Key Lyric: “In my head, I did everything right.”
Supercut represents my mind’s constant tendency to replay the events described throughout the album. Through the “Oceanic Outro,” an instrumental section that pays homage to the hours I spent watching the ocean and reservoir following my assault, the song’s “Supercut” is understood to be intrusive memory rather than a past romance. Supercut provides a soft landing to sit in the intensity of For Boston’s aggressive depiction of sexual trauma.
Purpose (Why this song?)
Supercut, like Babylon, had its beat sourced from a remix I had made of the original Supercut back in the day. To be fair, though: For Lorde’s track, I was inspired by nostalgic memories of college. So in many ways, it was like as if I had made it for this project all along. This notion is especially true when the Oceanic Outro from this song would go on to inspire much of the album’s sonic narrative and even visual design.
In the creative process of the song in this album, I truthfully didn’t want to change much about the original. All the vocal effects are the same as my original’s, so the recording process was quite simple. Just recording myself over the tracks and plugins I originally had Lorde. Even with this simplicity, though, the song remains instrumental in the concept of this album and its narrative on both a sonic and emotional level. It’s a cool testament to my intuition.
The Creative Process:
Enjoy the original remix that I created Supercut ‘s beat for!
Sonic Identity
Supercut is all about evoking the water. The song itself serves as reflection on memory & grief’s power over us. For me, I often find myself reflecting on those two things when I’m by myself, next to a body of water. I mediate on the constant motion of waves and streams, changing yet persisting. I try to process the things in my life that I’m reminded of in that meditation, too. With this in mind, I wanted my version of Supercut to fully embody this relationship. Synths throughout the song play with wetness, I have sections of the song that are accompanied by recordings of the ocean, and generally designed my vocals to sit in the song’s production as if they are submersed.
Core Sounds
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Storyline
Supercut is the song that I most closely associate with the visuals of the album. After traumatic events, I’ve always returned to the water. I grew up next to a small nature preserve that rested against a river and spent hours there alone throughout my childhood. In high school, I’d go to Sasco Beach (The location of the album cover) and watch the Long Island Sound from my car. When I was at BC, a walk around The Res offered me reflection in all of my trying times. And in the time since, I’ve had my deepest moments of peace, processing, and acceptance while sitting beside a large reservoir that rests on the northern line of my hometown.
For the album, I dumped all of my experience into the song “For Boston.” Understanding the immense trauma that the song For Boston represents in the story, and understanding that in my life, water always follows trauma; it was important that the next song live in that place of reflection and processing that I’ve come to know well. A water-themed cover of a song about memories that play over and over seemed like it’d fit the bill.
Key Moments
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As previously mentioned, this lyric is the reason for Babylon’s inclusion on the tracklist of this album. Already a cute cheeky line from the original, my rendition allows the lyric to become a play on words referring equally to the Era “Before Christ,” B.C, as well as the instituion of “Boston College,” BC.
Within the song, the line is emphasized through some additional background harmonies and a little chipmunk voice saying “oh, nice!” It kinda sounds like “all night,” too, which I like. Both work for the line!
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Before the final chorus and song outro, I have a section that centers vocals that have been pitched down considerably. I sang those lyrics with the intention of sounding commanding, envisioning myself as a sweaty athletic coach instructing my team to strut it out. It becomes an important moment in the song as a short shift in energy before exploding into the track’s finale, making the loud finale sound even louder than it actually is.
