Velvet Skies
Throughout my albums I’m looking for a story to tell. I feel like, as I’m growing older, these stories keep getting more detailed. I think that’s mainly because as I keep developing a sound that’s unique to YC it becomes easier to think of a certain sound I’d like to put in a record. With Two.Zero, nearly 11 years old today, the story really was formed over the lucky bits I’ve found along the way. Nowadays I know what I want to tell, and I know how I should tell it. It makes it so much easier to tell a story.
I like the fact that my four albums tell different stories regarding the same emotions. Frozen Waves took the negatives that follow after a painful break-up. In One Night Only we took the positives of getting to love someone new. In this album I wanted to combine these two stories in one album, where over the course of 70 minutes we’re taken from a relationship gone sour to one that flourishes. The album holds 4 chapters, which I see as units that could stand separately.
After the first 10 seconds of the album it’s already clear we’re being dropped in a pretty bad place. “While I’m waiting for our light to shine, I want you to say that we’ve still got time” is in my opinion such a strong way to express the fear and confusion that comes along with risking to lose everything you’ve worked for in a relationship. You get through different kind of songs, as you’re also thrown through different kind of emotions.
So the break-up has happened. The introduction of The Fall-Out makes no secret of the fact that a lot of time has passed, clearly indicated by the instrumental version of Earth In Harmony, followed by the vocal edit which starts with the phrase “It’s spring again, I’ve been working for a year.” I love that it’s quite open to the listener to determine how long exactly has passed. However, even though both girl and boy have moved on with someone new, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of love running through the girl’s veins. Small insight: in my original story I didn’t want the couple to move on with different stories, but since Earth In Harmony (which first was released as a part of the Frozen Waves album in 2013) managed to find its way onto the album and I didn’t want to change any of the lyrics the album has written this part of the story itself.
The story takes a surprising twist, since Damage Done, the opening track of “The Feelings”, immediately mentions that the exes are back in touch with each other. “Don’t you know that brushing your hand against mine still makes me lose my mind?” is thanks to the “still” clearly a reference to the boy that got away. During “The Feelings” we’re getting an insight in the way the girl’s heart is hoping for more, without any way of knowing if the way she’s feeling is mutual.
Comeback makes clear without any clear what’s been growing steadily. The couple’s reunited and coming back stronger than ever. I love this final chapter, as it holds the sweetest lyrics I’ve written so far. Both “You & I” and “Our Finale” mean the world to me, and top my personal charts of the most love-filled lyrics I’ve ever managed to write. The future looks bright like never before.
Thank you for diving into this story with me. These stories are like entries in a diary, and it means the world to me that you’re interested in experiencing them as well.
Michiel
