Started this first playlist of Interbay tracks to celebrate Spooky Week 2024.  All of the tracks in this playlist are on the "dark side" of the sounds that Interbay generates--it could be dark post-punk, witch house, darkwave, goth rock, dark industrial, dark techno, etc.  

Could be good background music for a Halloween party.  

This playlist will be added to (even if it isn't Spooky Week) whenever tracks on the dark side of Interbay get posted.

The Dark Side of Interbay (we have cookies!)

These are Interbay tracks that, for various reasons, have not yet been listened to by at least 100 people.  Some of them are some of the first Interbay tracks on SoundCloud, others are in genres that aren't well represented by listeners here on SoundCloud, and some just got ignored by the algorithm.  

If a track on this list gets at least 100 listens, it will be taken off this playlist...and it would be my hope that someday this playlist will be empty--because all of these misfit toys deserve to end up under someone's Christmas tree.

(As I type this, there are a couple of songs that haven't been listened to by anyone.  I feel bad for them.  Maybe you could give  some of these tracks a listen?)

The Undeservedly Ignored Side of Interbay (they just want to be loved, is that so wrong?)

Darkworld.  The most miserable place on earth.  Every ride is the Haunted Mansion.  And, over the speakers throughout the park is this Interbay track.  It's sorta goth, sorta indie, definitely post-punk...with nods to OMD, Prince and 50's sci-fi...all drenched in reverb, with synthesizers and neuro basses for all.  Why?  Because we like you!  M-O-U-S-E!

"Darkworld" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Some tech-bro rambles about crypto over music that is almost New Beat, in that it is a slowed down nrg/synthpop groove.  There is also the occasional dip into glitchiness.  

It feels sad to me.  Not sure why.  

Also, for some reason, this song reminds me of Doctor Who?  (Perhaps the Madame du Pompadour episode?  The villains were "clockwork" in that.)  

"Clockwork" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

As you can tell by the tags, I didn't really know the best way to describe this track--though, especially if you're of a certain age, you'll know what this is when you hear it.  

Oooooh, it's sorta spooky!  

(At the same time, there are elements of this track that sound, somehow, like "flying".  Maybe a better song title would have been "Broomstick?"  

If you take the time to explore the tracks posted to this page, you'll find a variety of styles and conceits--a veritable bouillabaisse of various flavors of dance music, mutated pop, indie rock, and darkness (not always all in one song, of course.)  

This particular track features a vocal part buried deep in the mix--your ears will try to search for it...which, I think ratchets up the tension and dread a bit.  

...but, like the ghost in the window of the picture, it's not THAT scary.  

If you're interested in the creative process, this song came together because yesterday, I heard Morrissey's "Everyday is Like Sunday" on Sirius/XM's First Wave.  And from that...came this (which sounds absolutely NOTHING like Moz's song.  I think the only element I can pinpoint is the tom tom build out of the intro, which is shared by both songs.)  

Hope this amuses you.  A follow gets a follow back.  More to come!

"Haunting" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

We had a long drive yesterday--from Dickinson ND to Missoula MT.  Part of that time was listening to FirstWave on SiriusXM...and the Slugmonstrocity played "All Night Long" by Peter Murphy.  

I think you can hear the influence of that track on THIS Interbay track.  Obviously, I wasn't trying to recreate a Peter Murphy song...but I took inspiration from it, in tempo, some of the sound design, and the general spooky vibe.  

It all fell together pretty quickly here in the Motel 6 in Missoula--and, though I had another song ready to drop today...I've called an audible, and you're getting "Whispers" instead.  

The track is a vibe more than anything else.  There's no coherent plot, there's precious little song structure, and musically, it is pretty restrained.  

But...this track excels in projecting a mood.  Might be good on a Halloween playlist, just saying.  

I should be home again tomorrow evening and I've got to imagine that things will quickly fall back into place, rather than these strange early morning posts...you'll be able to catch new tracks here around midday from now on.  

"Whispers" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

...if an Interbay album is ever made from these SoundCloud Exclusives, it certainly feels that THIS song should follow yesterday's track--without intending to, I made tracks that fit rather well together.  

"Alone in the Dark" (the first of these SoundCloud Exclusives to be given more than one word for its title) carries on the moodiness from "Interlude" and turns it into an epic and dark alternative rock track.  

(A good comparison might be The Cure "A Night Like This" or maybe even Echo & The Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon"--not THAT good, of course, but it is in that style.)  

