Sumika's Spectacular Song Challenge Selection

My favorite song challenges 2023

Like Someone

This track is done as a submission for a Song Challenge hosted by Ben Levin & Hugo Moroux on their twitch channels. Check them out at 
https://www.twitch.tv/benlevinmusic
https://www.twitch.tv/hugomoroux

The challenge was to record some sounds in and around your surroundings and use them in your music. Now I was very apprehensive about this particular challenge. Being from the hometown of Darjeeling, which is lush with beautiful sounds, I would have loved to put those in my music, as I had done with The Rhododendron Song. But I'm here in big city, Bangalore to be more specific, and all around me were just disgusting and annoying cityscape sounds. I mean I am no one to call sounds disgusting as a big supporter of harsh noise. But let's just say, for this track I would have loved me some good ole sounds from way up on the hills.. So I was sad & had to make do with what I had. And when you're sad, you're supposed to write blues songs, just like in the 30s (even if its just a vst).. Anyways here's the lyrics, if you wanna follow along. 

And I came to a big city
To drive them blues away x2
Well it ain't so easy
the blues they're here to stay

They say that big city has more oppurtunity
You get more gigs and hence get more witty x2
But they don't ever talk about how life is a pity

And I came to a big city
To get more work and pay x2
Well it ain't easy
To drive them blues away

I get good internet, and I have here more gear 
I do high fidelity music, lots of good cheer x2
But I don't ever talk about, all that I'm missing here

And I came to a big city
Way down south I lay x2
Well it ain't so easy
A life of music I say

I'm a small town boy
I'm a small town boy
I'm a small town boy from way up the hills x2

If I was in Darjeeling, I'd get some beautiful sound
Maybe little bugs and streams, tibetan monks around x2  
But I'm here in big city, this awful noise is all I found

Small Town Boy

In the Air

What I'm Supposed to Do

Caldera

For Hugo Moroux's September community song challenge. This song only uses three instruments (vocals, synth, and drums) but everything is modulated and FX'd to hell.

LYRICS
Body of water
prism of light 
bending which way, out of sight

your motion is crushing 
I'm eating for two
blank-slate, blind, and see through

still I do what I'm told  

bleeding me empty
and passively cruel
smiling like you know just what to do

Keeping it half true
in the real world
feeding debt and curling to a fetal ball

still I do what I'm told
sold in whispers and fools gold

Wal - Mart Shuffle (3 Track Song)

For Hugo Moroux's community song challenge. The theme was writing a song that is titled and inspired by the phrase "You Are Now Logged In"

I did all the instruments /programming/mixing
Frances helped me with the crowd chatter

LYRICS:
my body
tears away slowly
like a preacher in a hallway
dressed in rags and painless 
always 
in wonder
neon glowing on an e-cig
pulling under with your pained expression 

I 
want to live through your eyes 
  
molting
into soil that is burning
what is fear if it's not learning, to beat the
life out of pleasant strangers 

oh 
here it comes again
oh 
there I go again 
watching windows  
when I should be 
dead
(You are now logged in)

You Are Now Logged In (Hugo Moroux/Ben Levin Song Challenge Oct 2022)

For the November Hugo Moroux/Ben Levin song challenge. 

Sumika- 2nd Vocals
Ted- imperceptible meow 
DE- Everything else

Lyrics:
V1
Lazy eyes before us
Melting in the sun
Lining up like tourists
It's begun
By the way it won't bother me
Feeding from a hand
In sight but just out of reach
That's the plan

Chorus
And I
Don't wanna hear those words
(One night, we find, we're stuck in a slow burn)
Alive
But dimming at each  turn
(One night, we find, we're stuck in a slow burn)

Cleaning the slate in this
Dream that we're fakin' 
Slip through the wake and be
Free of your patience

V2
Lonely as a child
Hissing like a swan
You held me like a baby
It's all wrong 
By the way it's under me
Getting out of the way
keep me warm and empty
It's been paid

Slow Burn (Demo)feat Sumika (Moroux/Levin November Song Challenge)

(CW: public shootings)
Hello friends. I am posting this on behalf of Doc Whom (whom had to go to work)!
Doc did the instrumental and production. 
I did the vocals, the guitar solo, and finishing touches. 
This was all incredibly last minute, and Doc hasn't even heard this yet so I hope they enjoy it!
Warning, I absolutely BAKED the mastering because I'm a masochist/sadist, and I love how the first Sleigh Bells album sounds. 

The lyrics were written in like 30 minutes like 2 hours ago. My parts were all recorded quickly.
There was a shooting recently in the town I work, that also happens to be within the state where we both live. This song is written from the perspective of some of the extremely callous and jaded people I've come across in the aftermath.

Your Bleak American (Doc Whom feat Randie)

Another demo hastily completed. I plan on re-recording this in the future and fully fleshing it out. Was inspired by the room noise of the album Absolutely by Dijon. Also Doc Whom recorded noise for me, and I like it so much it's the entire outro of the track!

Blameless (Demo) And Whom Noise

Mostly for Hugo Moroux/Ben Levin/Justice Cow song challenges. Lotsa rough ideas. 

for my main output go to randie.bandcamp.com

You Are Now Logged In (Hugo Moroux/Ben Levin Song Challenge Oct 2022)

Randie (demos and song challenges)