Behind The Song #1: The Great Unknown (Patreon)

Hey Patrons! 

Here’s the first of my behind-the-song blogs for you! I hope you enjoy it and please let me know which other MOS songs you’d like to see me do this for or if you have any feedback on it.

OVERVIEW

When I write songs inspired by games or other things my main goal is, as cliched as it sounds, to capture a feeling. It could be a mood, an aesthetic, an emotion, a particular energy or attitude that I experienced while playing & watching. It can also be a mix of them all. Sometimes the moods I feel from games or try to express in songs is different to the ones my audience feels, which is always interesting. The beauty of art is how we all feel it & interpret it in different ways. 

The overwhelming feeling I got from Mass Effect: Andromeda was a bittersweet mix of nostalgia and hopeful, explorative adventure. The verses are a nostalgic nod to the classic, OG trilogy while the choruses and chant-like hooks are meant to feel more shiny, futuristic & uplifting. The mid section then ties these two moods together. 

MUSIC

To get that classic Mass Effect feel for the verses I used the same retro-style synth arpeggios I have used in previous ME songs. The mid section then takes the nostalgia factor a step further with a direct musical callback to Crucible (one of my ME3 songs). The Sam Hulick-style piano riff & big melody there are both taken from that song. I love re-using motifs in certain ‘sequel’ songs, it makes them feel connected, like family. The technique is partially inspired by Nine Inch Nails’ habit of doing the same thing and by how movies will re-use main themes in different ways to toy with the emotions. Familiar but new. I often feel nostalgic while singing parts like that, due to the melody being in my head for so long from a previous song! 

The choruses are, in contrast, bright and loud. Modern synths and buzzing, overdriven guitars fill up the mix. I wanted it to feel bold, energetic and exciting with a strong forward momentum – emphasised by the rhythmical shift into flowing double time for certain sections such as the piano riff after the first chorus or the ‘Look up the new sunrise’ climactic end section.

LYRICS

Lyrically, this one is all about the feeling of moving somewhere new. It’s about missing the things you know and love while being excited and eager to see what the future will hold. It’s something many of us have felt at some point of our lives after moving house, moving to a new city or country or just starting a new chapter in our lives. I try to give most of my songs a basic, relatable human sentiment behind them like this. It means someone who has never played the game can still feel some emotion & pleasure from the words.

The rhyme scheme & line structure in the verses is quite odd and screwy but I kinda like it. It’s fun to deviate from 1-2 rhymes every now and again, gives the ears something fresh to be surprised by. The slower, longer notes in the choruses were meant to feel epic and grand in contrast.

Some of you noticed how the line ‘We’re carried ever onward’ changes to ‘We carry ever onward’ in the final refrain – this is to signify Ryder and the Initiative coming into their own, becoming independent and facing the future on their own terms. The mid section also contains a sneaky fourth wall break in the line: 

‘Painful ends and broken hearts

Left behind for a new start’

I think many Mass Effect fans will relate to this sentiment, haha. 

THOUGHTS

My personal favorite part of the song is just before the end:

‘Step outside and breathe the air

Look up to the new sunrise

We are home’

It’s not particularly clever or artful lyrically but I really like the feeling that part gives me. I find the musical climax & hopeful emotional sentiment there really uplifting  to listen to.

The response to this one was super positive and made me very happy. Following up my previous ME songs was never going to be easy so it was a relief that you guys liked it as much as I do. It’s probably my favorite MOS song since ‘The Natural Heart’. Making something that I want to listen to myself has always been my primary motivation for creating music so this one was a pleasure to do, it’s just... my kinda song! Ha. 

Did you guys have the same experiences & feelings from the song? If not, what was different? What moods did it convey to you, if any? 

Let me know what you thought of this post and do let me know if there is anything you’d like me to go into in more detail with next time. I tried to keep the nerdy sound engineer jargon to a minimum but I can always do a bit more on that side in future if people want it. Also, make sure to let me know in the comments if there are any other songs you’d like me to do one of these posts about. 

Have an awesome day! 

Big luv

Gav