I've also justified the "Electronic" tag with a lot of underlying synths, processed drums and effects.  (If they had a "Dark Wave" tag for the main genre options, I'd have picked that, I think.)

This one has been sitting in The Vault a little longer than most of these SoundCloud Exclusives (many of which were created the day before they were posted.)  This one, I wanted to hold on to...to wait until the right time to drop it.  

Now seems like the right time--and I have some of you to thank for that!

I was deciding between dropping this today or a more Electronic/Dance/Club banger--and my choice was going to be based on how "Interlude" did yesterday.  

As I said in the description text for "Interlude", when I stray too far from electronic dance music, those tracks get far fewer plays--like in the single digits.   

(Certainly neither "Zagreb" nor "Selfishly deserved their fate...and the earliest posts low play counts are because I hadn't figured out any way to promote my new channel yet.)  

I didn't want to have two straight songs underperform.  So, I made a promise that if "Interlude" did better than I was expecting--even though it is as far as I've ever posted from a club track (so far)--specifically, if it would get 50 plays at the time I'd post today's track...I would pick "Alone in the Dark" as today's post, but if it didn't (and I expected it wouldn't), I had another track lined up and ready to go (which will certainly get posted here, just...later).  

I was delightfully surprised to see 123 yellow ribbons 'round the old oak tree!  (Ancient reference there...it got 123 plays, which is far more than single digits and more than twice as much as the 50 target.)  

So, thank you, random people who listen to my music but never like, repost, share, or follow.  Though all of those things would be quite nice, obviously, I still appreciate those of you who can't be bothered.  

I hope you like my choice today--I think it is a particularly good one.  (Let me know if you agree!)

"Alone in the Dark" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Perhaps some of the previous tracks in this themed Spooky Week of Interbay track posts leaned more on the "horror" side of what people find "spooky"--so, I thought we might spice things up with a touch of...  

"SUSPENSE!!!!"

(Apologies if that felt over-dramatic, but I'm posting a track with samples from Vincent Price--such drama would be understated in comparison.)  

This track was original imagined as one of the many Interbay experiments that have been posted (though none recently) on Facebook--where I'd marry up the Interbay tracks I was coming up with (so far, none of them duplicated here on SoundCloud) to some sort of visualizer.  I thought this would make for a particularly interesting video.  

...but, this is a reinterpretation of a theatrical radio broadcast.  There were no viusals from the show to help me craft a video for it--and for that, and a number of reasons, I never got around to posting this track until just now.  (It had, ironically, sat in the Vault for quite some time--as I can produce music for days!)  

I thought, briefly, that this song might never be shared properly.  I did not know this when I first began posting here on SoundCloud, but the first second (or so) would get cut off of every upload--and being a former dj, I liked when tracks started IMMEDIATELY...so, that caused a problem for some of the earliest tracks--until I went back into the project files and added a second of blank space before re-uploading the tracks in a SoundCloud specific corrected way.  

BUT..this track is quite a bit older than any other tracks I've posted on SoundCloud so far--old enough that the production on this track ended on New Year's Eve of 2023/2024.  I had no idea I'd be switching from Facebook to SoundCloud--nor did I know I'd soon be upgrading Phantom Laboratories West.  And, in the move from the previous PLW to the one I'm using now, parts of the file for this track went missing--so, I couldn't just reopen the project and add a second to the start of it.  

Luckily, I found a workaround...as it is a perfect track to share during Spooky Week.  

The song itself--it is a dark house track with suckbacks, reverses, sound effects and a cinematic approach to breakdowns.  I wouldn't blame you if you felt that I messed with the auto pan a bit too much--but it was on purpose, to leave the listener feeling a bit unsettled...as I thought that would be thematically appropriate.  

I almost considered using the music parts of this project, ditching the radio play samples (which were much of what had gone missing) and re-using it for a new (probably spooky as well) track...but I'm glad you get to hear "Suspense" the way I hoped you would.  

(You'll also see that this is the "darkness re-edit"--there was an original mix of this track that lasted over 11 minutes long...and it didn't work as well as this one, I think does.  But, of course, your mileage may vary...  Still, I don't see that 11 minute+ version seeing the light of day any time soon...so...you're welcome?)  

Play! Like! Repost! Share! Comment! Follow!  
thank you!

"Suspense (darkness re-edit)" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Last night, I watched a YouTube video about the song "River Man" by Nick Drake and I was inspired to craft a song in a similar style.  

(Spoiler:  "Forever In This Moment" doesn't sound ANYTHING like Nick Drake.)  

