Hi -
I’ve been a bit MIA on the blog. But hi. I’m here.
It’s been three weeks since my EP came out. I think I’ve been so concerned with trying to find the right words to sum up how much this project means to me that I get paralyzed in doing so.
People keep asking me how it feels to have my EP finally out in the world, and it kind of feels like a birthday. There has been no monumental shift in my life- I have the same friends, I still forget to call my mom, Taylor Swift hasn’t called my managers and asked me to open for her (working on that one). And I still love those seven songs as much as I did when I wrote them. But there are subtle changes. Like when the waiter asks you how old you are and you stumble over your new age.
People now know my lyrics at shows.
I get to meet so many new people every night.
They want to buy my merch and support me, and that’s really really really cool. I feel confident that everything for this EP is exactly how I wanted it to be. I love the cover art and visualizers and I personally think you can hear the love and intention in every song, which is all I’ve ever wanted.
I feel like I haven’t given a proper thanks to everyone who made this project happen as well… so I’m gonna do that now. I’m gonna go in alphabetical order cuz it feels more equal that way lol.
Alexander -
When I met you I was honestly scared of you. You were so talented and sure of yourself and I didn’t understand how someone could have such certainty that a song would become something great when they hadn’t heard the end result yet. But you heard the potential in me with what seemed like blind faith. Over time, I’m not scared of you anymore and actually actively bully you, and your confidence has inspired confidence within me - especially after giving me the time and space to learn from your production and help produce alongside you. I used to be scared of production and now I’ve fallen in love with it. And not only that, but you were my first friend in LA and had no problem introducing me to everyone without hesitation. And then you took me on my first tour ever and helped introduce my music to so many new people... literally none of this would be possible without you and I’m forever grateful for you as a mentor, a partner, and a friend. Also When It Was Over is maybe the best song ever in the books of history. Yeah.
Andrew -
I don’t even know how to properly sum up my thanks for you. There really aren’t enough words. When I met you I immediately knew I wanted to work with you. I think I even wrote it in my journal like a nerd. You are the smartest person I know (who needs college when you have an Andrew) and it’s comforting to know you always have a plan even if I don’t know about it yet lol. You keep me on track and always remind me of the important stuff. Thanks for believing in me and helping all of my dreams come to fruition. You’re like a magician if magicians wore converse and the same hat everyday.
Dan -
When I met you I didn’t know what to expect. We had a session set up on a trip I had planned to LA, and I really wanted to make a good first impression. I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but you wrote my favorite Taylor Swift song (Treacherous) and I was so excited to even be in the same room as you. I was, honestly, really sad at that point in time, but I think you knew that from the fact that I was breaking down in tears within the first hour. How ironic it is that I was sad about turning 20 and not accomplishing all my goals while being in the same room with one of my heroes. Anyways, I brought in this melancholy piano part and immediately we started riffing the verse melody. It was so comfortable. No rush to finish a song. No rush to process my emotions. Just sitting and letting the conversation carry the inspiration. I think you expect someone so accomplished to have an ego, but I’ve never felt that way with you Dan. You are so grounded and I am so grateful to be able to ask you questions about your life and absorb your wisdom. Your mentorship means so much to me and I’m lucky to be in your presence.
Doug -
Having gone to the same college and being a fan of the songs you had worked on, tbh I felt really cool when I told my friends I was working with you. When we had our first session, I was just coming off of having a large song come out with a friend and I was scared I’d never write a good song again. Although you probably thought I was crazy for crying to you (a stranger, common theme clearly), you hid it very well. You have a way of toeing the line between lyrics and melodies that are both cool and alternative while still being enjoyable. The Neighborhood is a smash and I’m so happy we got to write it together. #clivealumni
Dylan -
Thank you Dylan for being the og mastermind being everything creative. Your ability to come up with unique visual interpretations of my lyrics has helped me create a world around my music that only existed in my head for so long. The amount of people that text me after every release how much they love the art work is overwhelming and that’s all because of you. Who would have thought high school would lead us here lol. You are just the most talented and the most patient. I wish one day to be 1% as cool as you.
