Inspired by the notion of our inability to negate or dismiss pain when given a sub-standard comparison within relationships, personal hang-ups & issues relating to the human condition. 'And though I know, this ain't the worst, it still hurts'. Recorded at Nils Frahm's studio Funkhaus in Berlin. It Still Hurts is the first single from the six track EP 'The Step That Was Left When the Founder Fell'.

It Still Hurts

'Hey You'

Daniel Cherote brings forth philosophical conversation and lingering motifs from a thoughtfully examined pool of reflections. The Australian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist conveys a moody self-portrait in his debut EP ‘The Step That Was Left When the Founder Fell’.
 
Drifting under a cloud of nostalgia through vivid lyrical impressions that speak of dismantling grief, heart-break, and an undiminishing effort to love. Cherote’s voice is compellingly frank and distinctly nuanced in tone and phrasing, leaking a tenderness that seems well beyond the 26 year olds millennial threshold.
    
A writing process that was predominantly driven by acoustic guitar and vocals, yielded songs that invited the sound of a classic 60s band. Canvasing a musical playground for the songs, Cherote fleshed out demos ‘working from the inside out’ as influenced by the craftsmanship of Neil Young and John Lennon. He recorded intimate guitar and vocal performances and then layered the additions of drums, bass, and keys.
     
It took a willful determination and successful crowdfunding campaign to arrive at “FUNKHAUS” in Berlin, Germany where ‘The Step That Was Left When the Founder Fell’ was recorded with the collaborative efforts of producer Brian Trahan.
     
The songs were recorded over six days, tracking live performances with a five-piece band. Each take was listened to for feel and conviction, leaving perfection and metronomes out of the room. At times there are tensions or moments of unsteadiness that have not been traded for gap-fill or exactness, an uncelebrated honesty in today’s often neurotically pursued music.
    
The recordings are soaked in a transcendent mystique that echoes the quality of immersion that is akin to Cherote’s live performances. He quite simply has a trustworthy grip that transports the listener to a place where sorrow is illuminated by buoyant melodies and poignant narratives.
   
This debut EP offers a generous introduction to what feels like just a fragment of the terrain that this emotionally and musically aligned artist has to explore.

Daniel Cherote

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