A Coming of Age

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"Working on these songs felt like a coming-of-age as far as substance is concerned. I never tapped into such a realm of compassion and the human condition until I began working on this batch. I can admit that sonic landscapes took the back seat on this album but I felt that anything other than an acoustic guitar would have become a distraction for me. I wanted the lyrics to compensate for the lack of "hooks" and ambiance. Because of the way they were recorded, in a small rehearsal studio in Santa Fe Springs, CA  with a handheld recorder, the lyrics had to be good enough to make each song stand out on their own. I wanted each one to show a world, a story of either hardships or uncertainty and anxiety. Upon release, these songs didn't receive as much feedback as I had hoped for but they taught me more about the songwriting craft than I've ever learned on any YouTube video. Underneath was also my first attempt at recording anything by myself and mixing and mastering an album, yet another reason why these mean so much to me. Since its release I've felt more confident in recording a more musically textured album with a full band of instruments. " -  Sergio Meza