1st Song Music presents the 2025 February Indie & Alternative music playlist. Hope You All Enjoy It!

1st Song Music - Indie & Alternative | February 2025

House On The Hill (Short Stories III) Full Album

Brandon's music

Lyrics: 
How did things turn out to be this way
Made mistakes when I was half my age 
Things I treasured just lead me astray 
Aways it goes, you told me so 

Am I really who I thought I’d be 
No one close, but no real enemies 
Stand alone and view it from beneath 
Aways it goes, you told me so 

Day and night 
One and the same 
Out of sight 
Losing your way 

Look at your life
Nothings on track
Nothings alright 
Nothing like that 
Never gonna get there when you’re slowing me down 

Thorn in my side 
Changing my life 
Unattainable but dreaming is nice

Friends and lovers I can see them all 
Close my eyes and watch them start to fall
Back to the first time when I heard you call 
Aways it goes, you told me so 

Am I lonely or am I free 
Friday night with no real place to be 
Surely someone’s looking out for me 
Aways it goes, she told me so

Day and night 
One and the same 
Out of sight 
Losing your way 

Look at your life
Nothings on track
Nothings alright 
Nothing like that 
Never gonna get there when you’re slowing me down 

Day and night 
One and the same 
Out of sight 
Losing your way 

Look at your life
Nothings on track
Nothings alright 
Nothing like that 
Never gonna get there when you’re slowing me down

Written by Nature TV
Recorded by Solo Major at 17b Studios
Mastered by Ed Woods
Released by Heist or Hit

Nature TV is Guy Bangham, Josh Eriskin, James Hunt.
Drums by Zal Jones, recorded at Rubix.

Artwork by Andrew Torr (https://andrewtorr.com)

Aways It Goes

Eternal EP

Love Is All Pain

First track for February Album Writing Month 2025! Last year I decided to make a trilogy of albums, and this is the first track off the final album in that project. 

This is a sequel of sorts to a track off of the first album Memory Ln., the other track called "waves // deeper". I'll be ideally posting new tracks every other day or so until the end of February, aaaand then I can be done with the Short Stories Trilogy. 

This particular project is about loss and grief, which is either perfect for February, or the worst idea ever. Hope you enjoy this album opener!

Here is also the sister track from the previous album:
https://soundcloud.com/brandon-brooks-746737217/waves-deeper

Lyrics:

Verse:
Here come the waves
Pulling us deeper,
Out from the shore
And into abyss.

The rest of our days
Dancing in darkness
With phantom limb.
(Days Darker)

No one will say
It ever gets easy.
You learn to move on
With a hole in your life.

It never lets go,
It just gets familiar,
Like bumps in the night.

Pre-Chorus:
For all the walls that we built
And calls we ignored,
Conversations we could have had
That we can't anymore,

We're the effect and the cause
Of the sickness and the cure,
So what is this for?

Chorus:
These are the nights that I remember
In late December
When I'm stuck in my head.

(Deeper than the waves that pulled me down)

I know these thoughts are gonna kill me,
The way they fill me,
With a deep, dark dread.

(Darker than the days underground)

days \\ darker

Yesterday was International Ukulele Day, and while I'm not even close to be a decent player, I decided to throw this song into the ring for my 2nd piece of FAWM output. I wanted a more upbeat/simple track after an intense and emotional opener, so this is a more Sad Singalong vibe than just a Suffer On The Floor one. 

Hope you enjoy!

Lyrics:

Verse 1:
Gather round by the fire,
Where revelry breathes
On the outside,

With or without
The need to know
Where you belong.

Stay the course 
When the Hookman
Bleeds you bone dry
With a dull knife,

And the Hag in the pines
Puts a hex on your life,
Which won't be long.

Pre-Chorus 1:
Hey now,

Even on my back, I'm beggin',
"Leave me to the leaves and fallen snow",
And if I never learn,
I'll never know.

Chorus:
If this was a Folktale,
I'd run to the 
Crossroads
For the

Man in the suit,
And the tie,
With the horns
And the forked tail.

