There is this recurring dream that I have. At some point in my future, everything I grew up with and everything I know about my past—the places, the memories, the pets, my family, my friends—are replaced with a sprawling empty city, devoid of any life. I drive around at night, homesick, frantically looking for any sign of my past but can only find an orange glow of city streetlights, and a maze of buildings, concrete, and asphalt—all in decay. It's taken me years of reliving this dream to finally realize what it was trying to tell me, with the help of Alan Watts: "The past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."

I started writing music for Lost Hills as a way to set free this illusion of past and future, to let go of the nostalgia of my childhood and release the persistent, crippling anxiety over what is to come. Lured back to the memories of my 1980s youth, Lost Hills is a collection of weird, slow-motion future-retro synthpop saturated with Betamax-modulated, reverb-drenched synths, delay-soaked staccato guitars, obsolete nu-disco grooves, ice particles floating above peaceful harmonies, along with intimate stories of loss, unmanageable fear, and paralyzing regret. A record inspired by the synthpop of the past, and a sentimental dream of synthpop from the future. Lost Hills is depressing music you can dance to.

Portasoul

Life is Easy is the first track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded entirely live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Watch the live recording of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDNfHyFZcfE

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness. 

Life Is Easy

Frenemies is the second track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded entirely live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness. 

Frenemies

Beyond Our Control is the third track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded entirely live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness.

Beyond Our Control

A Happy Future is the fourth track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded entirely live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness.

A Happy Future

June 18, 2011 is the fifth track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded entirely live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness.

June 18, 2011

Broke Your Promise is the sixth track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness.

Broke Your Promise

On Top of a Hill is the seventh track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded entirely live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness.

On Top of a Hill

February 14, 2014 is the eighth track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness.

February 14, 2014

March of the Drones is the ninth track from my new live looping album, Life is Easy. Recorded live in my bedroom studio. #livelooping

Life is Easy is a disturbingly serene look at unhappiness and desolation. 

A collection of nine songs recorded entirely live in State Shirt's bedroom studio—using a technique called live looping—along with an array of obsolete electronics, guitars, and his voice. 

Each song on the album was written and recorded live in one day—often starting out as an improvisation. Gently traveling from weird ambient swells, ghostly harmonies, funereal rhythms, freakish beatboxing, and disconcerting noises, Life is Easy takes you on a mournful march to the darkest corners of hopelessness.

March of the Drones


There is this recurring dream that I have. At some point in my future, everything I grew up with and everything I know about my past—the places, the memories, the pets, my family, my friends—are replaced with a sprawling empty city, devoid of any life. I drive around at night, homesick, frantically looking for any sign of my past but can only find an orange glow of city streetlights, and a maze of buildings, concrete, and asphalt—all in decay. It's taken me years of reliving this dream to finally realize what it was trying to tell me, with the help of Alan Watts: "The past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."

I started writing music for Lost Hills as a way to set free this illusion of past and future, to let go of the nostalgia of my childhood and release the persistent, crippling anxiety over what is to come. Lured back to the memories of my 1980s youth, Lost Hills is a collection of weird, slow-motion future-retro synthpop saturated with Betamax-modulated, reverb-drenched synths, delay-soaked staccato guitars, obsolete nu-disco grooves, ice particles floating above peaceful harmonies, along with intimate stories of loss, unmanageable fear, and paralyzing regret.  A record inspired by the synthpop of the past, and a sentimental dream of synthpop from the future.  Lost Hills is depressing music you can dance to.

Dancing Sad

Dead Pixel

Flight 17

There is this recurring dream that I have. At some point in my future, everything I grew up with and everything I know about my past—the places, the memories, the pets, my family, my friends—are replaced with a sprawling empty city, devoid of any life. I drive around at night, homesick, frantically looking for any sign of my past but can only find an orange glow of city streetlights, and a maze of buildings, concrete, and asphalt—all in decay. It's taken me years of reliving this dream to finally realize what it was trying to tell me, with the help of Alan Watts: "The past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."

I started writing music for Lost Hills as a way to set free this illusion of past and future, to let go of the nostalgia of my childhood and release the persistent, crippling anxiety over what is to come. Lured back to the memories of my 1980s youth, Lost Hills is a collection of weird, slow-motion future-retro synthpop saturated with Betamax-modulated, reverb-drenched synths, delay-soaked staccato guitars, obsolete nu-disco grooves, ice particles floating above peaceful harmonies, along with intimate stories of loss, unmanageable fear, and paralyzing regret.  A record inspired by the synthpop of the past, and a sentimental dream of synthpop from the future.  Lost Hills is depressing music you can dance to.

Stars Fall

Walk With the Dead

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

You Are a Child

The Him

Take Down the Sun

Betamax

So as some of you may know, I’m the marketing guy over at Strymon, and I write and perform many of the songs and audio clips for Strymon products, including writing the music for the DIG Dual Digital Delay video. Several people have asked about this track, so it's now available here. :)

Strymon DIG Dual Delay video song

Strymon DIG Song

I organize the sounds of obsolete electronics and thrift store guitars.

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