User:Cabinoid/sandbox

= COMR =

Early History: 2012-2014
Beginning in 2012, two school friends who’d reconnected after years apart (Fiona Morrow and Anthony Mazzarella) had been in the midst of an explosion of creativity. Together, they created characters, stories, worlds, galaxies even. They journeyed through every medium, chasing the spark that would bleed magic and satiate their deep thermos of cosmic art.

Eventually, they realized a need for a third member to bring a different perspective and a new set of influences. After some searching (to little avail) it just so happened that Fiona and her childhood friend (James Straub) had been placed in a class together after years apart. Through this, they rekindled their friendship and introduced one another to their overlapping creative interests, opening a whole new door of creative possibilities.

James’ introduction lead the group to the Connecticut local music artist Secret Staircase and, following some Facebook Messenger correspondence, Fiona acquired permission to make videos using his songs. They created shorts, music videos-basically any visual representation of their visions, as they shared a passion for film, however, with little equipment or funds to acquire it, they explored other mediums.

Fiona had been a self-taught musician from a young age while James had taken some guitar lessons early on but switched to piano at the time. Anthony has also begun guitar lessons around this time, meaning, they were on the precipice of an artistic awakening. At this time, Fiona usually took the role of drums, James on guitar, and Anthony on bass, creating a wonky but flourishing group able to, at the very least, make sound together. After a few meetings to practice and jam together, they joined a three-way phone call to discuss a band name. Some early names in the running were:


 * Dogs Playing Poker
 * Camp
 * Hotel
 * The Stone
 * The Flying Eyes
 * Furious George
 * Big Nose George

But one stuck out on that fateful night. Due to a lag and some interference, Anthony and Fiona’s audio got garbled, causing James to exclaim, what he thought he’d heard... “CROCHDECK ON MY REENHOOM?” To which the three laughed, spending the next few minutes searching for some semblance of what it meant, but ultimately leaving without making a concrete decision.

Debut (May)
Unsure of the exact date, May 12th 2014 has been marked as the seminal night of conception. Huddled in James’ semi-finished basement, the three sat on a golden, ornamental couch, searching for entertainment to no end. The idea had been circulating to create a new music project. One unlike any other that would satisfy people like them, searching for a source of music, art, comedy, improv, experimentation, anything that would satiate their moldable, creative minds, all in one place. They decided to go forward, obtaining Anthony’s iPhone 4, the only phone among them capable of recording audio.

They set forth, recording close to 20 ‘songs’ all over the span of a few hours. These tracks were akin to the likes of The Longmont Potion Castle (to whose existence they were oblivious at the time), as they mixed spoken word and stand up with music and in-jokes of the time. Fiona took the reigns on guitar, steering the music in the direction of James’ lyrics on the fly, while James also contributed bongos on occasion.

The lyrical content ranged from nonsensical stream of consciousness to humourous in jokes all the way to self-referential meta commentary on the quality of the album itself. At its current state, Anthony had been weary of the concept. Thinking it may not be worth the effort to put out something so raw and unrefined. Nevertheless, his contributions can be seen spread across the first album, gradually gaining more and more real estate per song as the years progressed. They’d go on to reference multiple songs on the album, “Sacred Trick of the Norwegian Sea Dolphin Isles”, “Lamb” and “About A Three” among others, much later in their career, not to mention the OBAMA ALBUM.

At a certain point in the night, Anthony had been teetering in and out of consciousness and James and Fiona were so eager to solidify this new project that they began digging through a crate of costumes and various accoutrements. They both settled on a costume for their respective characters, with James (as Reenhoom) wearing a red Ariel wig, a tri-corner hat and a masquerade mask while Fiona (as Crochdeck) wore a rubber mask of a charred skeleton (though they referred to it as a gorilla), a rainbow afro-wig and a paisley vest, while holding a blue 1lb weight. After assembled, the two took a selfie with a fixed lens DSLR camera on James’ chaise lounge, the photo which can still be seen as their original Soundcloud profile photo. This left only one step... An album cover.

With little time left to create a unique work of art representing the album’s contents, they looked for inspiration around the room, in the spirit of their costumes. Fiona suggested the idea of multiple angles of a decorative vase that James owned, as they had been ogling it and discussing it’s artistic value for some time. They first planned on all of the photos in the 9x9 grid being the vase itself, but it needed more. James made the unlikely suggestion of a service bell, which they made great comedic use of off the record. These photos were all set on the sepia toned backdrop of James’ concrete basement floor with all of this culminating at roughly 3am when they finally compiled all of the pieces to release the first Crochdeck on my Reenhoom album entitled, DEBUT.

The vase on the cover is a representation of the fact that art comes in many different forms and, many times, in ones you may not expect. The bell can be seen as a depiction of their lack of equipment but their restless nature to use what they had at their disposal anyway.

OBAMA ALBUM (July)
Early on, the gang began unintentionally creating a deep lore, beginning with the introduction of the ‘Obama’ character and his rival ‘Barack O’Kennedy’ in “Obama”, “Obama Term 2” and the aforementioned EP compiled of other Obama related songs. The idea spawned, simply, from their affinity for the character. The album also holds their most streamed song to date, “Mobama”, a comedic, one word cover of Pink Floyd’s “Money”.

Hidden in Plane Sight (July)
After accomplishing their first release, James and Fiona were eager to continue the project. Together, they scheduled a date to record their next masterpiece, Hidden In Plane Sight. Gathering in James’ basement once more, almost exactly 2 months after recording the first (June 2014), the two embarked on their next idea, only this time swapping out Anthony’s phone for Fiona’s girlfriend’s as a recording device.

In spirit and aesthetic, it's not dissimilar to the first, however, the subtle differences are undeniable. It feels mush less like an ethereal, amorphous piece of literature floating in a void and more like two friends recording their lazy day under the trees next to a motel pool. The album also began the long running joke of parody songs and titles, like “Smells Like Brain Steve” and “Swahili Hero”.

The album also stands out for being their most successful early work, with some songs quickly reaching thousands of listens, in stark contrast to others that have still only reached a few dozen. It’s also worth noting that the album sits as their second official release after DEBUT, however, it was actually recorded after the sessions for Music You Can Here, the album they’d release as their final full length effort in their original form.

Inside the Lion's Denne (August)
The third full length album came in the form of Inside the Lion’s Denne (named after the somewhat ‘lion-shaped’ clouds that constitute the cover. Taken from a photo on a walk they took the day of recording.) Another effort lead as a duo by James and Fiona, only this time recorded in Fiona’s basement and with higher quality recording equipment, in a 2011 MacBook Pro, which they acquired from her older brother. While ...Lion’s Denne may have been the fastest assembled album in their history, it marked a turning point, not unlike The Beatles’ Rubber Soul/Revolver era, where they stepped forth into an unforeseen world of experimentation and artistic expression. They finally felt comfortable enough (and skilled enough) to reel in recognizable song structures while incorporating their trademark absurdist sense of humour.

Beginning with one of their classic spoken-word intros on “Agg Town”, they usher in their next project with a much more meta, socially aware tinge than before. They’d always felt strongly about politics and activism, but this was the first album they felt they could meaningfully inject some of their commentary into the blood of the project, incorporating the Ebola epidemic that had been ravaging the world. They also made their first attempts at pulling back the curtain and revealing a more earnest side with songs like “The Lottery”, “Famous Amous”, “A Tale of Two Families” and “My Downtown Baby” all detailing different aspects of the unfortunate reality many Americans have to endure in the US. From the difficulty of owning a small business to welfare and food shortage, even to kidnappings and the ozone layer, they cover all of the political bases.

Another moment that stands out is “Greenhouse Gassmosphere (Crochdeck X)”. One of the few surviving remnants of the ill-fated CROCHDECK-X project which later became the premise of COMR. Some of the ideas for the project were stated in the song’s lyrics, “it’s gonna be like 20 people/only in one day...” as the plan was to endlessly expand the group’s members.

The album was also the advent of new instrumentation, adding a ukulele, a cowbell and an electronic keyboard to their sonic library, allowing a much more mature and dynamic range of sounds. Clear in the music, were to country and jazz that had never been exposed before then. All of these elements were essential to the creation of their next album, Classy.

In October of 2014, Fiona’s mother passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. Fiona was distraught and entered an abusive relationship that resulted in her withdrawing into solitude when not surrounded by close friends. It lead to an influx of music being written for her separate music projects (which involved many of the same members in different iterations) but it also meant that her sensibilities as an artist had veered down a darker path, filled with death, frustration for the government and authority, resulting in more politically charged content and unabashed criticisms of the caricatures and tropes they found so unfavourable.

Classy (November)
The album some refer to as, ‘their Sgt. Pepper’s,’ is an eclectic mixed bag of constant entertainment. Ranging from quiet acoustic ballads to satirical, futuristic hip hop songs all the way to layering instrumentation over slowed down records. Not to mention, as the first album in which they attempted a true ‘theme’ many of the songs have a more cohesive dark and ambient sound. Recorded, once again, in Fiona’s basement and back to Anthony’s phone with his return to the group (he had still yet to take on the pseudonym of D.J. Andchris).

Many of the “instruments” used were actually just trinkets laying around, i.e. the lantern used to fill out the cemetery foley in “Howling” and “Through the Wind” (both of which have a wind sound effect that is simply Fiona blowing in the direction of the microphone). It also marks the return of Anthony to a full album recording, offering more ideas, characters and instruments to be overlaid at once.

