All about "Everybody Wins", the new single from The Glenn Coast

INSPIRATION

Musically, "Everybody Wins" was inspired in October 2021 by my purchase of a 2018 Taylor Custom Baritone 6-string acoustic guitar from Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto. I was goofing around on it one night and created the verse chord progression, which I recorded into my iPhone. Guitarists might notice that the song starts on a B, which is a fairly inconvenient chord, and guess that I'm actually playing an E on a baritone guitar.

A couple weeks later, I was in Andrew Huang's music production class on Studio and decided to use this 'seed' as the basis for my first project, which was to write, record, and produce a song in 10 or so days.

WRITING

Technically, the project was to create an electronic instrumental track, but I'm neither electronic nor instrumental, LOL. That said, I tried to start in that direction, which definitely influenced me in the use of synthesizers, aggressively processed drums, and distorted vocals.

Lyrically, I often start with the title, or a chorus idea, but in this case, the opening lines emerged immediately.

"Angels on my left side; Devils on my right. Heaven seems so boring while Hell parties all night."

As I thought about what those words might mean, I pictured myself sitting in a bar with 'good' girls on one side and 'bad' girls on the other side. I decided my goal was to get them both together so that "everybody wins". From there the song pretty much wrote itself... which is almost always the best case scenario.

RECORDING

Everything was performed or programmed by me and recorded at my home "Bougainvillea" Studio on a MacBookPro using LogicPro X. I use a Universal Audio Twin X audio interface.

I monitor through my IK Multimedia iLoud MTM monitors when I'm recording guitars, bass, or keyboards; through closed-ear Sennheiser headphones when recording vocals; and through Steven Slate Audio VSX headphones when mixing/mastering.

INSTRUMENTS

• Vocals: I sang four vocal tracks through a Shure SM7B

• Vocal Chain:

  • Izotope Nectar 4, for the gate and auto-level

  • Waves Audio Abbey Road ADT

  • Waves Audio CLA Vocals

  • Toontrack EZMix 2: using the 'Radio' preset

• Female Vocals: Programmed with Zero-G Ethera Gold 2.5 for the "ooooos"

• Acoustic Guitars: Taylor Baritone Acoustic Guitar with one track processed through the 'radio' preset on Toontrack EZMix 2. The other track is unprocessed.

• Electric Guitars: Two tracks of a Paul Reed Smith Custom 12-string electric guitar through a Helix Stomp, using a Vox amp.

• Synth: The lead synth uses Output Exhale with the "Invincible" setting

• Bass:

  • Played using Toontrack EZBass, Modern Bass, with the "Clean DI" preset

  • Synth Bass played through Arturia's Analog Lab: Modular with the "Attacksch" preset

• Drums - I programmed the drums using Native Instruments Butch Vig Drums (which are amazing)

• Percussion - Shaker

• Mastering Chain:

  • IK Multimedia Lurssen Mastering

  • Mastering the Mix Bassroom

  • Pluginalliance ADPTR Metric AB