Austin-Based Rock Group WHITE LABEL ANALOG Share Story Behind Latest “Curves”

February saw the four-piece rock band White Label Analog share their first release of the year with the instantly infectious “Curves.” With more laid-back and subtle sonics than many of their previous releases, “Curves” walks the line of original yet instantly familiar. As the opening “ooh-oohs” kick in, the listener is drawn in and welcomed as lead singer Chris Didear sings, “you’re not alone” in the chorus. In addition to being a fresh sound for the band, Didear explains how else the song differs from their other songs. He details the story below in an All Access look at behind the song.

DIDEAR: “I have collaborated with a lot of different songwriters over the years in other bands and music projects. Honestly, I’m not the greatest guitarist, so typically I tend to write with others who can play the guitar much better than myself. However, for “Curves” I wanted to see what I could do primarily on my own to challenge myself.  My first instrument and musical passion began with the drums. Therefore, I tend to pay close attention to beats when I listen or write. The fundamentals of rhythm and vocal signature are the prime elements that I gravitate towards, and I believe are also what fans of music tend to focus on.  The groove and the vocal can really give a song a cool vibe and complement one another. I use Logic Pro X as my DAW of choice and created the beat for “Curves” from scratch. Once the tempo and groove felt right, I started layering vocal melodies as an intro. Using a bunch of harmonies, octaves, and melody variations, it began to take on an airy choir-like feel. It was then, that I realized that I wanted to also use the same idea as the final outro, so there was a good introduction that caught your ear as well as a familiar resolve.

I then began adding some keyboard/synth parts which included violins and had enough of a skeleton to begin laying down vocal ideas. As it started coming together, I added some guitar and bass sections, and then worked on getting the lyrics together. I wanted to convey something that would have a positive message that listeners could universally relate to. Everyone experiences hardship at points in their lives, as I have. Sometimes, you just need to lean on those around you when you may not be feeling the strength to go it alone. As with all WLA’s music, “Curves” went through a series of iterations to get to its final draft form. Heath and I collaborated back and forth with Logic project files until we felt like it was in a good place. We then recorded it at Ice Cream Factory Studio in Austin, TX with Matt Parmenter (Quiet Company, Chrysta Bell) and had it mixed by Carl Bahner (St. Lucia, Joywave) in Lancaster, PA.”

A huge shout-out to Chris Didear for sharing the story behind the song and congrats on nailing the guitar for this one. Keep updated with the band below and stay tuned for a story from the road appearing on All Access in the coming weeks.

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