Classy also spawned some of the most memorable songs in the history of COMR, including “Fat Moms Need Sex”, “Dope Iz Mine”, “Old Brice” and “Muslims”, along with the first unabashed skits with the “Redneck Holidays with Klem, Klint and Kleetus,” an obvious satire on the onslaught of right leaning podcast and talk show hosts who began to freckle the media landscape at the time. It also brought their return to avantgarde cover and parody after just one pseudo parody (”Smash Lisp”) on from their previous record. Now going after Nirvana, Boston and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, they’ve expanded and specified their targets more, and in an even more playful and chaotic way.

One of the most important milestones of this particular release is the solidification of the acronym ‘C.O.M.R.’ as shorthand for Crochdeck on my Reenhoom as they’d previously only shortened it to ‘Crochdeck.’ The rest of the cover (Indigenous statue, backwards text and maroon sheet) were, not only things laying around Fiona’s bedroom, but a representation of their collective affection for the hyper-pretentious movement creeping in at the time. They always strove to push the envelope of sincerity and ride a line between obliviousness and self-awareness, something that is exemplified in Classy. The album cover only advanced that further into what would be their next set of albums.

The Wood Album
Approaching The Wood Album, the gang knew they needed some new blood. They’d been planning on expanding for some time (as previously referenced on Inside the Lion’s Denne) and the perfect time to do so would be over the course of two holiday parties. The first being an early Christmas party, held in Fiona’s basement.

Invited were a variety of guests, some of which had tremendous musical capabilities, one being a friend named Tom, whose knowledge of instruments ranged from trumpets and trombones to keyboards and flutes. His contributions were undeniably helpful to the creation of “The Pursuit of Happiness”, “Intermediate Straw-Burning Locomotive” and “Mythological Wombats”. His input on the album amounted to multiple melodica and synth parts, along with some compositional ideas as well.

Along with new members and recording techniques came new instruments. The wood album introduced the use of melodica and harmonica to the COMR-Verse.

The Introduction of D.J. Sizzle-Fishman and Azterizk (a.k.a. Shawn and Adam)
Two more permanent additions came in the form of Shawn Fortier and Adam Zakrewski (later taking on the monikers of Dj Sizzle-Fishman and Azterizk respectively). The two had been friends since childhood and as two friend groups overlapped, they became ensnared in the gravitational pull of COMR. They began their musical journeys at roughly the same time, both leaning toward bass in the beginning. However, they’d be steeped in the effervescent waters of musical improv and be thrown into every direction, usually taking the position of rhythm guitar, keyboards, acoustic bass or background ambience, they provided an essential service to filling out the sound the group had already cultivated. Another noticeable addition was their acquaintance Ethan.

Not all of the songs were recorded as a group, though, making it one of their few early releases to have been recorded over multiple sessions. “Christie”, “Stop”, “Clock”, “Farming For Life”, “Please Bee” and “Macaroni Hero” were all recorded in a separate session with Fiona and James alone. It’s also worth mentioning that “Boxing Day” came from the sessions recorded for their next album U.

U
Sometimes referred to as the second half of a double album consisting of The Wood Album and U, it’s no surprise that the album continues the spirit of the one that preceded it. This was also the second album to incorporate group recording from within a party setting. A New Years eve party in Anthony’s basement to be exact. More specifically, most of the recording took place within a single 6x8 ft. room in the basement.

Added to the mix is a cheap mandolin, purchased by Fiona as an experiment, the album has a more folky, storybook nature than most previous releases. It feels much less manic and more reserved in its culturally aware nature. They comment on consumerism in “Chicken Pot Pie”, “Phantom Fire”, and “Cow”. There’s also a noticeable difference in the quality of the skits and rapping, visible in “Rap Battle For The Ages”, “Satan Time Fun” and “Viva La Francois”.

Though it’s, evidently, shorter than their other releases, it certainly feels the most concise and well rounded of any of their early career.

The aftermath of U’s recording process left the group in a strange place. They knew they had to keep going, but unsure of whether or not they could continue as they originally had, they decided to release a previously unheard recording from the very beginning of their recording career.

Music You Can Here (Released January 2015 - Originally Recorded 6/24/2014)
Originally recorded as their second release, the album sat on the shelf as they were unhappy with the outcome. It’s safe to say not every album made in one day at a friend’s house will be up to snuff, however, after some reorganizing and the addition of a few recordings from Anthony’s house, they realized a throwback to the early days could be fun and add a different nostalgic feeling than they usually generate.

The cover being taken at the end of Fiona’s childhood road and the mish-mash of recording locations and topics makes it feel more like the early albums released under COMR with meta commentary on internet culture in “Facebook” and “Public Chocola Off” (which kindled their attraction toward reading- er... that is, misreading prewritten passages in song form). Not to mention the introduction of Dank A$$ Terry on “Dank A$$ Terry: The Land of the Dungeon” and “Dank A$$ Terry Revisited III” and the parody work on “Hack Stuh” (a satirical recorder parody of Green Day’s “Brain Stew”) and “Aboot A Gal” (which spawned their own redux on Classy before the original was even officially released).

Their intrigue/disdain for pretentious hipster culture saturates the album, not only with “East or West?”, “Poetic Justice” and “Poetic Injustice”, but with a complete narrative, unintentionally strung throughout the entire album, about a tea shop in competition with an espresso bar.

While it may be juvenile and silly, filled with sub-par beat boxing and out-of-tune acoustic guitars and bass (as it preceded any of their instrumental additions) it has their familiar voice and collective spirit of all-or-nothing fun, knowing that it didn’t matter what came out, but only that they had a great time doing it.

The name Music You Can Here was chosen (other than for its delightfully comedic and trademarked misspelling) because it was meant to be the first in another ill-fated series of ‘mixtape’ adjacent albums, compiled of odds and ends. The series’ covers would’ve used the same location, pose and subject (Anthony’s back) only taken in each of the seasons. Music You Can Here, being first installment, would be summer, Music You Can Sea, being fall and, subsequently, the second. Music You Can Taste would have been the third installment, representing winter and the fourth and final installment would’ve been Music You Can Smell, to complete an endless loop.

The release of Music You Can Here allowed for a small hiatus and a shift in release structure. As the hours on their unpaid SoundCloud account diminished, so did their ability to produce new music. They devised a plan to make two new accounts; one being a label account entitled, Leg Drop Records, as they began their effort to build a deeper COMR-Verse by curating new acts that they deemed worthy. It’s speculated that some of the artists in consideration were a ukulele comedy duo and a rapper named Lil Macaroni, and the second being a ‘second channel’ of sorts, that they used to release their next project and first EP, Perfect Dotted Line.

Perfect Dotted Line
The first and only release on the Crochdeck on my Reenhoom2 account is a short EP recorded at a small gathering (including the two founding members, Adam and Ethan), finally retreating back to James’ basement again. Inspired by their love for AJJ (originally Andrew Jackson Jihad) James and Fiona set out to make an album using only live recordings and an acoustic guitar to write it. What comes out is their earliest semblance of absurd lyricism shrouded in an oddly sentimental instrumental and cradled in a catchy chorus on “Cardboard Sunshine”, “Leverage”, “Sam I Am” (which is also the first instance of an unspoken telepathic bond between the core members, giving them the ability to predict words, lines, melodies or even whole song ideas) and “Summer Camp.”

There’s also a reappearing percussive sound that populates the rhythms of most of the songs. That would be pieces of a jenga game. Originally brought as a party game, the wooden segments soon came into use exclusively as a percussion instrument. Luckily, the entirety of the party’s inhabitants joined in and filled out the sound, though shrill it may be.

Perfect Dotted Line was also the point in which Fiona took over as art director. Where they had previously come up with quick ideas on the fly or presented ideas they’d come up with separately, Fiona now began compiling their ideas in order to funnel them into one cohesive artistic vision.

We Didn’t Sell Out Cause We Never Sold In
The EP, whose name is colloquially shortened to, We Didn’t Sell Out... (or simply, WDSO) was an attempt to step back to their origins. Recorded by James and Fiona alone, in her bedroom, they focused in on writing quick, catchy acoustic songs with wit and satisfying harmony. They also tried, for the first time as a duo, to write compositions for acoustic guitar and bass, creating a quick, serene get away, as it only lasts about 9 minutes all together with only one song containing lyrics (”Boxman”). It’s one of the most earnest releases in their discography and it indicates the moment they realized their potential to express emotion through musical improvisation, above just a comedic or eccentric experimental level, although they would begin honing their ability to weave the two together.

After establishing their intent to continue their prolific release schedule, they switched from uploading on their Crochdeck on my Reenhoom2 account and instead began uploading to Leg Drop Records (the aforementioned record label effort), in an attempt to grow its legitimacy.

Endless Nights With the Love Of My Life
Once again, recorded by the two founding members (this time back to James’ basement) the project is filled with dense, watery reverb, which (along with the preposterously long song titles) can be attributed to the sheer amount of Midwest-emo they had been consuming at the time. The topics began to get more dark and psychedelic as their interest in absurdist comedy and indie horror films increased.

Along with their aesthetic evolution came new musical dynamics, with this project being dominated by a single guitar, drenched in a blanket of swirling effects to drone out melodies in the bass and mids while an ethereal synth keyboard fills out the high-end and completes the moist, cave-like backdrop.

Endless Nights... was also the first time they incorporated the idea of discussing their thoughts on an instrumental track afterwards and coming to an agreed upon visual narrative and naming the song after that, i.e. “Holding Hands With Your Bestfriend Before You Knew He Worked For Your Ex-Wife”, “Brass Instruments Overloading the Trunk Of My Mom's Station Wagon”, and the title track, “Endless Nights With the Love Of My Life”, while “Riddle Me This... How Can A Killer Have Morals?” is another seconds-long interlude meant to tie a neat bow around the project, as seen on the previous release.

