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EP · Americana Production · 2024

Gravel & Gold

Five songs about small towns and second chances, tracked live around one microphone with a four-piece band and no click track.

Songwriter in a plaid shirt working on a laptop

The Brief

Honest, not polished

The band had a drawer of half-finished songs and a fear of overproducing them. The brief was to make a record that sounded like the room it was written in — wood floors, breathing, fingers on strings.

The Approach

One mic, full takes

We spent three days finishing lyrics together, then recorded the EP in two evenings. Most of what you hear is the second or third full take, vocals and all, with the band standing in a circle.

Process

From drawer to record

  1. Song selectionAuditioned eleven sketches live and kept the five that got the room quiet.
  2. Lyric finishingRewrote two choruses and one entire second verse around the kitchen table.
  3. Live trackingTwo evenings, one microphone, full-band takes with lead vocals committed to tape.
Close-up of hands typing on a keyboard

Deliverables

What shipped

  • Role — Co-write, production, lyric finishing
  • Format — Five-song EP with lyric booklet
  • Artwork — Sleeve design and merch stamp
  • Timeline — Three writing days, two tracking evenings