Our rendition of Amy Winehouse's "He Can Only Hold Her"
Performed by Deer Fellow
Self-produced & recorded by Matt Salois
Mixed & mastered by Erik Wofford
Written & composed by Amy Winehouse, Charlie Harper, John Alexander Harrison, Richard Poindexter, Robert Poindexter

He Can Only Hold Her

Set to guitar, violin, piano, bass, and tambourine, "For My Sake" is a romantic duet with playful back-and-forth vocals, intricate harmonies, and intriguing chord progressions.

- Recorded, mixed, and mastered by grammy-winning Erik Wofford
- Self-produced by Matt Salois of Deer Fellow

Lyrics:
"I saw you cross the dance floor
My heart beat through my chest
I wish I had walked over to compliment your dress
I can’t handle this yearning, this I must confess
You’re running through my mind always
For my sake take a rest

Baby I’m hoping for your touch
Maybe I’m dreaming far too much
I've got this feeling I can’t define
I've got this image in my mind
Of running my fingers down your spine

I’d give you all my hours, I’d give you all my days
What is mine is ours, just look my way
I’m sitting, waiting, wishing you would come around
You’re running through my mind always
For my sake please slow down

Baby I’m hoping for your touch
Maybe I’m dreaming far too much
I've got this feeling I can’t define
I've got this image in my mind
Of running my fingers down your spine

Baby I’m hoping
Maybe I’m dreaming
I've got this feeling again"

For My Sake

Our rendition of "Someone to Watch Over Me"
Self-produced & performed by Deer Fellow
Recorded, mixed, & mastered by Erik Wofford
Written & composed by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin

Someone To Watch Over Me

Inspired by the video game of the same name, ‘Unravel’ is a song about confronting anxiety and working together to tackle mental obstacles. Driven by a mix of folk and bedroom pop stylings, the lyrics dive into the fear of overwhelm and the importance of vulnerability. Opening up to someone else might be the fix you need, not only to mend your own troubles but theirs as well. Set to layered guitars and bursts of violin, the track embodies the phrase "it's okay to not be okay," especially considering there are so many others in the same boat.

- Self-produced and performed by Deer Fellow
- Written by Matt Salois of Deer Fellow
- Recorded, mixed, and mastered by grammy-winning Erik Wofford

Lyrics:
"Every single day you feel your nerves a-creeping
They’re on the way, you’d rather be day dreaming
Wouldn’t that be nice but when you’re self-aware you can’t, you’re antsy
Every single night, looking for a reason
Not to run and hide, wish it all was pretend
Wouldn’t that be grand but when you’re self aware it can’t be
You're antsy, you can’t see a way out
You’re unraveling, but it's alright
Grab your thread as you unwind
Take the end and tie it to mine
We'll make something good of a bad time
You can feel the urge to dive into the deep end
But that's absurd when you're no good at swimming
Wouldn’t it be great to stay afloat and never sink, but you're flailing
Take another breath so you can remember
Don't give in yet, don't you dare surrender
More can be done despite the fact you're antsy
You can breathe slowly throughout
You’re unraveling, but it's alright
Grab your thread as you unwind
Take the end and tie it to mine
We'll make something good of a bad time
Unwinding ain't all that bad
We're finding ways to adapt
And finally bridging the gap"

Unravel

Interlaced with indie R&B and bedroom pop vibes, "Can't Forget" depicts the journey of loss. When someone undergoes a traumatic experience it becomes the main topic of conversation. Initially, everyone has an opinion about it, people are constantly checking in on you, and it’s all that’s on everyone’s mind. But like everything, it fades with time for those on the outskirts, those who aren’t directly affected by it in their daily lives. For the person it happened to, however, the aftermath of the trauma lasts indefinitely. Even after months or years have passed, something can randomly trigger you and make you feel as though you’ve taken a sucker punch to the gut. This song is about an extremely personal familial loss, but anyone who has experienced heartache will be able to relate with the sentiment “I know you may have, but I can’t forget.”