Crochfest '15
Following the conclusion of their first year and its intensive recording/release schedule, they knew it was time for a well-deserved break, before they burned out. They took the month of February off, and produced their next 3 EPs in March. April would see the release of said EPS, however they’d been working on some bigger things behind the scenes while giving only small glimpses into their world.

Planning for their next big project, Crochfest ‘15 began at the start of 2015 as they felt a need to grow their live presence, having never played in front of an audience before then. It was first announced on March 5th and the plan was, originally, to throw a festival-style show, beginning early in the morning and running throughout the day and into the night while presenting an assortment of alternative, diy music and comedy acts from the area. The only difference between other festivals and this, was their plan to intentionally bypass any way of professionally acquiring the venue and simply show up at the local park in a neighbouring town and take over their massive stage.

There was even a plan to record a full length Crochdeck on my Reenhoom live album and exclusive LP among the crowd after the show. However, even after they made several attempts and multiple trips to survey the premises further, the biggest hurdles came with locating the proper lineup to fulfill the vision they’d foreseen and arranging their schedules appropriately, as the band had taken the entire process into their own hands. So, after contacting local bands and artists, even securing and announcing the date of July 24th, 2015, the group quietly shelved the project before totally cancelling it soon after.

Matilda (Unreleased 2015)
Around the time they began planning Crochfest, they also began work on Matilda, their first stab at a fully composed conceptual album based on the true events of Matilda, the boxing kangaroo. The project was researched and spearheaded by Fiona at first, but the idea behind the project piqued James’ interest so much that they again took on double duty when it came to writing the story. The two toiled tirelessly on demos and new song ideas, working passionately through the releases they’d scheduled for April.

While some concepts would become nearly finished songs, none ever saw the light of day except for one short teaser entitled, “19.” A 5 second long recording of air being blown through a pen cap to create a whistle. Fiona released the recording both as a teaser but also as a reminder to listeners that they’d be back soon. Or so they thought...

After the self proclaimed “massive failure” that was Crochfest ‘15, the group was left in a state of disorder and discontent. They felt as though they’d plateaued and couldn’t move further. Work had ceased on Matilda, and any recording that had been done otherwise was null. And as all great artists do, they’d hit a wall of writer’s block and couldn’t get past it, but what happened next was completely unexpected.

Hiatus: James' Departure
At the time, all three core members had been in relationships. They prided themselves on their maturity in relationships. But, after a fateful event between a friend of a friend and James’ significant other, James and his partner separated themselves from the group without communication. James left the band. The group was left fractured, wistful and devastated by the loss of their close friend.

The rest of the group remained in tact, but the music ceased. For quite some time, they didn’t even consider reviving the project, as they thought, “what is Crochdeck on my Reenhoom, without Reenhoom?” As the months passed, though, and the wounds healed, they began to joke about recording. Throwing out short freestyles to one another, playing together for themselves, rather than for an audience. They knew they wanted to continue in some way, but they didn’t want to hurt James by replacing him or making it seem like he was kicked out.

It was at this point that Fiona and Anthony were approached by a frantic punk named Tommy, who was a year older than them. He was asking Fiona to play drums in a new band and, since Anthony was also there, she mentioned the fact that he played bass. Tommy said, “sure,” and they began playing together in Fiona’s basement that week. Following their initial jam session, they started practicing on a regular basis, growing their repertoire, which consisted almost entirely of covers, although Fiona was getting more serious about songwriting at this time.

They began playing open mics together in order to gain experience in front of a crowd. The trio played a few small shows together before Anthony stepped back to focus on studying guitar, leaving Shawn to step in, in his place. The trio would go by the name Freudian Slip and release a recording of a live performance in which they covered Weezer, Alice in Chains and Marcy Playground along with two original songs. After that summer, Shawn would begin attending a performing arts school, and later so would Anthony, which made any rehearsal null, as they wouldn’t be free most nights.

Fiona and Tommy briefly performed as a duo with Tommy on vocals and guitar and Fiona on drums, though they did switch back and forth periodically. Unfortunately, it lasted only one performance (although the crowd was notably intrigued by their theatrics when Fiona, who wore grey coveralls to begin the show, removed them mid-show to reveal a dress beneath.)

In lieu of their regular practice schedule, the group began jamming as an amorphous group whenever possible. One night, while Anthony and Shawn had been visiting Fiona’s house, she showed them her brother’s new vocoder synthesizer. Anthony then introduced them to his new multi-pedal, containing hundreds of different guitar, drum and effects sounds.

They would test the equipment shortly before discussing, once more, whether or not they were ready to record again as a trio. The decision they came to would be a compromise. They would record it in the same spirit as their previous work but release it on a different account as more of an experiment. What came out was their next album.

From Out Of Your Conscience: (And Into Your Feelings) [Medula Oblingata] (2016/17)
Recorded as a trio, consisting of Anthony, Shawn and Fiona, the group would create 12 songs ranging further in genre than ever before. The cover, made of nothing other than a glary photo of a generic poster of Jesus Christ, hung in the window of a local dairy mart Fiona had frequented since childhood. The reason being that they had all grown up attending the same catholic church’s "CCD" (a weekly church education program) prompting their critical nature and fondness of poking fun at (and even role-playing as) the hyper religious characters they grew up groaning over. It came out as a psychedelic, ethereal experience, with an unexpected southern tinge and lyrics ranging further than before as well (for better or worse).

Although the vocals, notably, took a backseat to the music, in contrast to previous works. The addition of an air organ, glockenspiel and their aforementioned multi-pedal would lead to swirling, chorus filled drones, topped with acoustic guitars and tambourines that flow between movements, leaving the listener disoriented and confused, and not without reason.

Contrary to popular belief (and songs like “Dope Iz Mine” and “Dope Iz Yourz”), the gang had not partaken in any substances to enhance their creativity. In fact, up until that year, none of the core members had ever tried cannabis at all. In the summer of 2015, Fiona would try it with Shawn (who’d tried it earlier with their supplier) and Anthony would take his first toke later that year. And so, before recording their next album, in November of 2016, they would all partake as a group, creating the loose, foggy and sepia tinted atmosphere that permeates the release.

Taking less care in specific chord progressions, they focused on creating an evolving experience that lent itself to their own inebriated state, with the comedy coming more from their antics and indecisive nature. Not to mention, it was the first appearance of their trademark overlapping vocals on songs like “Kiss Your Way Back Home”, which also dealt with themes of sexuality and personal identity in ways they hadn’t explored before, as Fiona was quietly beginning her transition at the time.

The themes also reinforced their affinity for parody, with “Stuck In 2003” and “Nostalgia - Gerald The Homo Sapien”, self reference, on “Part 2 - Coital Mothers” (a callback to “Fat Moms Need Sex”, one of their favourite songs), and absurdism, in “John Candy (The Return D.J. Sizzle Fishman)” which also marks the first official appearance of the name D.J. Sizzle Fishman.

Following the release, Fiona and Anthony consulted with one another, as they were the closest to the project. They both agreed that they had steam for another release, but they knew they needed to pull in the reins and focus their efforts. Luckily, in March of 2017, everything would fall into place once again.

The Reconstruction
Now 2017, Fiona began the year with a complete overhaul. She ended her previous relationship; one that fueled controversy within their ever-expanding group of friends, which allowed her to take a step back and focus on the direction she wanted to go with both her own art career and the future of COMR. She began a fruitful relationship with a new person, leaving her much happier and more clear headed than before. Fortunately, she had been slowly coming back into communication with James after nearly a year and a half of radio silence. At the time, Fiona’s current partner was a featured player in a local performance of Urinetown, and most of her friends couldn’t attend the premiere, so instead, they planned for the second show, that Saturday. Fiona had gotten close enough with James again to invite him to the event.

They were reluctant and skeptical of whether he’d show up or not. Before the show, a group of about 10 friends showed up and occupied the entire left side of the black box theatre. The lights came down, prompting anticipation for the show, but worried by the lack of James. Regardless, Fiona had been raving about the performance of a particular cast member, named Nate, who would later end up as a member of not only COMR, but countless other overlapping and unrelated projects in the area. As she turned away from her conversation, she witnessed James enter the auditorium. It was as though no time had passed at all.

Planning for sessions began immediately, with intentions for it to take up any and all free time they had. They started recording in March, creating three brand new albums by May and releasing them all in the same week.

Rebirth (May 2017)
Prior to recording, the group discussed their plan of action. They decided that the best way to maximize their comeback and maintain a presence would be to mimic the spirit of their prolific first run, only this time, all at once. A triple album, splattered with everything that made up the sum of their kaleidoscopic sound, would be the goal. Taking place over at least 4 sessions, the variety is palpable. This new, reinvented form of COMR would be the one to carry them through to the most abundantly creative period as a group and throughout rest of their career.

DEBUTWO (Pt. I)
DEBUTWO opens on a very different note than that of earlier releases, with a recording of Robert Frost reading his poem Birches (”Back in Britches”) interrupted only by James’ reading of the ingredients on a can of chunky beef stew. The song was removed from the Apple Music and Spotify versions for copyright reasons, but can still be found on Bandcamp and SoundCloud, in contrast to Steve which was taken off the SoundCloud version but can still be found on streaming.

