Defining the Venerate EP
Venerate
To regard someone or something with deep respect, reverence, and honor.
This EP was dedicated to one of my close friends that had moved away to a whole other section of the map. Bro went from West Coast to damn near East Coast but the person I knew never changed. They had a good impact on my life and helped me get comfortable in my own skin and realize that I can be vulnerable with people that I'm not in a relationship with, which also helped me understand myself and the way I think more as well. It's an EP dedicated to the person I knew, the help they gave, and the moments we shared, condensed into 2 songs and a couple unreleased that might never see the light of day but it's the thought that counts type of thing :).
J&J
This song was made the day that I truly believed would have been the the last day that I would ever see them, rushed home after school and got straight to recording. Found a good beat that I thought felt very home made and decided that it was the beat to make the song to. Just booted it up into FL Studio 21 and started trying to catch a flow before I sat on the melody and catching that for the flow. The lyrics are meant to capture how even with the person slowly disappearing from their role in my main life, that the memories we had made had solidified and made me appreciate the value that they brought into my life in that short time. I wished them the best both in person, through text, and through the song, hoping that they'd be able to find better things to do wherever it was that they went in life, both literally and metaphorically. That they were a pure person in my eyes and would remain as that even if they didn't view themselves as such. The sand being a reference to the struggles that we both witnessed each other go through and still help each other through. Reminding them that even in the hardest moments when they feel like they're alone, that the exact copy of the necklace I have was gifted to them as a reminder that I am always there and a reminder that they are a star and they must shine even on the rainy days. Intentionally giving the song a very smoothed out vocal to make it feel more sincere and directly soft for the person listening. Taking me about 30 minutes to write and record, it was a very very big summary of how I viewed them and appreciate them but the rest would have to be saved for the next track when I had more time to collect my thoughts the next week.
27 Hours
This song was one of my favorite songs ever written purely because of the love behind it, with the person actually being credited in the Spotify Credits as background adlibs funny enough. I had and continue to have a deep admiration for this person and if the 2 song releases aren't telling enough, I truly venerate this person. In the last couple days that we spent together, I really hated the thought of never being able to see them again, at least not soon. That's why the lyrics start off how they do, continuing with a reference to our "first last goodbye" catching a flow that just felt right enough to explain how I felt without oversharing details. The song explains itself so it's difficult to explain more here but it was intentionally made with a soft and endearing tone with backing vocals that feel like a warm memory with her in the background as "EUGH" vocals used from one of the songs that we had made together. A vision of them in my arms wishing to keep them safe and protect them the harsh reality outside of our bubble. 27 Hours is directly referencing how long it would take from where we used to be together to the distance between us now, with it being just about 2,000 miles rounded, and a promise to see each other yet again, another day.