Written by Alyssa Kelly
Performed / Self-Produced by Deer Fellow 
Recorded / Mixed / Mastered by Erik Wofford
Alyssa Kelly - vocals, piano
Matt Salois - backing vocals, electric guitar, synth, bass, drums

Lyrics:
"Oh some days I’m just fine, wake to watch the sunrise
Other days I can’t fight, battles lost before my eyes
Play it back and rewind, the punishment don’t fit the crime
Vision’s clear in hindsight, what we had was bound to die
I know we’ve talked it all to death but I still can’t catch my breath
It’s been a year but the wounds are still fresh
No one asks me how I’m doing, I’m still digging through the ruins
Of the life we had before you two met
I know you may have but I can’t forget, no I can’t forget
Can’t stand the sight of your face, reminds me why we needed space
I hope you think of me every time you two embrace
I know we’ve talked it all to death but I still can’t catch my breath
It’s been a year but the wounds are still fresh
No one asks me how I’m doing, I’m still digging through the ruins
Of the life we had before you two met
I know you may have but I can’t forget, no I can’t forget
In the dark of the night it all comes rushing back
From the depths of my mind, threatening to attack
You’re still hiding behind the same tired lies
It’s just a fantasy, just a fucking fantasy, but it was real to me
Do you remember me? Do you remember me?
I know we’ve talked it all to death but I still can’t catch my breath
I know you may have but I can’t forget, no I can’t forget"

Can't Forget

Drawing from the regrets of days past, "The Culprit" is a guilt-trip song brought to life by bouncy guitar rhythms and indie folk charm.

Self-produced and performed by Deer Fellow. Written by Matt Salois of Deer Fellow. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Erik Wofford.

Matt Salois - vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums, tambourine, claps
Alyssa Kelly - backing vocals, violin, piano, claps

Lyrics:
"Hurt heart, should have stopped this at the start
Lost love, should have nipped it in the bud
Dead dream, now it’s gone and obsolete
And I know anywhere I go, I go alone
How’d I get here? I hate to admit
All the crippling regret
All the childlike foolishness
And I am the culprit, I am, I am
I am the culprit, I am, I am
Hurt heart, trampled by a freight train car
Lost love, ripped off like a ticket stub
Dead dream, now it’s wrapped in TNT
And I know anywhere I go it’s gonna blow
How’d I get here? I hate to admit
All the cause and effect
All the misread intentions
And I am the culprit, I am, I am
I am the culprit, I am, I am
The culprit, the culprit"

The Culprit

Accentuated with rich strings and dynamic guitar, "Filtered" is a chamber pop lament on the toxicity of social media. 

Written by Alyssa Kelly, performed / self-produced by Deer Fellow, and recorded / mixed / mastered by Erik Wofford.
Alyssa Kelly - vocals, violin, piano
Matt Salois - backing vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums

Lyrics: 
"Around the sun, another year has come and gone
You and I are stuck here standing still again, discontent
We watch our lives through filtered eyes
Honey, at what price?
You can move away, save up for a grand escape
You'll still be you with all your little problems till you solve them
We're so devoted to constant motion, afraid to slow it down
Despite the pretty pictures we're all painting
We're waiting with bated breath to see what's next
The grass seems greener till you've seen it from the other side"

Filtered

Laced with dreamy textures reminiscent of artists like Ritt Momney and Still Woozy, "Insult to Injury" is an indie-pop plea to the relentless jerks in life. Those who always bring you down. Those who belittle you and treat you as sub-human. The song speaks to the need for empathy amongst friends and enemies alike.

Written by Matt Salois of Deer Fellow, this final track completes the duo's sophomore EP Unraveling. Self-produced and performed by Deer Fellow. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Erik Wofford of Cacophony Recorders.

Matt Salois - vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums
Alyssa Kelly - backing vocals, synth, violin

Lyrics:
"How am I supposed to get anywhere when nobody cares?
How can I ever be well-prepared when nothing is fair?
You kick me when I'm already down
Never help me up off the ground
And later say you were just clowning around
Don't add insult to injury
Please don't belittle me
With insult to injury
Please show some sympathy
Insult to injury, it's killing me
Don't you already know you should be less critical?
Don't be unreasonable
It really isn't that difficult
But you don't even try to sympathize
With anyone you criticize
Don't add insult to injury
Please don't belittle me
With insult to injury
Please show some sympathy
Insult to injury, it's killing me
Why are you always on the attack?
Why do you get off on acting like that?
I need for someone to build me back up
A few words of kindness should be enough
Don't add insult to injury (8x)
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Don't add insult to injury
It's killing me"

Insult to Injury

A fresh take on the 90's hit “Closing Time” by Semisonic, reinvented with moody indie folk vibes and bedroom pop stylings.