The instrumentation was something that saw a clear improvement from their previous recordings. “Arachnophobia”, “Leave Out the Intro”, and “Steve” all possess indelibly catchy riffs using little but an acoustic guitar or two and simple percussion. “Leave Out the Intro” does include the introduction of a French horn to the group. More noticeable than the music, though, was a sharp increase in lyrical ability. Silly as it may come out at times, it was the advent of a wider vocabulary and more vivid descriptions of more preposterous scenes, on display, again, in “Arachnophobia”, where the story of a man by the name of Tyson Reedus unfolds, revealing his addiction to alcohol and a strong impulse to eat children and the unborn. “Shawn’s Gay” begins as a flowing ballad, commenting on the internet and its inhabitant before swiftly morphing into a multi-phase, ska tinged, folk-punk odyssey with Shawn, uncharacteristically, being the one to incite a rap battle towards the end of the track. The battle would come to fruition on “Rap Battle For the Ages Numero Dose”, one of two songs on the album to reference their earlier works, the other being “Satan Time Fun 2”.

An unexpected accessory would also be added to their arsenal with “A.A.” leading them down the road of improvised comedy skits featuring audience participation from their cohorts, or “New COMR’z” .(something they’d only dabbled in up until that point).

The cover art is a marked change from their previous artwork as well, which was usually made hastily, using MS Paint. This one, however, was meant to symbolize both, illuminating themselves from the dark and their evolution into a band of four, explaining the high resolution and modern art direction. Moreover though, it was a nod to their friendship, as it was cementing important monuments from their city and their adolescence on film.

It'z All The Zame (Pt. II)
While the logo remained all but the same, the cover couldn’t be further from DEBUTWO. It’z All The Zame took visual influence from several Radiohead albums, namely In Rainbows and The King of Limbs, in an attempt to create a similarly atmospheric and futuristic landscape, while incorporating a statue they constantly loitered around (which, incidentally, was on the same property as the catholic school depicted on DEBUTWO).

The album opens with an instrumental interlude, ushering us in to the new album with, “Intro 140092” which is an awkward, morphing waltz that leaves its audience thoroughly disoriented and, thus, prepared for the rest of what it has to offer. Filled with keyboards, banjos, organs and horns, It’z All The Zame was the beginning of a notable departure into both the psychedelic and the avantgarde. While they had always been committed to purveying the peculiar, they’d stuck to a more simplistic, stripped down route when it came to the music side, but with “Make Canada Great Again”, “Obama Cares” and the title track, they made it clear that they would be stepping out of that comfort zone regularly from now on.

The title track began as their half sincere approach to noise music, something that has infiltrated their local scene for some time. While the song started as a joke, to a degree, it came out the other end being one of the most interesting and layered pieces of music the group had created up to that point, with the keyboard drones being something they still look back to today. “Bring Me to Life”, however, is a less sincere approach to the genre.

The album also came with the introduction of an accordion, gifted to them by Anthony’s grandfather, who happened to be in the top 3 competitive accordion players in the state as a teenager. Their skill level did not match his, but they would use the very same accordion for years to come.

The final track, “This One’s For You (With the Boiz)” is a heartfelt reminder not to get too caught up in the past. Some lines cut deeper than usual, making not so subtle references to their personal relationships and the ones that drove them apart as friends. It would also set a template, solidified on Little Preist Boy, to create the best concoction for presenting their specific brand of eccentric art rock.

Little Preist Boy (Pt. III)
Little Preist Boy opens, once again, with an instrumental interlude that sets a darker tone than the previous two releases. With their newly rejuvenated and excited emotions fading to the background, as they became more comfortable, both with one another and in recording, deeper themes would surface between the laughter.

In congruence with the spoken word segments and background ambience on DEBUTWO, Little Preist Boy follows with “The Night is Young (and He Is Sick)” and “L-Immense”. Some of their catchiest songs to date appear, “Shooting Stars (In My Eyes)”, “In The Den (Little Priest Boy)” and “Save The Beez”, while the skits only became increasingly elaborate and colourful in narrative with “Skit-Ophrenia” adding more characters and plot points.

The cover, while not taken on the same grounds as the previous two, is still a landmark to those who live in the state of Connecticut. Lake Compounce, being one of the few attractions in the state, houses a waterpark, the biggest rollercoasters in the state and for a time free soda throughout the entire park for the entire day... Needless to say, for a group of outsider teens, this made for a great summer hangout. So, in order to commemorate their collective memories, a photo of the Ferris wheel (taken by James) would be set in a Polaroid frame to evoke an even more nostalgic theme, some even say the most iconic of the three.

Finally, “Too Cheesy” closes out the trilogy on, what some would call, an abrupt or anticlimactic note, while others would commend the way it sums up the supposition of their entire career up to that point. It flows down an indeterminate route, bobbing and weaving between dark and heavy subjects riddled with nostalgia, embarrassing memories and negative thoughts. But of course, in their trademark fashion, it all comes out with a wink that lets you know not to worry too much. Ending on a ‘cheesy’ joke, a high note in their eyes, they’d reintroduced themselves in their rejuvenated form for the world to see, leaving them itching for their next release.

Afterglo (June 2017)
In an attempt to capture the spirit of their past work, they sought to write and record their next album in a single day. The release day of their close friend, Violet’s, debut album would turn out to be the ideal time and place. She spent the day finishing recordings and mixing, in preparation for a show to be held in her basement that night. Meanwhile, COMR would spend the majority of the day recording in that same basement. The urgency and creativity are palpable throughout, making it feel as though each song picks up from the last, only omitting someone shouting out which instruments to grab between each song.

Out of every album released post-reformation, Afterglo certainly feels the closest in spirit to their first release, only updated for the time. It utilizes the same lo-fi recording techniques and similar instrumentation, only this time, with more members willing to contribute vocals, making it the album that truly showed the potential of the signature “revolving vocals” technique they’d develop over the following years. Not to mention addition of a small drum kit, muffled to fit their volume capabilities, and a karaoke machine, making for a perfect, homogenous sound that finally brought their earliest aspirations for the band to fruition.

The cohesive sound motivated the idea of a pseudo-concept album, stringing along a few vignettes about moving house, addiction, redemption, change and acceptance. The core of the album consists of the first seven songs (eight, including the original SoundCloud introduction “4 Honey (Honey Lemonade)”) while the last four were all recorded live. Three were done guerilla style, in a Guitar Center, without permission: two in the acoustic section (one being a cover of Rhett & Link’s mail song) and one in the electronic section, while the closing track, “Nemotoad” was recorded in front of their first live audience. They took a prompt from the audience, in true ‘improv’ fashion, even doing some crowd work with fans who’d pitched predictable situations, but in their patented COMR fashion, they ended up at a completely different place than they began, nevertheless culminating in uproarious applause to close out the show and the album.

Afterglo would be the final album released, primarily, through SoundCloud. They felt the pressure of limited free minutes weighing on them and decided, after releasing congruently on both SoundCloud and Bandcamp for their past four projects, to focus exclusively on releasing through Bandcamp. With the band pivoting toward growing their online presence, Fiona took on the task of managing their Bandcamp page, regularly changing the colour scheme and aesthetics to accompany upcoming releases. They felt it aided in their creative process, as well as allowing for a more unique presence and direct communication with fans.

.Siamese. .Suicide. (August 2017)
It would be a fair assessment to classify .Siamese. .Suicide. as their first true ‘studio album.’ Though not recorded in a traditional studio, its conceptual nature and surprisingly consistent sound melded perfectly, creating their darkest, catchiest, and most dynamic work of art yet.

Tinted by the real world sounds of fireworks and distant parties, it captures feelings of missing out and being left behind, something surely on the band’s minds as they all prepared for what might happen after they finally graduated. “.Hey. There.”, “.I. Remember.”, and “.Lesli.” all reference objects of childhood attachment and losing sight of who the people around you are. “.Sometimes. Greg.” and “.Not. A. Lot. Of. Free. Time.” both have a comedic tinge, but still deal with interpersonal relationship problems and, eventually, quietly letting go.

The rest of the track list is made, almost entirely, of instrumentals. Ranging from solo piano interludes to distorted electronic ones. From droning organs on “.Raven"z. Clavv.” and “.Secretary.” to the outro, “.Nevv. .OctobeR.” which bobs up and down in tempo, accentuating the classical acoustic and mandolin’s ability to intertwine and meld with one another.

Arguably the most important segment of the album, “.Pick. Me. Up. {[ I NEED A RIDE]}” was the unexpected introduction and subsequent backstory of someone who would come to consume the back of their minds... He went unnamed for his initial appearance, as their knowledge of him was only beginning to unfold. He wouldn’t let his name be known until after their next release, but they knew he came from New Jersey (information they’d use to their advantage later on). The seed was planted, slowly growing below the surface before they could add water and nurture it to sprout.

Confession & Denial EP (August)
After releasing, what they felt was, their best album, the group released their first EP as COMR. It was something of a ‘mixtape’, compiled of odds and ends from the recording of .Siamese. .Suicide., something that becomes evident on “I Don't No U N-E-More” for its comparable use of obnoxious spelling. “Firecracker” and “Untitled (The Worst Thing)” are less obvious in origin, though they share the same themes and mood.

The remaining tracks are all instrumental: one acoustic, one electronic and one, a two-person piano concerto, aptly named “Piano Concerto #1 (Oh!: Grandpa)” something they’ve yet to return to. The future of COMR may hold untethered potential in classical piano pieces... Time will tell if they get back to it.

After the release, though, it became evident that it would be a while before they got back to anything.

VII: The Second Fall
Following a “long hiatus” (by their standards) they released a defining work of their career... VII: The Second Fall. The album would contain some of their most memorable songs and meaningful lyrics yet. Their plan of action was based on recently acquired methods of recording and arranging songs. They would compile songs, recorded over the six month period between releases, and put out a double album. The Beatles’ self titled White Album would become a main inspiration for the project.

