lot of ways, Trampolines is a story of growing older and looking back. When we got back together nearly six months later, Trampolines very naturally became a much more stripped down and somber piece of music. It lost its youthful edge � or whatever the sonic equivalent to that is. The song became sadder over time, but also better, more grounded in something real. Certain melodies and instrument layers just sort of eroded away until all that was left was this simple folk song.

Then we took it to the studio.

Being the very first song that we ever recorded in a studio, there were two attitudes that were unique to that period. The first was just a lot of nervousness, and complete lack of confidence in our abilities. It wasn't really a rational judgment � this thing just mattered to us so much, the possibility of falling flat on our faces was really menacing. The other attitude was a very grandiose hope for what could happen. That's a really quiet thing inside of you, and overall a misleading reflection of how we felt. But there was definitely a little part of us hoping for something great.

In the end, Trampolines came out as a nostalgic piece that yearns for something that never really existed. It's like driving through a suburban town and feeling a longing for a time and place that you never experienced. You know you can't have it, you never did � it's just this feeling of reaching out. Danny was really struggling with my migraines at the time, so in a direct way, Trampolines was about looking backward and feeling nostalgic about being healthier. But, there's a lot of hope in that song about things getting better, which initially was half-hearted, but now plays in a nice, optimistic way.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the group right here!

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