I posted fake news. Not intentionally, of course. But optimism did get the best of me back in January, and my confidence that I could complete the next Cosmicity album by the end of this year failed to factor in the lyrical writer's block that would follow.
Yes, writer's block. It happened to me. The album was essentially stalled for the whole first half of 2017. I've been quiet about it because, frankly, I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure why I was blocked so I didn't know how long it would take to fix it. But it turns out to have been quite an important thing for me to go through. Over the last few months, the lyrics I've written are the most honest of my career. In fact, it's possible that you may initially find them TOO honest. I may come off as a man just whining about his many failures. I may be accused of just funneling my mid-life crisis into an album. And these statements would be difficult to dispute. But, if I've done it right, I believe you'll discover that you also often feel as I feel, whether you're in your 20s, 40s or 60s. Are you ever more disappointed by the world as some of the "magic" of the 21st century proves to be little more than a fairytale we'd been telling ourselves? Dissatisfied with both the hand you've been dealt, and tragically, the hand you've dealt for yourself? Do you ever find yourself longing for more authentic human connection in your life but find that this connection is harder and harder to achieve as time goes on? These are the themes of my mid-life, and so these are the themes of my upcoming album.
And while these themes may seem mostly negative, I believe listeners will be quite pleased to hear that I've intentionally contrasted them with music soaked in synthesized ear-candy. Rising arpeggios, bubbling bass lines, and punchier-than-ever synthetic beats. I've shaped the electronics here in a way that I'm quite proud of. The arrangements are meant to be reminiscent of "Pure" in their simplicity, while the synths and beats are meant to be a leap forward from the work I started on "Humans May Safely Graze". There's more motion in the sounds... more air in the mixes...
But I'm also confident that this album will not be coming out in 2017. I'm sorry about that. The math kind of works out like this:
Even though I'm working at a really good pace right now, I've still got to finish up lyrics on several songs, record vocals for 8 of the songs, finish the programming on all 11 songs, and mix all 11 of the songs. My most optimistic estimate to get all of this done is 4 months, and that would put us at January of 2018. If I then factor in audio mastering (I plan to go to Abbey Road again, or a facility of similar reputation), artwork design (I have an outstanding idea/concept for this and if Jamie Latendresse doesn't agree to design it I will jump off of a bridge), and manufacturing (both CD and vinyl pressings are still possible), that probably puts the release in March of 2018. However, that's based on the optimistic estimate. If we're being realistic/pessimistic, then all of that remaining programming and recording may take longer than 4 months. That could push things out until summer of 2018. But that's it. That's as far as it will stretch. After that point I'll be too burned out on the songs to work on them anymore, so it will be done.In summary, yes, I did (unintentionally) post fake news in January. But I'm asking you to trust me that THIS news is not fake: a new Cosmicity album will be released no later than summer of 2018. And you can take that to the bank. (Preferably one that is FDIC insured.)