What I'd give
For an easy way out,
But it's a long way down,

Before my flaws and imperfections,
Doubts and inhibitions,
Convince me to believe
That I need a superstition

Now
Just to face
All the loss I found.

If this was a Folktale.

Verse 2:
I'll be swallowed by the cold,
As Nature surely sheds
All Her colors,

And I claw and I crawl
To feel that warm
Camaraderie.

Jamais vu, like a wraith,
I'll be haunted by the haze
Of the summer,

Where the Skinwalker sleeps,
And the shapes in the trees,
Are buried Under The Wildflowers
With me.

Pre-Chorus 2:
Fade out.

This way to the egress, darling,
After all this façade can't last for long.
But if I never know,
I will never be wrong.
 
If this was a Folktale,
I'd run to the 
Crossroads
For the

Man in the suit,
And the tie,
With the horns
And the forked tail.

What I'd give
For an easy way out,
But it's a long way down,

Before my flaws and imperfections,
Doubts and inhibitions,
Convince me to believe
That I need a superstition

Now
Just to face
All the loss I found.

Bridge:
If this was a Folktale

I would learn how to right my wrongs,
I would write her a perfect love song,
Take the pieces of our hearts
And tie 'em all up in a pretty bow.

If this was a Folktale,

There'd be a story that starts, and then it ends,
There'd be a moral and a purpose and a bookend,
To remind us of the place where we came from
On Memory Ln.

If this was a Folktale,

I would hammer all the nails
With the same aplomb
And the same four chords,
Over and over and over and over again.

If this was a Folktale,
I'd run to the 
Crossroads
For the

Man in the suit,
And the tie,
With the horns
And the forked tail.

What I'd give
For an easy way out,
But it's a long way down,

Before my flaws and imperfections,
Doubts and inhibitions,
Convince me to believe
That I need a superstition

Now
Just to face
All the loss I found.

Folktale

3rd track for FAWM '25. In preparation for the final part of this trilogy of sadboi albums I wanted to at some point honor a place close to my heart that made me who I am. This is a love letter to an old house and all the memories I made there. 

Lyrics:
Standing
On the shoulders of giants;
Those who cobbled the stone,
And molded the bend of the road.

Waiting,
For something to shape me,
Like the paths down the ridge
That we made in the fresh fallen snow.

Pre-Chorus 1:
I won't ever forget
The life that you gave me.
I won't ever forget...

Chorus:
I grew up in the House On The Hill,
Tumbling head over heart into daydreams,
Fingers frozen and cheeks cherry red.
We all thought that those days, they never would end.

I fogged up the mirror,
Drawing outlines of figures and faces,
Knowing well it's the one thing I fear;
Reflections of things that used to be here.

Verse 2:
I was wading
Through oceans of pictures and memories
Of such simpler and easier times
Before I got all wrapped up in The Rest Of My Life.

I'm not saying
That I'd rather be there than in The Now,
I'm just lamenting the loss of a house 
That was Home for a couple of lifetimes.

Pre-C 2:
No, I won't ever forget
The times that you saved me.
I won't ever forget...

I grew up in the House On The Hill,
Tumbling head over heart into daydreams,
Fingers frozen and cheeks cherry red.
We all thought that those days, they never would end.

I fogged up the mirror,
Drawing outlines of figures and faces,
Knowing well it's the one thing I fear;
Reflections of things that used to be here.

Outro:
I got in the car at a quarter past 10,
And took The Quiet Drive Back,
And I never thought that I'd never
Go back there again.

Every day all the things in your life
Get closer and closer
To the day where you'll have them
For the last time.

We will know
When the stars
Have their fill.

I will meet you
In the House
On The Hill...

I'll meet you in the
House On The Hill.
I love you then and 
I always will

I will meet you in the
House On The Hill
I will meet you in the
House On The Hill

House On The Hill

Download / Stream:
https://antent.lnk.to/goingback

PRE-SAVE THE FULL ALBUM:
antent.lnk.to/Healing

Follow me:
@antent
open.spotify.com/artist/6ovctVkv7d2fBdilDRYfDW
instagram.com/antentofficial/
youtube.com/user/AntentMusic
vk.com/antentmusic

released by @dreamscapeyt

going back

4th FAWM track for '25, and in a project about grief and loss, an important one to me. This song is dedicated to my wonderful niece, who's been through more than most ever will. 