The group would begin to hone their craft while still broadening their genre horizons. “Stuck In The Middle” and “Can’t Stop (Kill the Kids)” would be their first rap songs to include a beat produced entirely electronically. Both were produced and recorded by Fiona in a car while Anthony drove and rapped. The latter of the two stands as one of their most outwardly political songs to date. The song satirically references the “guns for teachers” movement that was a reaction to the epidemic of school shooting. It flips the narrative and posits the question: what if we just gave guns to the kids? Or better yet, simply kill the kids and eliminate the problem all together. Several members voiced concerns over whether or not people would get the satirical stand point, but Fiona and Anthony felt comfortable enough with their ability to express these issues and released it anyway.

Introductory track, “Same Last Name” served as the full time introduction of Fiona’s partner (they showed up briefly on “Skit-Ophrenia” among others in their reintroduction period) who would become a crucial member moving forward, taking the moniker of Lil Preist Boy.

“Bad Ravioli” would begin a long running tradition of “diss-tracks” directed at their close associate, Violet. Though an inside joke at its core, it sprouted from Anthony and Fiona’s love for the prospect of a musical rival. It helped that she had the beginnings of a fanbase and the groups regularly interacted with one another, usually lending a hand at each other’s shows (often held at her house, since they lacked the money to rent out venues). Violet would even briefly attempt an alter ego project, entitled Catfish on my Rolex with her rebuttal, “COMRound” which ended up having more in common with a Car Seat Headrest song than a rap diss track.

Innovation was in the air, it seems, as another new recording technique was applied on “As Far As These Skinny Legs Will Take Us, Parts I & II”, which was the first instance of recording one long take and breaking it up over multiple tracks. Similarly, “I Don’t Even Know What” marks their first foray into house music and dance, something they would sprinkle in throughout the following albums before veering heavily in that direction later on.

Finally, they would divulge the name of the figure whose story first appeared on ''.Siamese. .Suicide.'' “Trip Fisk: A Cautionary Tale” would expound upon his back story, revealing his name to be... Jeffrey Tomlinson. The name Trip Fisk would be lent to the role of Jeffrey’s brother, though it originates from a series of internet videos called “Cautionary Tales of Swords” that they quoted at nauseum.

Content with the final product, but endlessly hungry for their next big venture, the group would look for inspiration. During a brief conversation, Fiona presented James with the title “Suicidal In Wyoming” as something she wanted to incorporate at some point, to which James responded, concisely, with “Missouri Business,” sparking the idea to create “50/50.” Taking inspiration from Sufjan Stevens’ ambitious aspiration of crafting an entire album for each state, they would instead make a series of five albums that would assign a song to every state in the US. They would embark on the colossal undertaking with their next release, “The Only Difference Between US Is Where We Came From (Fifty/Fifty Ch. 1)”

The Only Difference Between US Is Where We Came From (Fifty/Fifty Ch. 1) [May]
In committing to their position as a growing entity of the avantgarde art scene in their home state, they felt a need to improve their image to a more professional one. Silliness and absurdity would not waver, in fact, it would only deepen with their creativity, by releasing exclusively through Bandcamp.

The pre-release period to their upcoming album The Only Difference... would be the band’s first foray into singles, with its first two songs, “(I Need A) New Jersey” and “Destination: Chinatown (New York)” each leading their own EP as promotion. “...New Jersey” would be released first, in correspondence to its tracklist placement, along with two B-sides, “In My Mouth (Everlong Compilation Song)” a collage of parody and interpolation of Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” of course, and “Yellow Bathrobe In the Autumn Heat” which had a similar emphasis on loose acoustic riffs and ai drums (something they began experimenting with during  .Siamese. .Suicide.). “...Chinatown...” though, was the third track behind “American Communion” a dark satire, parodying The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Disarm” through the lens of a heightened, Trump supporting conservative. “The Ballad of Little Dick” would follow, becoming a memorable chant between the members and their colleagues.

The Only Difference... opens strong with the two leading singles, followed by the folk punk-inspired “The 805: Mom; Question. Dad, Mark?” and the dense electronic bubbling of “North Dakota: The Rise” which both take the band deeper into genres they’d only dipped their toes into, up to that point. The advent of Anthony’s Timberwolf synthesizer made “Miss You Again (Michigan)” and “South Dakota: The Fall” follow in North Dakota’s footsteps.

“Gilbert's Song (Mars, Pennsylvania)” and “The 4th of July: Rebecca, the Horsegirl (Kentucky)” would offer some of the catchiest songs and most memorable lyrics of their career. James’ chorus on “Gilbert’s Song”, “I saw a giant fuckin’ robot blowing up Mars/I saw a little man drivin’ a large car/I saw a little dinosaur chicken nugget/on my plate when I asked for a cheeseburger” was something they held in high regard. It reached a level of absurdity that was difficult to capture, since it still maintained a sense of relatability and wholesomeness, organically evolving into a song about the titular, Gottfried, totally unplanned.

“Idahopic, or The Idaho Epic I & II”, offer another instance of the segmented long take songs they’d recently discovered. This, along with displaying their newfound ability to predict one another’s lyrics and melodies would present their tightest album yet. And with only two interludes and one instrumental (“Ow! Ow! Ow!”), the album barrels through the eleven other tracks and, subsequently, 20% of their 50 state target.

Footnote: The cover for “Destination: Chinatown (New York)” facilitated the first use of the “Christlamation Point” (a self explanatory portmanteau of Christ and exclamation point) which would serve as a, logo for them, after in.

The Enemy Of My Enemy IS My Friend (Fifty/Fifty Ch. 2) [May]
As they would inch ever closer to dense concept albums and progressive, genre bending song structures, they would both expand their albums and restrain their instrumentation when possible. Lead single, “Suicidal In Wyoming” is an atmospheric hip/hop ballad about being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bells and whistles scattered throughout add character to the iconic acoustic soundscape and contrast some of the darker themes and tonal choices in the lyrics.

Back to back to back A-sides “The Pee Pee Bandit Song (Arizona)” and “Trappie Robinson: The Water B.A.T.L.” are both wildly different from eachother and the single preceding them. “...Pee Pee Bandit...” is one of their only straight forward rock and roll tracks, taking inspiration from blues stars of the 50’s and early sixties. It’s also an indictment of a local legend, the self proclaimed, Pee Pee Bandit, whose identity was well known to COMR. “Trappie Robinson...” on the other hand is a (you guessed it) trap song illustrating the life of an unsuccessful drug dealer who can barely make ends meet. He both laments his decisions but assertively stands his ground, even when challenged by a urine-drinking fiend in his trap.

If it wasn’t clear from the singles they’d been releasing, they had a strong urge to dig deeper into the rap and hip/hop side of their craft, but moreover, they wanted to experiment. “...Enemy Of My Enemy...” began a tradition, not unlike their long take method, where they would perform extended instrumental jams, break those up and use them as interludes. The first instance would be “Sexy Time in Void Fusion I-IV” which begins with quiet strings and ambient keyboards, morphing into abrasive staccato keyboards and percussion before devolving into a hauntingly stuttered synth piece. “Johnson Bleu or: The Ghost Town of Geranium, Nebraska” is a stand-out when addressing the overwhelming obnoxiae the band can produce, but only for the sake of putting the listener through something in order to deliver an unforgettable experience.

The only songs bordering on parody are “The 40 Year-Old Virginian” which, really, only parodies the name of the property, and “The President of Carrot Flowers (Washington D.C.)” which is more of a straight forward, if a little giggly, cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “The King of Carrot Flowers” (recorded as a test for an idea to cover the entirety of “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”, something they haven’t entirely dismissed)

“Phalse Reality” and “186X” are both wonderful examples of the warped stream of conscious abstractions that make COMR so loveable, while “The Answer (At The Tone)”, “West Virginia: Everything Changed” and “Raptor Island (Hawaii Under Siege)” represent the culmination of years of honing their abilities to create genuinely beautiful swirling melodies and lush arrangements, regardless of what instruments are at their disposal. It’s also proof that they were taking notes on how to end an album properly. The horns, accordion, mandolin and percussion on “Raptor Island...” all propel the crescendo into a climactic outro, climbing and descending through peaks and valleys of sharply strummed guitar and vocals.

The cover, a snapshot of the abandoned shack opposite Fiona’s dad’s apartment, was chosen for the fact that a number of the songs were recorded while sitting on the roof outside Fiona’s bedroom window. It also possesses some qualities of a ‘liminal space’ which is a space that looks extremely familiar to most people, but can’t be pinpointed to an exact location, usually evoking a sense of anxiety, dread and paranoia along with nostalgia.

Busk Till Dawn (Fifty/Fifty Ch. 3) [July]
After so much vivid storytelling and the creation of so many beloved recurring characters, the gang embarked on their first attempt at a front-to-back concept album. They would tell the story of a road trip, embarked on by an alternate D.J. Andchris, supported by busking and hitchhiking across the country.

The so-called “Introlude” and the rest of the instrumental interludes (”Toll Booth Interlude”, “Lost In Vacation” “Passport Intermission” and “Fivestripesonestar Interlude”) all pull the listener in with their unusual sonic choices, leaving them disoriented and stumbling into whichever song is to follow. The goal was to emulate the experience of tagging along beside D.J. Andchris on his hitchhiking journey across the country, destined for the Cabbage Patch Kids convention in Los Angeles. “Welcome! (Blue Shirt Song...)” sets the stage for what’s to come, framing the chorus of blue shirted sirens singing along. A plot point which was inspired by the fact that, besides Shawn, everyone in the band had serendipitously worn matching blue denim shirts, labelling themselves, The Blue Corner Shirt Factory, after the historic accident in New York City.