I had a funny idea for some lyrics and I'd say I was 85% done when suddenly I swerved, veered off course, and landed here this morning with "Forever In This Moment."  

What happened?  Quite simply, the lyrics didn't fit with the vibe of the song I had at the time.  So, I paused and took a second look at what I'd made.  I took out some parts, I added other elements, I changed the arrangement, I swapped out instruments, I gated the hell out of my drums...and suddenly, I had something VERY different.  

So, I took out the lyrics that no longer fit (I'll try to use them sometime in the future) and I found a couple of vocal samples that I felt fit...and suddenly, a completely new narrative for the track revealed itself.  

...this was a seance.  

This was an attempt to speak with the deceased through a medium...or maybe it was just someone so heartbroken that they tried simply to speak to the sky in hopes they could make contact on their own.  

It wasn't what I was thinking when I started this track, but I embraced it and went with it.  

Despite the newly discovered theme, this isn't a spooky song (otherwise, I'd be saving it for a few months).  Instead, this is some 80s style "big music"--and I tried to produce it like I thought Steve Lillywhite might have produced it.  Not only do the pianos sound large and majestic, but there's s major melodic element based around a viola.  (Reminder to myself--write more songs with viola!)  

There are synths, to be sure.  The bass is a synth bass (though I thought many times about swapping that out...but, in the end, I felt like it worked) and there's some glitchy arpeggios going on, too.  

Oh, and did I mention that I managed to get a Rickenbacker guitar sound on here, too?  (That's a rather dumb question, seeing as I can see what I'm writing before I post this...and I know damn well that I haven't mentioned that.  No wonder these descriptions get so long!)  

If "Visitation" was a fun, bouncy slice of dance pop cheese--perfect for a Saturday night...then "Forever In This Moment" feels just as appropriate for a Sunday afternoon.  Or anytime, really...I don't know what your schedule is like.  

As always, I just ask that you give this track a listen and this page a follow.  (...though, certainly, I like getting likes...and reposts, shares, comments and playlist adds, as well.)  

"Forever in This Moment" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Really showing a lot of Numan influence on this one!  

Today's Interbay track (did you know that there's a never before heard Interbay track dropping every single day?  You really should follow this page.  The rollercoaster is a fun one!) is one of the tracks where I start by looking for fun words that start with unusual letters and see what my brain cooks up as far as some music that I imagine would fit that word as chosen for the title of the song.  

(When you've dropped brand new tracks for 470 consecutive days, sometimes you need to change your process every so often to not just make the same track over and over again.  And, leaving certain decisions to fate--or, in this case, to a dictionary--can push you into creative places you might not have ended up on your own!  I feel like I need to thank Brian Eno here, but I wasn't directly following any of his creative strategies, really.  I just like making tracks with titles that incorporate the whole alphabet, and this is how I figured out how to do that.)  

Sometimes, vast impacts can have origins from what might seem like insignificant changes.  That was what the title of this track inspired me to work towards.  That's not what Xylyl means, but it does talk about the results of what happens to a few specific things when removing a hydrogen atom.  Thus the "remove one atom and the whole world changes" conceit--which is more of an idea connected to "the butterfly effect" than anything to do with isomeric monovalent radicals derived from the three xylenes.  

(The best thing about Interbay for me is that I get to learn about so many random things!)  

I also look for inspirations by trying different plugins--both instruments and effects--to see how using them informs my creative process.  My choices, often quite random and based on the names of plugins I've collected over the past couple of years, can either focus an idea towards a specific sound goal...or it can spread it out and become the sort of mishmash that Interbay, if it is known at all, is known for...  

This time, I got pushed into a late 70s early 90s synth vibe.  One of the sounds I discovered in a plugin I've only used rarely, sounded a lot like Gary Numan...so, I then chose to use the Vox Humana sound that Numan used so effectively from a different plugin...and all that seemed to fit the unusual retro drum machine that I was working with.  Unusual in that the drum sounds it had were somewhat thin and not nearly as punchy/thumpy as modern dance music expects (though, I did beef that sound up with some fx in this end mix.)  

One other touchstone here?  The title track to the "Moonlight and Muzak" album by M--the album that has "Pop Muzik" on it, which could be considered the first new wave/synth pop hit.