Love you sweetie. You deserve a song.

Lyrics:

Verse 1:
You were barely in the world,
Before the world fell apart,
And though the feeble and the foolish
Gave you quite the head start,

You were raised around a sickness,
So in the back of our minds
It was a matter of time.

I wonder what you will remember;
Your grandfather on the couch.
Your mother pacing in the bedroom.
Hiding by the heater in the old house.

Your daddy with your dog,
Who bit me and left a scar
On the day that you were born.

Pre-Chorus 1:
It seems so hard to know,
But when all is said and done,
We are the ones to show you
Where you come from.

Chorus:
Your mama danced the night away
With you cradled in her arms.
You will always be her baby,
And she will always be your mom.

Yeah, I think you oughtta know,
So I put it in a song,
You were just a little girl,
You were never in the wrong.

She's in everything you do,
Through the darkest of your days,
And you know that you can keep her
Like a picture in a frame.

Take her out when it's not easy,
For as long as you will live
You deserve to have a life.
You deserve to be a kid.

Verse 2:
Your grandmother and your auntie,
They're doing all they can
To keep filling you with love,
And I hope you understand

That all the anger and confusion
The sadness in your heart,
It don't change who you are.

You're stronger than you know,
And you're way funnier than me.
I hated moving out on you,
But we're where we gotta be.

I hold onto every message
That we recorded on the phone,
It reminds me of home.

Pre-C 2:
It seems so hard to breathe,
But when we're closer to the end,
You'll be the one who carries all that we left.

Your mama danced the night away
With you cradled in her arms.
You will always be her baby,
And she will always be your mom.

Yeah, I think you oughtta know,
So I put it in a song,
You were just a little girl,
You were never in the wrong.

She's in everything you do,
Through the darkest of your days,
And you know that you can keep her
Like a picture in a frame.

Take her out when it's not easy,
For as long as you will live
You deserve to have a life.
You deserve to be a kid.

Your Mama Danced The Night Away

5th track for FAWM '25 and a little breather after a handful of emotional songs. 

Winter's Breath

Psychological Underpinnings of Habitual Behaviour - HowLe 2025
Credits:
Written by HowLe
Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Mixing and Mastering by HowLe
Engineered by Jamie McCallum and 3gain

Autumn, I'm sorry

A powerful alternative rock anthem filled with resilience and raw emotion. "Paper Planes" tells the story of pushing forward against all odds, soaring through the storms with nothing but determination. With gritty male vocals and deep, resonant tones, the song captures the struggle of holding onto dreams in a world that tries to break them. Uplifting yet haunting, it blends evocative lyrics with a driving melody, creating an unforgettable soundscape that lingers long after the final note. A song for those who refuse to be grounded.

Lyrics:
The world’s on fire, but I’m folding dreams
Paper planes in a sky that’s tearing at the seams
They said give it up, it’s a losing fight
But I’m sending my hopes into the night

The wind’s against me, but I’m holding tight
A fragile heart in a world so bright
I’ve got scars on my hands, but I’m not done
I’ll keep throwing planes till I find the sun

Oh, they said I’d fall, said I’d break
But I’m still here, and I’m wide awake
Every tear, every pain, every silent scream
Is fuel for the fire of a bigger dream

Paper planes in a hurricane
Fragile wings in the pouring rain
They said I’d crash, said I’d fade away
But I’m still flying, I’m here to stay
Paper planes in a broken sky
I’m not afraid, I’m learning to fly
They can’t ground me, I’m breaking free
Watch my paper planes soar endlessly

I see the cracks in the world outside
But I’m building castles where the dreams collide
They laugh and they point, say I’m wasting time
But I’m chasing a light they’ll never find

The weight of the world’s on my shoulders now
But I’m stronger than I seem, I’ll show them how
I’ll fold my fears into something new
A paper plane with a sky to break through