“On My Way: Minnesota” mentions meeting Trappy Robinson, as part of the story was meant to chronicle many of the characters we’ve met in the past, grounding them in reality by placing them in a real world location. It also introduces some smaller bit parts like Bart, the friendly fellow who gifted Chris with Sour Patch Kids. “4, 3, 2, Wisconsin!” is possibly one of their strangest songs, comprised of rapping over nothing but an asymmetric ukulele and tambourine beat, though it has some of their catchiest melodies.

“0% (Iowa)” (or “Zero Percent” depending on the platform) starts as a spoken word skit, but breaks out into a song about how connected we are to our devices and how, simply turning it off, can open us up to things we’ve forgotten. It also gives context to Chris’ family situation and his life around the events taking place. Both “Hamilton Howard Albert Fish: Maryland” and “Johnnycakes' "Breakfast in Indiana"” are multifaceted southern rock and country inspired ballads that transform as they goes on. Coincidentally, they also both craft tales of serial killers with a silly calling card.

The latter of the two contains the only appearance by James on the album, as he was present for only one session of the three that took place, though much of it was recorded in one day. Interestingly, a faint sound of running water can be heard on several songs. These would be the songs that they recorded, performing to passers by on a local foot bridge.

“WAX.” was the first single released, which was another diss track directed at their rival, Violet, in which they utilized an interpolation of her song, “Elegy”. The B-side to the single was entitled “FREE.” [later subtitled with “(Mississippi Sleeps)”] Recorded by and featuring only Shawn and Anthony, it was a stripped down acoustic ballad remembering a childhood memory. Shawn shines in his first spotlight performance, describing rich visuals and scenery to create a lively picture through which we can decipher his trauma.

The closing track, “Lava Lamps Lit The Path To Your Heart (Kansas is Way Cooler Than U Think Honey, U Just Haven't Been There Yet)” (named in reference to Panic! At the Disco’s “There’s a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven’t Thought of It Yet”) is possibly, their best lyrical work. It puts heartfelt emotion on full display, something they had a hard time expressing, entirely seriously. You may notice the laughter throughout, which comes about as Fiona and Anthony (who wrote and recorded the song alone) would look at one another in shock, baffled by how surprisingly good both the lyrics and the instrumental were shaping up to be. They even interpolated a portion of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” for the bridge of the song, tying together the iconic and earnest song that would go on to be one of their most memorable.

l o v e & l i e s (fifty/fifty ch. 4) [November]
The theme of “l o v e & l i e s” is made clear by the cover of the EP released in preparation for the album. The goal was to create a group of songs, not unlike The Queens of the Stone Age’s “Songs for the Deaf” in which the experience of listening to the album front-to-back would resemble flipping through radio stations on a long drive. The introduction, “brushing the wings with your soft crested hair” would even include the real radio stations that Fiona and Anthony would scroll through while crafting songs on an iPad while parked in a central Connecticut lot. The workflow of this process would prompt a whole new recording style with Fiona producing beats and songs digitally with Anthony freestyling over those in real time. The remaining interludes, “placing my hands upon your beautiful face and saying goodbye”, “i wont tell you that i love you but i will tell you to stay”, “is it worth it ?” and “(im)posture” were all recorded by Fiona alone, which she’d been utilizing more and more as she took the helm as lead composer and art director.

Prior to the release Fiona was becoming increasingly interested in the graphic design side of things and due, in part, to the indecision of choosing the singles for their next album, they decided they would release the aforementioned EP entitled “radio killed the video star ( singles from love & lies )”

The first single, “t h e s p e e d e r s ( m o n t a n a )” would come after the band made a conscious attempt to play together as a full band again. They missed the sound of live acoustic drums so they sprawled their instruments, methodically, across Anthony’s lawn, in order to get the proper sound levels, an ability they improved as time past. The song would be an anthem for everyone who hates reckless drivers. It was aimed at Montana after they realized it needed to pertain to a specific state. They simply researched the state with the worst driving record, at least for that year, and called it a day.

u h s k e e t o ( f l o r i d a )” the second single, is a chamber-dance track that came about from Anthony and Adam playing around with vocal sampling in a large, vacant plaza, which created a wonderfully echoey reverb. It was also an experiment in minimalism, using only one word and a few loops with alternating effects on top.

"m u h s k e e t o ( f l o r i d a )” the second single, is a chamber-dance track that came about from Anthony and Adam playing around with vocal sampling in a large, vacant plaza, which created a wonderfully echoey reverb. It was also an experiment in minimalism, using only one word and a few loops with alternating effects on top.

Third single, “a r k a n s a s s” was yet another foray into character work. They’d been creating so many new and continuing storylines that they felt refreshed by the small vignettes they could create for this album, as they represented an artist on the radio, as opposed to themselves. Anthony also had an abundance of experience with the type of person they were satirizing, that being an extremely reactionary mother (Deborah) who searches for anyone willing to tolerate her shenanigans before ultimately causing a scene and embarrassing herself, in the name of a “just cause”.

“a l a s k a p t. I : a u r o r a b o r e a l i s” came about when Adam, Anthony and Fiona, a common configuration at the time, were discussing the phenomenon of aurora borealis. They equated the name to that of a mythical fantasy princess, as they shared a love of the Lord of the Rings and the Tolkien universe. Anthony especially had a deep connection with fantasy material and, thus, took off running with the intricate lore woven into the fabric of “.. a u r o r a b o r e a l i s”.

As Anthony grew into the position of primary vocalist, so too did his interest and, moreover, the shared interests of him and Fiona take over as a basis for creativity. The two separately developed a passion for food and cooking due, in part, to the fact that they’d recently become vegetarian and developed a necessity for it. After watching years of Gordon Ramsey’s reality shows and now his more candid YouTube videos, not to mention a plethora of other content creating chefs, they put that passion into a song about Gordon Ramsey, himself, rejecting other people’s meals and substituting them for his own cooking, which has apparently been infused with THC.

Much like the emergence of “.... a u r o r a b o r e a l i s” from fantasy, the concept for “a r e a 5 2 ( n e v a d a )” came from a fascination with aliens and science fiction in general. They recognized a gap in their discography, in relation to the topic, and set out to fill it. They took inspiration from all the classic sources: grey skin, beady eyes, crashed ships. But in this case, they went about it, at first, from the perspective of someone who formulates conspiracy theories about extra-terrestrial beings, before pivoting to an explanation of why these things have become so ubiquitous with aliens, in the second half. To make a long story short, they claim the aliens listen to us from their home world, 13 million lightyears away, and watch YouTube react channels in order to gain knowledge of the species. This is, seemingly, why they have such a bad track record with successfully landing and communicating.

The remaining five songs would be the only album exclusives with lyrics. They’d also make for some of their funniest and silliest tracks yet. Anthony takes on the role of a manic chef and owner of an unsuccessful Italian restaurant in “m a n n ‘ s p e s t o” where he forces his customers to participate in his “fiery hot pesto challenge.” Fiona, surprisingly, takes a vocal lead on “a f r i c a b y t o t o ( e a s l e y, s c )” but the unstructured messiness that came with the trio of Fiona and Adam accompanied by the un-trained QP, who would often contribute noise to any track he was featured on. The original plan for “r o z w e l l, n e w m e x i c o” was for it to be the predecessor to “a r e a 5 2” but instead of referencing aliens and space travel, it served as a critique of a different kind of ‘skeptic’. In this case, the silhouette of a “health food enthusiast” would be in the crosshairs, as they mercilessly go after those who read nothing but headlines and clickbait, questioning fluoride in water, sheltering children into having allergies and listening vehemently to the media.

Closing tracks, “c o w f a r m e r ( a l a b a m a )” and “u t a h p i a ( d o g i s d e a d )” were, again, recorded by Fiona and Anthony alone. The first of the two was actually a rerecorded version of a children’s song Fiona had written years before. (In fact, the two had been so tickled by the song that they had broadened the idea from a simple song about a cow farmer to an entire short album about a cursed farm that housed the spirit of a wolfman-pig who would eat the cattle and make sour deals with the farmers.) In this new version, the duo would take a simpler route by explaining the life and times of the titular cow farmer (who ostensibly also saves the lives of anyone who sets foot on his farm, from the stampede ready bovines). The finale of the album goes to “u t a h p i a ( d o g i s d e a d )” which weaves an intricate web of interfamilial ties through its many references to Mormonism and the polyamorous lifestyle they live. It also ties in the family dynamic by discussing divorce and having multiple families to travel between. Anthony, at some point between inception and recording, forgot that it was meant to be about Utah and instead repeatedly sings “West to Idaho” before coming to the realization that he was a few hundred miles North of their original destination and corrected himself towards the end.

Their plan to release five albums in one year, all in relation to their country of origin, was nearly complete, with 80% of their goal reached. However, the gap between releases after “Busk Till Dawn” and the lengthy process of recording left “l o v e & l i e s” to be released in November. The pressure was on to record, at least, an album’s worth of material in just over a month. Luckily, the final sessions for “l o v e & l i e s” were fruitful and produced a handful of songs to be used on the final installment of “FIFTY/FIFTY”

self titled (fifty/fifty: the final chapter) [December]
Released on Christmas, 2018, “self titled...” was created as an overwhelming, indulgent behemoth of a gift, clocking in at 1 hour and 45 minutes... Sufficed to say, it’s not for the impatient. It begins with the appropriately named “a walk in the woods: the introduction” which is the first part of a quadrilogy, braking up one 22 minute long take into “the introduction “the approach”, “the last breath” and “the finale”. The four range in emotion and genre sensibility, with the first being a loud, boisterous cacophony that breaks into a driving beat while the second echoes drawn out patterns that transition into noisy drones. Vocals enter on “the last breath” but remain incoherent as the 8 minute barrage persists before ultimately breaking on “the finale” throughout which it feels as though an exhausted band of demons is trying to conclude a concert. Guitar riffs come and go as a wall of atmosphere remains ever present beneath.