I think you're starting to see how this track ended up sounding like it does.  Though, I can't answer the question of why there seems to be a handful of bees that are flying back and forth across the stereo spectrum...or why the occasional brass sounds like it was burned in a tragic fire.  I mean, I made those sounds do those things--but I don't have a thematic reason for having done so.  (Sometimes, I just embrace happy accidents and allow myself to like incongruent things.  Blame neurodivergence if you'd like.)  

Somehow, I ended up with a track that is somehow simultaneous deep but simple, downtempo but at a surprisingly quick tempo, atmospheric but still with forward momentum.  

In other words, I made an Interbay track.  They don't always make sense--but hopefully they're never dull.  

Listen to "Xylyl" and let me know what you think.  I hope you like it (and give it a like if you do.)  You are also encouraged to repost, share, comment, add to a playlist...and, of course, to follow this page for even more Interbay.  (You can also check out the huge back catalog found here, or throw on one of the three all-Interbay playlists available currently.)

"Xylyl" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

(First off--once again, the algorithm has been unkind to a random Interbay track--yesterday's drop, "Hostilities."  So, if you could give THAT a listen...like it if you do, then come back and check out today's track.  Thanks!)  

A bit premature, this one, yes?  

I mean--it is only September, which means rain here in Seattle.  Plenty of time to enjoy before the icy winds of January come (and even in January, it's not so bad here in the Emerald City.  I grew up in Wisconsin, where they have a word for Seattle winters.  "Unseasonable.")  

This track has been germinating since the heat of summer (felt more in our trip to Wisconsin this year, oh irony.)  I read something about the microgenre of "coldwave" that reframed that term for me by saying that the 1988 song "Julia" by the French band Asylum Party was the purest "coldwave" song ever.  

That song, with lyrics about Winston Smith's idealized but betrayed young lover in Orwell's 1984, is crisp and minimal post-punk, lead bass, some post-punk processed guitar and a keyboard that I can only describe as "petulant" (though you might have guessed that just from knowing they're French) all over the most basic of drum machine presets, which never changes throughout the song--like an early DangerScience track. ;)  If you need a word for the vocals, I'd say "plaintive."  (Can you tell I used to write music reviews?)

I had never heard the song before, never even heard of the band before--but if that's what coldwave is, then I want Interbay to be (among many other things) capable of making coldwave music.    

So, I had a target in mind.  And "January" is what I've come up wth.  And, like every other track that I have an intended target in mind, the end result sounds like...Interbay.  

If anything, there's too much energy in this track.  The drums are actually trying.  It lurches from an oddly awkward beat to almost disco/rock.  The synths are doing a bunch of different things, none of them could be described as petulant (or French, for that matter.)  

I do like the lyrics.  I do think they'd be better if I'd sung them--and I'm adding this to the list of tracks I want to revisit once I get back to being more comfortable singing on Interbay tracks.  

But, I think you can feel the inspiration here (though, you may need to check out the Asylum Party track to agree) and even if it isn't purely coldwave...I like it.  It is a solid post-punk track, at the very least...and a good addition to the (evergrowing) Interbay catalog.  Indeed, I liked it enough to drop it here, in September, rather than store it in The Vault for when it might seem more thematic.

...and I'm sure I'll revisit coldwave more in the future, potentially based on this winter's weather. ;)    

Please give it a listen. Like it if you do.  Repost it, share it, add it to a playlist, if you are so moved.  Comment on it.  And, if you want to see whatever might be next for Interbay, give this page a follow...as never-heard-before tracks drop here EVERY SINGLE DAY (so far!)  

(...and, as mentioned above, give "Hostilities" a listen, too!)

"January" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Spooky Week Continues!  (Though, if you missed yesterday's drop, please give "Absence of Light" a listen--it deserves more ears than it's received so far.)  

Going into this year's Spooky Week, I had three tracks that I thought could deserve the honor of being the Interbay track that would drop on Halloween.  This is one of those three tracks, and the only reason it ISN'T the choice for Halloween is because I had three solid options--THEY CAN'T ALL DROP ON HALLOWEEN.  

(I mean, they could...but I've learned that it isn't a good idea to drop more than one track on any given day, much less three.  One per day seems to be the limit--and that's fine with me.)  

This track was a joy to spend a little extra time on.  It is a full journey into a delightful sort of madness.  Yes, early in the song, there's definitely a "Bella Lugosi's Dead" vibe, but then it turns more traditional alt rock/post punk, then the scritchy guitars come in, and somehow we've landed in mid-period Talking Heads territory...but it's not over.  No, there's a synth funk section, a breakbeat section, leading to an afrobeat climax.  