Oh, they said I’d fall, said I’d break
But I’m still here, and I’m wide awake
Every tear, every pain, every silent scream
Is fuel for the fire of a bigger dream

Paper planes in a hurricane
Fragile wings in the pouring rain
They said I’d crash, said I’d fade away
But I’m still flying, I’m here to stay
Paper planes in a broken sky
I’m not afraid, I’m learning to fly
They can’t ground me, I’m breaking free
Watch my paper planes soar endlessly

And if the wind takes me, I’ll rise again
A thousand paper planes, I’ll never bend
The world can shake, it can scream, it can roar
But I’ll keep flying, I’ll find something more

Paper planes in a hurricane
Fragile wings in the pouring rain
They said I’d crash, said I’d fade away
But I’m still flying, I’m here to stay
Paper planes in a broken sky
I’m not afraid, I’m learning to fly
They can’t ground me, I’m breaking free
Watch my paper planes soar endlessly

Paper planes, they’ll never fade
I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid
Paper planes, they’ll never fade
I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid

Paper Planes

2nd last FAWM track for '25, a song about running in circles and history repeating. I liked to think of this whole project as a big loop, full of references and callbacks and forwards, so as I wrapped up this thing it felt natural to make a song like this. Short, but (bitter)sweet, and maybe a wee bit political.

This has its Sister Track in a song from Memory Ln. called Cynical Kids:
https://soundcloud.com/brandon-brooks-746737217/cynical-kids

As well as referencing the "over and over" bit from the 2nd track on the same album as this, Folktale: https://soundcloud.com/brandon-brooks-746737217/folktale

Lyrics:

Like a broken record, baby,
I'm in a rhythm with the doldrums.
I found a way to take the same sad song
And sing it
Over and over and
Over and over.

Verse 1:
We sure as shit were never taught
How to shed our skin,
Fed lies in 
Novacaine and Sudafed.

Late bloomers to 
A world that already is
And always has been.

Forever bonded to
Potential beyond our reach,
Locking us down
With imposter syndrome in our heads.

Melatonin in the muscle
Beneath our skin,
Or something like it.

Pre-Chorus 1:
I never wanna repeat myself
But I gotta say...
Over again....
Like a broken record, baby.

Verse 2:
Commit to something that is
Bigger than just yourself,
But nothing bigger than the
Powers that wannabe.

Convince yourself that 
Things are better when they're unseen,
If they're unsightly.

Repeat the mantra that's
Been given since the fire was lit,
"Swallow the tail and
Follow who you're following",

Or open up and see
The world for what it is,
When it's burning brightly.

Pre-C 2:
I never wanna repeat myself,
But I gotta say;
These are the nights,
But those were the days...

Chorus:
Like a broken record, baby,
I'm in a rhythm with the doldrums.
I found a way to take the same sad song
And sing it
Over and over and
Over and over.

Like a broken record, baby,
I'm in a rhythm with a doldrums.

Ouroboros

Final track of FAWM '25, and the final track of the Short Stories Trilogy.

Lyrics:
I've been taught well,
Time and time again,
To keep my distance.

The door will close,
But somewhere out there
Another opens.

Whatever it seems to be,
This moment is just a piece
Of a longer story,

So it may hurt to hear,
But I don't know you,
And you don't know me.

I often hide between
The liner notes and poetry
Where no one can find me.

So, as the curtain calls,
If you can see this,
Thank you kindly.

We're a minute or two away
From the end of everything,
These Short Stories,

So I'll confess,
I don't want this to end.
I wish you could know me.

The moral of the story.
The sum of all the parts.
The pieces of the whole
Are waiting in the dark.

Put it altogether
It feels like it belongs,
But you know it's not the same,
And you know it never was.

All I see
Are empty streets.
I'll tell you what
I Believe....

track 50

Singer/songwriter from Canada. I have a few other pages (some I lost access to), but this one is for my main projects. I make no presumptions with genres, so I'll go with "Indie Rock Artist", which, yeah, is the most indie thing you can say. Music is Life, Happiness, Creativity, yada yada yada. Can't live without it. Hope you at least mildly enjoy what I love making!

Ouroboros

Brandon Brooks