The Pink & Blue Journals

It has been a slow and steady road with Drivemouth, and our latest stop is Pink & Blue.

It was released about two weeks ago, on June 22nd. It's absolutely free

Firstly I'd like to thank anybody who has taken the time to listen to it, share it, enjoy it. This means a tremendous amount to me, even more than the donations I've received. Speaking of the donations, I'll be using them to create some 5 song EPs I'll be sending to radio stations and agencies. Anybody who has made a donation will be getting one of these EPs for free, as a token of my thanks :)

And now, onto some insight on the production of Pink & Blue...

While producing this album, as I've noted before, I hated it. Not the content of it, but several aspects of the production had me more frustrated than I had ever been.

The concept began as a story about an immortal girl and her love of a mortal man. I actually got the idea while re-viewing a television show I love called Pushing Daisies. I wanted to focus on mortality, a subject I've long bee uncomfortable with. I quickly abandoned the story aspect but wanted to continue with themes of mortality. I eventually decided a relationship during the end of the world might allow me to be as introspective on the topic as I wanted.

So, I set out on creating characters for the story, who I coded "Pink" and "Blue." Oh hey look at that.

I wrote dozens of journal entries as each of them, creating their lives and relationships. Some of these journal entries actually made it into the album art. I think I might release the full journals in the future some time. Might be fun.

Anyway. While writing as Blue, I eventually found myself believing in the logic of this stubborn character, and becoming bitter and spiteful of everyone around me. I became near-obsessed with his political ideals and philosophies on humanity and started snapping at anyone who would mention something that didn't fit them. Thankfully someone pointed out that I had been snappy, and I realized what had happened. Damage control: I wrapped up his entries and moved onto Pink's.

Pink is quite the opposite, almost not stubborn enough, passive to her world and her neurosis. I didn't take on her qualities quite like I did Blue's. I don't know why. Maybe because I could easily identify with her neuroticism. Writing her and being her was a lot easier on me. She's a kind of tragic character, I think, but one that is easy to sympathize with.

After creating their backstories and relationship, it was time to see where it and the end of the world catalyst would take them. I struggled with the story's conclusion for some time. I spent weeks and weeks trying to fit this last puzzle piece to no avail. I was so close so many times. Like it was in the corner of my eye, and when I looked directly at it it would disappear.

Then, on a plane to New York I solved the puzzle. I can feel the adrenaline rush just from typing this out. Their connection was each other. Just by existing, they were connected. I really don't want to say much more than that, I don't want to put any ideas in anybody's head.

I found that in creating a story of death, I had inadvertently created a story of life, beautiful life, of humanity, of what we are and are capable of. Nothing, anything, everything. None of it, some of it, all of it.

That's what I took from it, anyway.