Matt Salois - vocals, guitar, bass, drums, synth
Alyssa Kelly - backing vocals, violin, piano
Self-produced & performed by Deer Fellow
Recorded at 512 Studios
Mixed & mastered by Cacophony Recorders
Cover art photo by Jerod Johnson

Closing Time

Recorded by Benjamin Alan Levy

Lyrics:
I will hold you, console you, you can hold me to that
No doubt in my mind, hold me accountable, I will stay on track
I will show you, bestow upon you all I have
I'll give you everything that I can give
You are sometimes... no, often... no, always on my mind
My god girl, I can't stop thinking 'bout your eyes
And where you go, I follow every time
I'll be standing by, close behind

Your face floors me
The ground is my home for now
Your gaze lures me in
Next to you is where I'll be found

How I care for you 
How I feel for you 
How I long for you 
How I dream of you 

Your face floors me
The ground is my home for now
Your gaze lures me in
Next to you is where I'll be found

You are sometimes... no, often... no, always on my mind
My god girl, I can't stop thinking 'bout your eyes
And where you go, I follow every time

Next to you is where I'll be found, next to you's where I'm found 


Where I'll Be

Tip of My Tongue (The Civil Wars cover)

You're the One That I Want (Live cover)

Written and composed by Matt Salois
Lyrics by Matt Salois
Produced by Matt Salois
Recorded and Engineered by Tony Schueller

Lyrics:

Where did all my good intentions go? I never did condone this behavior no
Where did all my first impressions go? Thrown out of the window into the cold
I was lying in the road face down in the snow

You came along when I least expected, when I was neglected
Lifted me up out of the wreckage without a question

Thought that I could do just what I please but it led to misery. Woe was me
Lost all sense of purpose instantly. Was a damn mystery, sure beat me
Like a door without the key, an end without the means

You came along when I least expected, when I was neglected
Lifted me up out of the wreckage without a question

You Came Along

Her crimson lips are dripping evil words that contradict me
Black honey rivers forging paths I know I never can leave
Her syrupy tongue is rotting my fragile bones
My head is spinning circles round the fiction she is whispering
With every little word she says my own voice is withering
Planted her seeds and watched as they've overgrown
Why won't she leave me alone?

Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies

Oh honey that's so cute you think one day he'll say he loves you
When all these other girls are riding ten notches above you
But what if he did? Oh what if I proved her wrong?
Or am I too far gone?
Oh her voice is too strong

Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies

I'm running, running, running from that voice inside my head
That bitch keeps yelling at me, oh I'm hanging by a thread
Don't you know it's time to go, don't make be beg
From my death bed

Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies
Stop telling me lies

Oh please don't think me crazy when her words come out of my mouth
She's on the prowl, sneaks in every time I let my guard down
But I'm not that girl oh how can I let you know
That these words aren't my own

Black Honey

Set to guitar, violin, and piano, this song is about relentless infatuation. It's the first track off our upcoming EP, Words Unsaid.

Lyrics:
"I can’t sleep right when you haunt me each night
Though I fight it I can’t shake the sight
Other thoughts should be in my head
But I just think of you instead

I try to wrestle my mind off you
But you find a way back inside, don’t you?

Don’t dissect my pride
Don’t you scrutinize me
I have set my sights on you only

I see your face all through the day
There’s no escaping the trance you have placed on me
Got a heart that should be on the mend
But it just breaks for you instead

I try to wrestle my mind off you
But you find a way back inside, don’t you?
I strive to show you that I want you
But you deny me every time I do

Don’t dissect my pride
Don’t you scrutinize me
I have set my sights on you only
I’m slightly terrified
Don’t upset my psyche
I could win the prize if I’m lucky 

I got you right where I want you tonight
What if I win you over this time? You’ll be mine

I try to wrestle my mind off you
But you find a way back inside, don’t you?"