This absolutely sounds like the most Interbay song that has ever Interbay'd, doesn't it?  

The inspiration for this is one part Agatha All Along and three parts "The Little Hours"--a movie I'd not even heard about until I stumbled over the trailer for it, quite randomly, on YouTube a couple of weeks ago.  The movie is a pure Talent Bomb--Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Kate Miccuci, Molly Shannon, Jemima Kirke, John C. Reilly, Fred Armisen and it seems all sorts of raunchy funny.  

And, it happens to be controversially sacrilegious--if that's not your cup of tea, I understand...but what I took from it was the image of unfettered women dancing around the fire.  (Ahhhh, and now you see what I've done here.)  

Even if this wasn't perfectly built for Spooky Week, I think I'd be very proud of this latest Interbay track...and I hope you feel the care that went into crafting it.  

You know what I'll say now:  Please listen, like, repost, share, playlist, comment...not only for "Around The Fire" but also for "Absence of Light" (yesterday's Interbay drop) as well, if you haven't yet.  And, for the Flying Spaghetti Monster's sake...please, follow this page.  There's freshly revealed Interbay music dropping EVERY SINGLE DAY (so far, for well over a year of consecutive days with a new track drop) and I wouldn't want you to miss any of them (and you won't want to miss any of them either!)  

(And, remember kids--only you can prevent forest fires.  If you do plan to drag all of your female friends into the woods, to get all naked and dance freely and vigorously around a huge bonfire...do so responsibly.)

"Around the Fire" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

"As your life unraveled, you thought I could be glue.
Let you move forward and let you be you.
And my only wish was for this to continue.
I only wish my wishes came true."  

Let me get this out of the way, this song is based on a true story.  It involves a real person who I care a lot about, despite not being able to show that the way she'd wish I could.  We spent a few weeks in a special summer thinking that maybe we could be something--and I guess we found out that we couldn't--at least with me being less than the ideal version of me.  She broke my heart and I broke her heart, and we haven't talked in years.  

And normally I'd worry that she might take offense to her being the subject of this latest Interbay track, but I know for a fact that she doesn't listen to them (I once sent her a song that meant a lot to me and she told me with surprising venom that she was not going to listen to it.)  

But, I'd like to think that if she did hear this song that she would understand that it is meant to express my admiration, my regret, my fondest wishes, and my wanting to rewrite history to change whatever I could so it didn't end up the way it did.  

In looking for a thumbnail image from that summer, I'm struck by how happy we were--each of us believing that something unexpected was happening and that we could help each other out of the situations we were in.  

I want everyone to like me, especially the people that I care about.  This is one of a few situations where I would love to try to fix things--not expecting a full do over, but at least allow us to talk to each other again...  But I've been told by so many people I trust that it might be kinder to both of us to let things be--which is not something I've ever been comfortable doing.  

The last thing she said to me was that she couldn't take this anymore...and I believed her, and I made a tough decision to not try to fix the boat.  If interacting with me hurt more than it helped, the best thing I could do for someone I still care about is to stay away.  

This track started out as a simple piano track, but the vibe of the whole track turned when I added some pedal steel guitar, for the first time ever in an Interbay track.  It is still a weird synth and effects laden Interbay track, because of course it is...but not only does the pedal steel bring a nostalgic and melancholy feel to the track, it fits the subject...who is a country gal through and through and when I picture her...I do so on a sundappled summer afternoon on her mom's farm, looking perfectly comfortable in every way.  

This might be the exact time I'd go back to if I could--to get the chance to do better.  

I complain about how isolated and lonely I've been after my wife died and I retired--but someone did want to be part of my life...even if sparks didn't fly for her the way we both wanted them to, and I somehow managed to botch that up.  

But I treasure the time where we tried.  (And I should have sung this one--perhaps I'll revisit this in some point and replace the vocals on this with my own.  I guess I botched this yet again.)  

Listen, like, share, repost, comment, playlist...and most of all, follow this page.
New Interbay every single day (so far!)--and you never know what you're going to get (because if any of you had "pedal steel guitar" on your Interbay bingo card, you definitely deserve a metric ton of Interbay points for being psychic!  (Or lucky!)

"Graced By Your Presence" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Post-punk, dance, indie, electronic, and mutant pop in various styles (seriously!)--new tracks being posted daily (every day for over a year, so far!)

Interbay is the new project of Peter Greyy (previously of Cremation Dance and DangerScience), based out of Seattle and Phantom Laboratories West.