The leading single, “h e l l” was a retooling of some of the ideas on “Raptor Island...” only stripped back to be played by a duo with two acoustic guitars. Its premise is also a vague reference to a line Shawn uttered on “Hey (That’s Not True)” where he claims that McDonald’s only puts seventeen fries in a medium. Both B-sides to the single, “p t. 2, g a l a p a g o s g r a n d m a” and “a p i c n i c i n t h e s e s h e e t s (feat. dj skweeky mann from louisiana)” were added last minute, feeling as though they needed to entice listeners further with an extra sneak peek. That’s not to discount both of their individual strengths, in fact, “p t. 2, g a l a p a g o s g r a n d m a” turned into one of their most remarkable and influential pieces of music, in which they incorporated a medieval tone that would pigment their next release.'

The second release, prior to the completed album, would be the “connection to ur hart: n e w e n g l a n d” EP in which they embarked, once again, on a long-take session, this time for over thirty minutes, breaking it apart into five sections, designating one of the five New England states to each. They made a conscious effort to avoid any and all New England states in lead up to the final chapter, seeing as it held a place of sentimentality between them, with their home state and closest connections originating in New England.

These songs would make up most of the second half of the album, except for both parts of the “Grandma” story (the first of which further incorporates the New England, and specifically Connecticut, storyline by referencing the “Bloomfield Village,” named after Bloomfield, CT, of course.) the odd interlude here and there and the finale.

The first (Connecticut) is a love song, seemingly directed at the state itself, accurately depicting the relationship many have to the place, as the protagonist tries so adamantly to give his passion (and roses) to the recipient of his love, but they lead him on only to refuse his gift.

The second (Rhode Island) begins as a spoken word piece, with Shawn reading a Facebook post criticizing pop music in favor of various hardcore and screamo bands but later sinks into ballad, equating the attention we get online through social media to that of the love of an intimate life partner. Both draw from the same antiquated musical style, leading them to a bardic sound, evoking visuals of troubadours and minstrels tromping across the North Eastern corner of the country.

Part three (Massachusetts) doubles as their third diss track, interpolating the song “Pluto Boy” at first but quickly sculpting it into their own vision, morphing into a rhythmic, beat driven commentary on ego and how some forget those who came up with them and step on those beneath them in order to get further in life.

The fourth, and most in depth song of the six (New Hampshire) takes a circuitous route to get where it’s going, but any more direct and it would be less impressive. It shifts focus between referencing Batman, possibly the Man in the Yellow Hat, from Curious George, and Brad Berry pies, which (in context) are named after the kindly father of an antagonistic Brad, but were likely inspired by the real life twins Moe and Ethan Bradberry, of viral YouTube fame.

Next we’re lead into the penultimate episode of New England (Vermont) which adds a dreary, atmospheric tone it was devoid of before. It quickly becomes a spoken word skit, not unlike “m a n n ‘ s p e s t o”, in which the protagonist tortures and pleads with the lute playing minstrel he’s captured, simply wondering why he stole his family’s baguettes. Of course, food was on their minds after recording for so long, not to mention the ‘seamen’ he glosses over, which would also come into play on their next full length album.

The last installment (Maine) turns, unexpectedly, into a war-drum lead chant illustrating how Jeffrey Tomlinson will defeat various mythical creatures and enemies. From there, a time is spent expressing his love for a seahorse maiden, whom he desperately wanted to marry, which would, ostensibly, lead to Jeffrey taking the throne over the seahorse kingdom. Jeffrey did not rule as a pacifist, though, stating that he would immediately want to go to war with the vicious pigmen who planned an invasion of the kingdom, and more importantly, on his newly acquired castle, later specified to be Castle Craig, a reference to a popular hiking spot in Connecticut. In the act of recording, especially in improvisational work, it’s easy to get carried away with whatever idea or storyline may be paved in real time as the song is built. toward the last third of the song, Anthony felt the need to clarify that Jeffrey was, not only, the hero in this situation but, in fact, a mage whose powers greatly exceeded that of any competitor he’s yet to face, going on to reassure that “the tale of Jeffrey is not over/it has only begun.”

After one last “...walk into the woods” the album, and subsequently, the “FIFTY/FIFTY” series comes to a close with “times of trouble.” the finale of the five part album series, chronicling every US state (and Washington D.C.), would be a subdued solo piano piece. Though it may ramp up in speed after the introductory melody, it falls back into a lush bed of fuzzy warmth from past memories and lends itself perfectly to a well deserved, dignified and sentimental send off to such an ambitious undertaking. The melody is a retooled version of their song “Make Canada Great Again” which serves two purposes: a.) it references an early piece from the beginning of their new form, completing a loop in their discography and b.) it ties in one of their first attempts at a political song, deepening the layer of nostalgia and sentimentality around the memories tied to their state, the country and the world around them at the time it was recorded.

The Well Being (January)
In the time it took to construct “self titled”, a number of the group’s members had recorded a handful of songs, all revolving around a new cast of mystical characters. Growing skill and affection for the product they’d made thus far pushed them further into their newly developed genre of fantasy-narrative driven acoustic prog-rap-rock.

On his quest to find the most delectable pumpkins in the land, the wide-eyed protagonist, Greg, becomes trapped at the bottom of a well after being swept up by a powerful gust of pumpkin patch wind (and potentially cocaine above his tolerance level). Nevertheless, he remains optimistic, claiming to be “doing just fine”, even as he cries for help. Thankfully, though, a kindly wizard, Thalazoo, appears at the mouth of the well, coaching Greg through a perilous fight against a tentacle “Boggaloo” as the water level rises. Greg musters the unbelievable strength needed to defeat the tentacle-monster-demon, though he does not come out unscathed. With Greg having injured his knees, Thalazoo ensures the coming arrival of Clive the Knee-Master, who is said to protect damaged knees. What neither of them knew, was Clive’s true motive.

The arrival of Clive comes packaged in a jaunty mix of Gypsy-punk and reggae, stomping along as Clive explains the methods through which his people seek out and obtain knees and their caps as they are a monotrophic species and, thus, can only consume knees and knee biproducts. He goes on to describe some aspects of his species: the fact that they have teeth inside their eyeballs and skulls that lead to their, so-called, “stomach pupils” and that they work symbiotically with bees to weaken their prey with stings before they feed. Furthermore, Clive reveals one of the best-kept secrets of the COMR-Verse up to this point... The Dimensional Rift.

As Clive begins to consume Greg’s knees, he repeatedly chants phrases about chiving up knees, how much time he has for the knees, asking for someone to hunt knees with, even begging for the experience not to end. However, the most important chants come when Clive claims to have originated from somewhere called, “Dimension 83”. The consequences of this would ripple throughout their career to come and everything preceding it. This would explain the multitude of characters from vastly different backgrounds sharing the same voices. The same goes for the repeated use of numbers like 47, 24, 5,000, etc. and many of the parallel lines drawn between various characters’ backstories and life experiences. Some even approach and confront their inter-dimensional equivalents on their shenanigous escapades later on.

Needless to say, the revelation of this dimensional rift and the ability to travel between any number of realities changed the mindset of the group permanently. Not only would it change their perspectives going forward, but it would also answer deep seeded questions and validate theories that were years in the making.

The outcome of Greg would be left ambiguous, however, this would imply that the return of Clive the Knee-Master was eminent, leaving fans to speculate the next move and whether or not it would be the continuation of this on-going saga.

From a Castle In the Clouds! (June)
From a Castle In the Clouds! would serve as the implementation of everything the group learned on FIFTY/FIFTY. It was also the distillation of, what they saw to be, the best aspects of the series, incorporating many of the arrangement and sonic ideas used on Busk Till Dawn (not to mention the conceptual element), production techniques and beat sensibilities developed on l o v e & l i e s, gang vocals and group recordings inspired by The Only Difference... and The Enemy Of My Enemy..., and the darker tone and cavernous reverb from self titled. They even went as far as repurposing the image in the window on the cover of self titled for the release. The project entered the cannon as their second attempt at a front-to-back concept album. Although it’s certainly inspired by Busk Till Dawn, ...Castle In the Clouds! distinguishes itself from the very beginning, being the first time they’d ever laid out story elements ahead of time, as opposed to the balls-to-the-wall improv mindset that coated deepest grooves of the former.

The album continues the parable established on The Well Being, though the focus is shifted to an unfamiliar being... A Prince named Martin The first sign of Martin comes on introduction and title track. The sound of an air organ commences the album while acoustic guitars and glockenspiel act as frosting and sprinkles to the dark and rich drones that ring throughout. We’re told of a recent attempt on the Princes life (by a narrator who may or may not be Thalazoo). The poisoning provokes Martin’s descension, due to his immunity to poison, which he gained through an abundance of an antidote he acquired from Costco. By the end of the introduction, Martin begins his decent on Earth, riding his so-called Flying Fluffy SeaHorse-Elephant-Dog-Giraffe.