Laufey -
We met out one night in LA and I kind of instantly knew we would get along after connecting over the fact that we had the exact same shoe collection and treacherously hilarious Berklee experiences. I honestly didn’t even know you played cello until alexander brought up the idea of having you play on “Bad Guy”, which is kind of ridiculous looking back. You so effortlessly played and arranged parts that lifted the song to a whole new magical place. You inspire me in so many ways and I’m so lucky to have you on my first EP and as a friend.
Lucy -
Lucy you are of the most talented people I know, and even though you’re one of my best friends you honestly intimidate me and make me want to be better. You’re such an incredible producer and person and I’m so happy to say that imytn was written and produced by all women!! I can’t wait to watch you ascend into a legendary hit maker. And thank you Caroline for adding strings for Lucy to play with they turned out so so beautiful.
Petro -
Petro Petro Petro. You not only are one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, but you are also one of the most talented. I remember when Andrew sent me your unreleased hit song “Listen” and I was like this is the guy. You have a knack for finding the part that fits perfectly without taking away from anything else, and I’m so lucky to get to make music with you. You bring out my sillies, and let me put ham-boning on songs which also is a plus. Thank you for always making me comfortable and letting me learn firsthand from you creativity. “The Neighborhood”, “Me to You”, and **** wouldn’t be what they are without you.
Jeremy -
I guess the spirit is honesty with this blog post, and to be honest I think you were on my Spotify wrapped in both like 2019 and 2020 (what can I say, end. slapped) So it’s really cool to say not only did you give me a tattoo of the word “lemon,” but you also added addition production to “Bad Guy.” Everything you do is so intentional and I love how every instrument adds the perfect musical part, as well as an interesting texture that I can’t begin to imagine how you achieved. “Bad Guy” wouldn’t be the same without you and I’m so grateful you wanted to work on this song with us.
Jesse -
Jesse I don’t really know what you do but I know you do stuff like Spotify stuff. My songs have gotten on a lot of cool playlist and besides the fact that they are good songs, I mainly attribute that to you. Thanks for making the calls and believing in me. You always bring a great attitude and focus and you happen to share my dangerous love of vintage clothing with me.
Josh -
Thanks for being a cog in this crazy machine and helping everything get done. I crown you knight of the blog and also thanks for dropping the truck off that one time. That was really cool of you.
Lea -
My big sister, my guardian, my best friend, and my biggest critique, you have been there for me even before we started working together. You get shit done and put others ahead of you always - I have so much respect and admiration for you. Thank you for being a sounding board when everything feels overwhelming. And for allowing me to use your personal life as inspiration for imytn as well you killed it with that😍😍😍.
Sarah -
You are a protools wizard and I’m so grateful to have had you work on “20” with Dan. You always have the warmest smile on your face and such patience despite my 2736367373 notes on a song with essentially just piano and vocals. I’m so grateful to have you on this project.
Sierra -
You came into my life when I was really uncertain of the creative direction of the EP. A picture alone didn’t feel cool enough
but I knew I wanted to take a step beyond another drawing. Scroll scroll scroll on TikTok and there I saw your pictures and stopped in my tracks. Then I stalked your page and saw your collages and I was sold. Thank you for being the sweetest ever, for coming to prospect park with me to take photos, for making the cover art collage, and all the visualizers. I love everything you do. Special thank to the ever so talented Olivia for taking the center photo as well.
Theo and Yianni -
You make it all sound good. Mixing and mastering is the final baton and you guys always do such a good job and are so efficient with it. Thanks for making the sounds sound.
Neama Ethan and Ethan -
Not only are you guys the bestest guys ever and some of my good friends, but I am so appreciative that you basically gave up your three days of rest between projects to drive up to Mammoth with me and film “The Neighborhood” music video. It turned out fucking beautiful, but honestly the whole thing was just an excuse to hang out with you all. Thank you helping bring my miniature world to life with limited time and resources, I will never forget how fun making my first music video ever was.
If youve made it to the end of this, you get a gold star. I love you and you clearly care a lot about me which means I care a lot about you. I feel so lucky to make music with people I am fans of and look up to.
And also, I hope it helps you realize how many people are involved in making music and having a project come to life. And why it takes so long lol. I promise I’m working on new music that is so sick that you’re literally gonna catch a cold. Ok that one was bad but laugh anyways out of pity.
Love you always, and it feels good to have the blog back,
Grace
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| this is from the first day we ever started working on the neighborhood which was the first song we made for the ep |
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Me in the green room the night my ep came out
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