Single: Tom Parentes by Navlebeskuer

My new single in the Navlebeskuer universe, Tom Parentes, is finally out on the 3rd of February, 2024! A declaration of love and a release from constant self-absorbtion, it starts with intimate vocals and ends in a triumphant explosion of guitars, synths and strings.

Probably my best production so far, the song was written about 10 years ago and produced iteratively over the years. At the beginning of last year, I finally managed to finish the mix in a hotel room in Singapore, having just arrived for my 6-month stay. Actually, the release date is exactly one year from my arrival (coincidental). After 10 years, allowing myself to let go of the song was a great start to my stay there! The single was mastered by Holger Lagerfeldt.

Some years ago, I invested in the VSX headphone system by Steven Slate Audio which let me mix anywhere with better results than with my main speakers in my home studio (i.e. living room). It has really helped me improve as a mixer, e.g. in my work with the FLÕR EP. The headphones emulate sitting in some top-class studios with very expensive speakers, and for the most part it works wonderfully. It’s crazy how much it helps to be able to trust your ears when mixing 🙂

Creating the cover art was a combination of AI generation with Midjourney, upscaling with Magnific, and many hours of Photoshop work. The initial idea was to create a wedding in a prehistoric world in front of two obelisks (2001 – A Space Oddysey-style) representing a set of empty parentheses (Tom Parentes). I ended up pretty happy with the result.

Lyrics for Tom Parentes