Where the title track explains the Prince’s motive, the second track, “Matin’s Theme,” expounds upon him as a person. Some of his passions include cliff diving (fitting for the Prince of the Clouds), shop lifting, singing and the occasional sex-capade with whomever may be willing, though he had an affinity for the sibling (particularly brothers) of his adversaries. At one point, it’s expressed that he’s, at least partly motivated by the prospect of ‘slapping the ass of the Queen’ (presumably Aurora, of “a l a s k a p t . I”) and this is one of the more pressing matters for D.J. Andchris, as respect for the queen is of the utmost importance, especially in his domain. Until Martin’s arrival, though, Crochdeck and Andchris wait as he traverses the ocean on his way from his castle, centered above the Pacific ocean. “Confrontation,” though, documents the moment that DJ Sizzle-Fishman breaks the news of Martin’s arrival, to which Andchris reacts with an outburst, powered by rage, fear and concern for their subjects.

“Banished to Hell: Clive & Martin Unite” acts as the source for much of the exposition, divulging details of Clive the Knee-Master’s divorce from his horse maiden and the health defects of his children. It also acts as the denouement of the previous EP, The Well Being, tying together strings from months before and solidifying a cannon lore, spanning their entire discography. Picking up immediately as the EP ends and after the reintroduction of Clive, we’re met with the debut of his cohort, Eddie the Elbow-Master. The two are, purportedly, derived from the left arm and leg of the mage Talazoo after they were severed in a trade with Satan, in exchange for his magical powers. The two are in a limbo state, recruited as enslaved henchmen for Satan, though they still remain in contact with Thalazoo, as he is permanently locked into a contract with Satan, forcing them into the odd evil quest on his behalf, though Thalazoo and his Armed & Legged Guards remain neutral. Clive begins gathering all the cattle he can find in the agrarian outpost, building their defensive front in preparation for the approaching battle. Even when faced with Thalazoo and his guards, though, Martin emerges riding a cow with dragon wings, exploiting its fire breathing abilities to destroy the entire village surrounding the pumpkin patch that Greg first became trapped in, reducing it to embers in minutes. It is here that Martin is referred to as “an angel of dragon lord clouds” which is the first time that the theory of Martin being an ethereal being (or even another dimensional being, the likes of Thalazoo, Clive and Eddie) is given credence. It was also almost certainly the moment that impressed Clive, convincing him to about-face and reveal himself as the double agent we had become. Unfortunately, the team is unable to salvage the carnage caused by Martin, regardless of their efforts, magical or otherwise. Luckily, through their efforts they find that the village was all but a clever ruse, created in an alliance between Satan and Martin, and was intended to lure our heroes to their premature fate. And with Martin now en route for the Castle of COMR Kingdom, the crew regroups before they’re met with their new allies, who’ve been reduced to just Thalazoo, Eddie and what’s left of Greg.

Next comes “Buddha Shot It Up!”: an energetic and disorienting cacophony of folk rock that uses an interpolation of Nirvana’s “Very Ape” to invoke a sense of overwhelming anxiety and urgency, the likes of which would’ve been felt by the COMR clan in the suspenseful time between the attack and their next tactical defense plan. They sit methodically plotting in silence, waiting until, to their great surprise, emerges an unsung hero and colleague of the team... Buddha! Their connection goes as far back as Little Preist Boy with “Skit-Ophrenia.” Even back then he gave off the air of a ruthless gangster, willing to go to any lengths... especially murder. Once summoned, Buddha arrives with a formidable arsenal, ready to decimate legions of the opposing troops. They even goes as far as relating his body count to ‘shooting up the mall/shooting up your dining hall’ and claim that “no one survived.”

“The Motion of the Ocean of Lotion” unravels an unsettling, off kilter atmosphere that cloaks the introduction until it slowly emerges from the darkness, creating a silly and bouncy tone to carry us through. The instrumentation evokes memories of the classic COMR recordings with its mistuned strings and percussion relying on the body of a guitar. Another addition to the group was made in the process of recording, taking the form of their longtime friend and musical collaborator, Nate Porter, who at the time, was a full time member of Shawn’s own band and brain child, Night Crew, which garnered a new level of acclaim among the local music scene. The song flows on as an absurdist stream-of-consciousness depiction of what sounds to be a crude approximation of Edgar Allan Poe writings, describing typical tasks and objects around a house and buildings a warped, Seussian image of where this might take place. Before long, though, it transitions into a rhythmic jam about aliens (which may be hinting at a bigger picture, claiming the being “has a hand to play in all of the world crises”), astrology and fair skinned bears. It gets back on track once James chimes in with a somewhat stilted verse (possibly from the perspective of the extra terrestrial being mentioned previously) about his lack of race or colour and clarifying that he is, in fact, “the colour of the light.” Anthony’s verse acts as an anchor, bringing us back to reality and commenting on some thoughts crossing their mind at the time. He contemplates aspects of the social climate at the time, referencing James’ verse and, even himself, questioning the content and whether or not some might find it offensive, but ultimately coming to the conclusion that, within certain boundaries, it’s okay for some people to be offended by or averse to their music and its contents as long as they know their beliefs and the lines they’re not willing to cross, which smoothly into the following verses. James takes another stab and strikes a chord when he criticizes Joe Rogan’s rising popularity and the arrogant misogyny and blatant ignorance he projects onto his audience. We’re then lead on a tangent about rubbing lotion on his bald head and finally to a complete non-sequitur about oceans of lotion. It’s all tied together with the final verse when Fiona refers to the Black Sea in Israel as “an ocean of lotion” as many tourists and spiritualists seek it out for the benefits it provides for skin, however (in congruence with the theme) James chimes in, implying that she should have instead said, Palestine, which Anthony rebukes, only on the principle of not delving into it and extending the song further. The song then ends with a brief refrain about where the ocean of lotion flows before being abruptly ended, leading into the next track, “Oh, You’re Tori (Fries In the Dryer)”.

Greeted by yipping and trilling over rhythmic Latin plucks, it’s hard to imagine a any listener without a smile on their face by the 10 second mark. While the tone may be silly, the beat provides a dark and brooding atmosphere to act as a realistic backdrop to the nonsense being presented. In contrast to the intense battles between Sir Andchris and Prince Martin, it serves as a more light-hearted cypher between friends with less at stake. The experience of travelling in a convoy full of your closest friends and colleagues is captured in startling detail. The unmistakable sounds of holding back laughter as everyone tries to make one another break lends it an endearing realism, only adding depth to the visual of this great group of powerful friends travelling from fatal battle to death defying battle, with only eachother to lighten the mood and give them some sense of hope.

The second half of the album is where the priority of music, lyrics and storyline converge, stripping everything back to the bare minimum, concentrating all of their effort and skill into songs that would define the era for COMR. “Yellow Reign” is a simple transition from from the first half of the album, but it allows insight to their future output, being one of the first entirely digital tracks in their discography, even morphing and devolving into the wall of noise they would lean into in the coming years.

“The Rage of Prince Martin” is one of the most intimidating and atmospheric entries in their portfolio. Martin begins by challenging Sir Andchris to a “rap fit,” presumably the renaissance term for a rap battle. It’s, by far, the most confrontational of all the tracks with D.J. Andchris dishing out insults and critiques of Martin’s strategies, relationships, even his rhyme schemes. Martin seems unenthused. He claims the land is already in his possession and swiftly calls upon his sharks. Andchris describes the horrifying image of an army of sharks descending over the horizon with a palpable fear in his voice. After Sir Andchris reevaluates his plan and opens their shark defense measures, he notices that the sharks are being ridden by sword wielding Gnomes. DJ Andchris lobs the unforgettably clever line, “Prince Martin can’t even rap, but he has to wrap, up his men in body bags...” a line that perfectly encapsulates the climax of the album. Alas, even after Andchris and Crochdeck’s soldiers decimated Martin’s infantries, their reinforcements were simply too much for the small kingdom to defeat. But, as the crew has always shown, surrender is not in their vocabulary. The epic climax concludes with a statement from Crochdeck... “they may have won the battle, but he has not won the war, that he'd be back again he swore” followed by Andchris’ final words, “We must travel to the Land of the Dungeon,” which is in reference to one of their earliest creations/collaborators/allies Dank A$$ Terry who, of course, originated from and brought attention to the Land of the Dungeon.

“When the Little Lies Are Told (and the Big Guy Falls)” and its successor, “Hope: Farewell and Goodbirthday” are the magnum opus of both, the album they originate from, but moreover, the original form of COMR. The two are the distilled essence of what the group had always strove to produce. The former represents their propensity for interpolation, covers and parody by using, arguably, the most overused chord progression in popular music as a base, topped with an uncharacteristically simple melody and, of course, a call back to Reenhoom’s verse on “The Motion of the Ocean of Lotion.” Much of the song is spent describing the personal attributes and wishes of the narrator, ostensibly, Clive (although there is a chance it’s Greg from The Well Being). Throughout, the narrator explains his aim in finding a partner where he claims, “I’m not straight, I’m not gay, I’m just looking for a mate,” which counts as the introduction of the first, canon, pansexual character in the COMRverse. The first verse ends with him clarifying that Martin is, in fact, the one he’s interested in. They make references to Martin living in the sky and claim to be looking for nothing more than ‘a friend,’ ‘a guy’ or even just ‘a life,’ but the irony of this claim followed, immediately, by the double entendre present in verse three: “his name's Martin and he goes out/and he goes in to his house/he gets up, he goes down” is not lost. It’s at this moment that the song switches from an alt-rock acoustic ballad to a progressive anthem using lyrics from Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools” with D.J. Sizzle-Fishman even adding an interpolation of Bush’s “Glycerine.” The latter, though, is much more boisterous and silly in nature with its South Western blues rock chord progression. The unforgettable lyricism on the track cannot be overstated. Both Andchris and Reenhoom dish out some of the best punchlines, similes and references of their entire careers. To start, the narrator gives an impassioned verse reflecting on his childhood and the decisions that lead them to their current situation.