A song does not have to be created in the correct order. The first thing you hear may be a line of words. Or a bass line. Or a drum pattern. Or an ugly guitar sound. Or a person with an expression on their face that makes you want to know what happened to them. Or simply a feeling that has not been put into words yet. Feral Business starts wherever the nerve is exposed.

Find the Thing That Won't Go Away

The beginning idea doesn't have to be amazing. It just needs to keep coming back. A small group of words that continue to come back will likely provide the main theme for a chorus. A rhythm tapped unconsciously will likely define the physical structure of the song. An odd sound can help define the space where the person or thing is speaking. Bear Cole's goal during this phase isn't to prove that the idea will turn into a song. His job is to figure out what the idea continues to ask for.

Build Around Tension

Many Feral Business songs rely on two opposing forces. Motion versus anxiety. A clean hook within a damaged texture. Direct lyrical content surrounded by ambiguity. Arrangement turns these two forces into a journey. Sections enter, repeat, exit, or clash. Spaces without sound can provide as much tension as adding additional layers. A quiet section may exist so the following section can explode. Arrangement is completed once each element contributes to the emotional arc — not when all available tracks in the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) have been filled.

Let the Tools Cross Borders

There's no real barrier between traditional instruments and digital production in this studio. Guitars, bass, vocals, synths, programmed drums, samples, effects, and field recordings are all raw materials. A guitar can act as drums. A voice can become background noise. A computer-generated drum beat can sound more vulnerable than a live performance if positioned correctly. The identity of the song comes from the choices: what is performed, what is deleted, when the imperfections are allowed to remain, and how the various parts interact with each other.

Editing Is Part of Writing

Raw instinct initiates the creative process, however, raw instinct alone won't complete the creative process. Editing enables us to discover the song that the initial burst of energy couldn't visualize yet.

For example, a particular section may be too long. An interesting sound may divert attention away from the lyrics. A chorus may require less ornamentation and more emphasis.

Although the editing process may seem less exciting than the original inspiration for the song, it is during the editing process that our intentions become audible. Being honest isn't necessarily about keeping everything. Sometimes being honest means deleting parts that took us the longest to create.

Know When the Animal Is Alive

Producing perfection isn't the objective. Creating a perfectly polished surface can eliminate the friction that made pursuing the track worthwhile. The question is whether or not the song moves, communicates, and retains enough unpredictability to sound alive. Once additional edits would only force the song to become more compliant, perhaps it's time to cease working on the song.

Hear the Process in the Catalog

Visit the Feral Business music page to listen to released tracks. Use the playlists and genre directories to see how different initial sparks lead to varying shapes while retaining the overall perspective of the project. Feral Business is written by Bear Cole and is part of 1st Drop Music. The spark may be feral. The completed track is feral on purpose.