I’ve been reflecting on how the last record was received and trying hard not to take anything for granted as we prep for another release. I’ve been keeping two things in mind as I do this.
First - more people listened to our first record than I ever thought would. I peeked into our stats and found the big number to the left - that’s amazing. But when I looked a little deeper, it got a bit more amazing.
Spotify shows you the playlists that you’re on - and the ones you’re not on. We were never put on any big Editorial Spotify playlists, but listeners put us on over 1,600 playlists. Because of that, some of the Algorithm-based playlists picked us up and shared us around - but that wouldn’t have happened without a bunch of people making playlists with our songs.
For that - I am deeply grateful. Thank you very much for listening to and sharing our songs!
Tess from instagram
The second thing I’ve been keeping in mind is based on a message I received the other day on Instagram. You can read it, then freak out like me.
“Hello! This is random but I had an assignment in class today where I had to pick an album that I never get sick of and I immediately knew I wanted to pick Above The Floorboards. That question made me realize how important your music has been to me for the past 4 years. So I wanted to thank you, because it feels like no matter what I go through I can always come back to your music and that means a lot.”
We made someone’s high school record.
We made someone’s high school record.
We made someone’s high school record.
We made someone’s high school record!!!!!
I had records that I loved in high school. I still love them, mostly for the same reasons. The records that I loved in high school carried me through difficult years and hard lessons and just plain loneliness. The records that I loved in high school shaped my love of records in general. They shaped the kinds of songs that I gravitate to today. My high school records were by The Mountain Goats, The Decemberists, Local Natives, The National, and Bright Eyes. They were by The Tallest Man on Earth, LCD Soundsystem, St. Vincent, and Jackson Browne. They were by Michael Kiwanuka, Sharon Van Etten, Arcade Fire, and Sufjan Stevens. They were by The Magnetic Fields, Frontier Ruckus, Blind Pilot, and Bon Iver. They were by Ezra Furman. They were by Fionn Regan.
Those songs helped me understand myself and songs at large. But I only had the opportunity to talk to a few of them to say thank you. So, it’s amazing to think that (1) we had that kind of impact on a real human person and (2) we would never have known if they didn’t reach out to say something.
This is where the metrics conversation breaks away and I get a little less anxious about our new release.
I care about a lot of people hearing our new record - but only because I think that 0.01% of the people that hear it might find it really important and helpful, like our high school pal on Instagram. So, heck, I’m excited to share the first song next Friday. Maybe more people will listen than last time - maybe fewer people will listen. Maybe I’ll be needlessly embarrassed - maybe I’ll be overly prideful.
Regardless, I think I’ll focus on this small message from a stranger. I think I’d like to hope that some of these songs will find long-term homes in a few people, providing some sense of solace in a hard time or sweetener in an easy time - and something to reminisce on at a later time.
Wow, I love songs.
The first single of our second record comes out in exactly one week. We finished it in the Spring, and I’m just plain delighted to share it. If you like it, share it with someone or put it on a playlist.
Or just send a message my way.