Back in Ballito

  • Submitted on time! Feb 26, 2023
nick
Earth Tones

Wowie, glad to be back. Did a little research on my spider, which has origins in South Africa. So I decided to base this on my good South African friend’s hometown of Ballito, complete with some local references  and childhood memories he offered up. Enjoy!

Lyrics

i feed my spider like she’s cinderella

skin’s thin chlorinated

couple extra elbows

been awhile since vuvuzela

i bet she wish she was

bet she wish she was

 

back in Ballito

braai on the skottle

back in ballito

Bat for a bottle

bet she wish she was



Looking for feedback on

Are the drums too trashy? like does it hurt to listen to? it's ok to say yes.

Discussion

  • 35 Comments
juliapiker March 9, 2023 6:50pm

Vibe vibe vibe vibe groove groove groove i’ve listened to this one a bunch of times I want to rob a bank to this. A slow group walk into a bank and we cock the gun :27 directly at some lady screaming for her life. Move the revolver at the man behind the counter at :33 hes slow motion looking for the keys to the safe (whats behind the counter at a bank?idk)- he runs to the back room where i’m assuming theres a fuckload of tightly packed cash. At around 1:16 I WISH I HEARD THIS TRACK UNWRAVEL. I want it to grow and listen maybe thats just me, and maybe I want to much and give too little but I just hear a weird bridge that crawls out of its shell and maybe a tenor sax bends into a weird crash heavy rhythm section and we go crazy gunsablazing. Everyone is screaming and runs out of the bank for their lives and i’m slow motion staring at this pile of cash as me and my friends pour the cash into bags. Idk i really can’t grow this story any more without hearing this section in my head in real life.

does that make sense?

(btw i fucking looooooooove it)

nick March 10, 2023 10:37am

took the words out of my mouth. but yeah, totally want something new to happen at 1:16… dirty sax bend may be just right.

Ryan March 8, 2023 3:55pm

hey man what is your spider?

nick March 8, 2023 5:34pm

thank god you asked. this song is about my spider plant, which has origins in South Africa.

Ben March 9, 2023 9:10am

ohh

nurphgun March 1, 2023 2:21pm

This is really catchy and tasteful. I like the little “aiii”s. Love the Afrikaans; it’s fun when lyrics sound like English enough that, as a listener, you assume you just aren’t quite understanding the singer.

nick March 9, 2023 8:30am

thanks nora! those “aiiis” are actually “braiiis”. just yelping about grilling.

juliapiker March 9, 2023 6:43pm

grilling on the barbie

Ben February 28, 2023 9:45am

We’ve had this one on around the house for a couple days now.

I think I knew what braai on a skottel was before i even googled it.

So, trashy, yes; hurt, no.

Man, I have fun listening to your grimier stuff. Lots of dirt. A city of dirt. For one of the more tonally clean songsters in the game IMO, it’s always such a treat when you put something out that’s trashy, gritty, glitchy, creepy, twisted. It’s almost refreshing. The more your drums sound like they were recorded on a macbook mic, the more i will probably like the song.

I will say though, the reason why I like this type of your stuff is because it’s tight and it has a vision and the song and story are compelling. The lo-fi is an instrument. Sometimes I get lost with lo-fi production, but this essentially plays as a pop song to me. Just about spiders and meat.

Curious what you did with the vocals, and also how you recorded the drums. Sounds kind of like brushes and a zoom mic?

Good work. I “Dig” it. This type of song is “Strange no more” to me. Sure you might be carrying some “Baggage” about the harsh drums, but it doesn’t “Matter.” “No yeah,” it doesn’t.

nick March 9, 2023 8:27am

well this is just an honor. thank u dear friend.

background vocals through the Logic pedalboard’s spinbox. dont remember what i did for the lead, but there is a double in there. drums were recorded with the macbook microphone out in the barn at 0 degrees with yes, those thick nylon brushes. maybe one take with sticks too.

agasthya March 9, 2023 9:33am

😮 stealing the spinbox on vocals idea!

nick March 9, 2023 9:54am (edited)

i stole it from Yes

Ben March 9, 2023 10:09am

love the spinbox effect. use on voice way too often. very yes, very beatles.

grateful dead might go a little overboard with the leslie roto on vocals, guitar, organ on tracks on aoxomoxoa

juliapiker March 9, 2023 6:43pm

i do NOT need another excuse to listen to Yes

atalinkay February 27, 2023 11:24pm

This makes me feel like I’m being followed by someone/something I didn’t know I wanted to be followed by (but turns out I do) weird and vibey yes!

nurphgun March 1, 2023 2:13pm

great way to put it lol

nick March 9, 2023 8:23am

sounds like freshman year

lizzie February 27, 2023 4:39pm

drums are the perfect amount of trashy. and sexy. hot little garbage spidey.

nick March 9, 2023 8:22am

🕷🌱😚

Z February 27, 2023 4:00pm

Fever dream! Drums and entire thing sounds great, wouldn’t change a thing.

Man, love it when a song is so cryptic, but so familiar – it moves this piece from being just “spooky” to straight up uncanny.

Smoking these meats in South Africa(?) with my arachnid lover

Take me back!

nick March 9, 2023 8:21am

thank u brother. probably somewhere in the description should have mentioned that this is about a spider plant, but really didn’t want to screw with people’s first impressions

EliasSZ February 27, 2023 2:26pm

Love the vocal processing on this. Drums def not too trashy at all – total vibe. Loving the tambourine sound. Also getting experimental Beatles out of this. The speed of the “bet she wish she was” is a super nice contrast.

nick March 9, 2023 8:20am

i can’t stop throwing background vocals through a spin box

Ben March 9, 2023 9:12am

yeah i love the two different rhythms of the Bet She Wish She Was’s.

froebusiness February 27, 2023 1:06pm

Let’s fucking go dude. Sick.

alechutson February 27, 2023 12:48pm

Classic nick pope sounds 👌 your drumming is super tasteful and creative as per usual – I definitely don’t mind the trashiness

nick March 9, 2023 8:19am

thanks mr h

agasthya February 26, 2023 10:05pm

getting some experimental Beatles vibes. this is super fun and the drums are just the right amount of trashy.

nick March 9, 2023 8:16am (edited)

🍓🤘

Ben March 9, 2023 9:20am

wow good point Agasthya, it does kind of have those strawberry fields (or i am the walrus, flying, bluejay way) overdriven drum fills.

fun fact, Ringo actually recorded the drums to magical mystery tour using only his macbook builtin mic in a leaky barn in liverpool.

agasthya March 9, 2023 9:34am

you know I think I’ve heard that before, if you listen closely you can hear the hum of the laptop fan

Ryan February 26, 2023 10:04pm (edited)

This is rad. And the drums are not too trashy. What a great kick sound. Love that you celebrated the B-drone with “B” alliteration. Also shout out incorporating “vuvuzela”.

Sam Pearce February 26, 2023 9:49pm

Nah the drums are great. I like how spooky this is. Reminded me of the spookiness from the “What Good Luck” days.

nurphgun February 28, 2023 10:01am

“What Good Luck” stans to the front!

nick March 9, 2023 8:16am

my people