Each Night

Playful, layered guitars create a vibrant backdrop for the powerful yet nuanced vocals in “Runaround.” This song tackles the frustration of knowing what’s best for someone but being unable to convince them. The subject is coming to terms with the fact that no matter what she says or how she says it, the truth will never get through. While her counterpart will continue on in blinded fantasy, the subject is rooted in reality, which often lacks happy endings. 

Lyrics:

"Why do I bother trying? 
Your head is in the clouds
Despite the truth I am shouting
You’re never coming down

We all see right through him
I don’t know why, I don’t know why you don’t

Keep giving me the runaround
Keep me at bay by never slowing down
You’re burying my words six feet underground
By the time they reach your ears they don’t make a sound

Happily ever after was always on your mind
A husband, kids, all that mattered
But this won’t heal with time
You pushed everyone else around you
Pushed us away for someone who shouldn’t stay

Keep giving me the runaround
Keep me at bay by never slowing down
You’re burying my words six feet underground
By the time they reach your ears they don’t make a sound

You’re living in a wonderland
Where everything goes as planned
I wish I could pretend
Our story has a happy end

Keep giving me the runaround
Keep me at bay by never slowing down
You’re burying my words six feet underground
By the time they reach your ears they don’t make a sound"

Runaround

“Let it Breathe” is an ode to repressed memories. Despite trying to push it away, the shame of the subject’s past choices still lingers. The regret of words unsaid can no longer be silenced. Set to guitar, piano, and violin, this is the last song of our debut EP, Words Unsaid.

Lyrics:

"All my memories are packed away into a box
That I never open, never give it any thought
Makes me sick, all the shit I wish I never did

Oh just because it's buried deep don't mean it's dead
It's just asleep in my head

All those quiet moments, could've said so much
My mouth wouldn't open, oh my lips were sealed shut
To this day I can't say what I want to say

Oh just because I won't let it breathe I can't neglect
The gravity of words unsaid

Young at heart but dumb as hell
I bid my old self farewell
She won't come around here no more
She won't come around here no more

Oh just because I won't let it breathe I can't neglect
The gravity of words unsaid
Oh just because it's buried deep don't mean it's dead
It's just asleep in my head"

Words Unsaid

Let It Breathe

Set to guitar, violin, and piano, "If You Don't Lie" is a reminder to not brush your feelings under the rug. The subject wants to share the weight of his partner's burden if she would only let him in.

Lyrics:

"You would never tell me what you’re really thinking
You would always play it off as nothing
I could tell it from the way that you were breathing
You were trying to cover up something

I just want to lend a hand
You don’t have to live the same story
The truth should be said
I was hoping you could do that for me

Didn’t take very long to realize you’re way better off if you don’t lie
If you don’t lie baby, if you don’t lie, so don’t lie
Knew that something was wrong on the inside, you’re way better off if you don’t lie
If you don’t lie baby, if you don’t lie, so don’t lie

I could see it in your eyes, you were sinking
Hiding somewhere that I can’t follow
It would hit you in the middle of the weekend
And leave you feeling so hollow

If you’d only let me in I could take some of the weight off you
You know I can, you just got to tell me the truth

Didn’t take very long to realize you’re way better off if you don’t lie
If you don’t lie baby, if you don’t lie, so don’t lie
Knew that something was wrong on the inside, you’re way better off if you don’t lie
If you don’t lie baby, if you don’t lie, so don’t lie
If you don’t lie baby, if you don’t lie, so don’t lie
If you don’t lie baby, if you don’t lie, so don’t lie

Tell me what you’re actually thinking
Don’t play it off as nothing if it’s something

Didn’t take very long to realize you’re way better off if you don’t lie, so don’t lie"

If You Don't Lie

Deer Fellow is an indie folk-pop duo with “comforting yet bold musicality.” Based out of Austin, bandmates Matt Salois (guitar, vocals) and Alyssa Kelly (violin, vocals, piano) met at an open mic and were quick to collaborate. Fast forward to present day and coupledom, the two have built a cross-genre sound that “stirs hearts with each carefully crafted note.” The duo's vocal harmonies and unique guitar-violin blends have landed them Official SXSW 2024 Artist status as well as features on Earmilk, KUTX Radio, and the Austin American-Statesman.

Deer Fellow

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