Development & Compromise – Album Credits, Liner Notes, and Lyrics

Click here to stream or purchase the album.

Credits:

Music & lyrics written by Chase Tremaine (https://chasetremaine.com)

Produced, engineered, and mixed by Sean Power at the Hilson Studio (http://www.thehilsonstudio.com)

Mastered by Audio Science Mastering (https://www.audiosciencemastering.com)

Artwork created by Chase Tremaine and Lauren Crownover (https://www.crownovercreative.com)

(Original photography provided by Hudson Hintze and Thusitha Dananjaya)

Vocals (tracks 2-12), drums (1-12), electric guitars (1-6, 8-12), bass guitar (2-12), keyboards/programming (7, 9), and acoustic guitar (4-6) by Chase Tremaine

Additional vocal production by Chase and Taylor Tremaine

Special Thanks:

To Sean “Killer” Power, for taking on an ambitious project and bringing it to life more imaginatively than I could’ve ever dreamed (with inside jokes galore); to Paige W., for inspiring me with endless support and unfathomable joy; to Taylor T., for mentoring me over all these years and co-producing the harmonies for many of these songs; to David B., for recording and drumming on the original demos for “Wired” and “Fear”; to Richard at ASM, for believing in me as a new artist and promoting my singles; to Manaen H. and to my parents, for letting me practice drums at your houses (alongside countless other forms of support); to Brian S., for years of collaboration and advocacy; to Theo M., for three years of sharing songs, insights, opinions, and friendship; to Daniel T., Ben K., Lauren M., and the rest of the Unfall album focus group, for your feedback and encouragement in making these songs as good as possible; to all my song shop clients and Kickstarter supporters, who have transformed “fandom” into something beautifully personal; to JFH, for being an incredible online family, community, support system, and artistic outlet; to Ethan H., who maintains sanity about making a podcast with me while I continually get neck-deep in new musical endeavors; to Kevo, Noah H., and my other friends from Chorus.fm, IVM, and Rock Legacy/At the Rock Show, for excitement and promotion and critique that inspires me to keep making more music; to my employer, for the flexibility that allowed me to record this album while working; and to Ryan and Lauren C., (who were accidentally left out of the Unfall CD booklet), for years of personal, emotional, and spiritual investment, without which these first two albums would have never come to fruition.

1. “(close relationships require exclusive content)”

[instrumental introduction track]

2. “Shock My Ears”

A spark of voltage so close to the brain
It feels a little insane
But you don’t see me stopping
I cannot finish this experiment
Until I learn the secret
Or you catch my body dropping (oh, my ears are popping)

Shock my ears — go ahead and say it
Shock my ears — show me what you’re playing with
Oh, is it dangerous?

A broken border that couldn’t be felled
But I found out by myself
Now let’s share the fire hazard
Don’t say you’re sorry, it’s better this way
Free the electricity
It was not ours to be gathered (share the fire hazard)

Shock my ears — go ahead and say it
Shock my ears — show me what you’re playing with
Oh, is it dangerous?

The truth is, your secrets are not confidential
Not information to be saved or forgot
The truth is, the truth is gonna be out there
Whether you know it or hold it or like it or loathe it or not

Shock my ears — go ahead and say it
Shock my ears — show me what you’re playing with
Oh, is it dangerous?

A spark of voltage so close to the brain
It feels a little insane
But you don’t see me stopping (stopping)

3. “Fear Not Want” (Read more about the song)

Want — Who deserves what they want?
And who is brave enough to want?
Disappoint will find me
At the second I finally
Want a thing, anything

Love — Who deserves what they love?
And who’s a fool enough to love?
Disappointment will own me
Every moment, I only
Loved a thing — just one thing

I’m not good enough to get
If I’m still paying off all my debt
To want & love’s a risky bet
So why does this angel tell me, “Fear not”?

He flew to me, an empty shell, and down onto my face I fell,
What warning does he come to tell? My grave and I are parallel.
Then, only for a moment, I — could feel the angel lift the spell,
He said, “The only place safe from love and all of its dangers is hell.”  

I’m not good enough to get
If I’m still paying off all my debt
To want & love’s a risky bet
So why does this angel tell me, “Fear not”?
Yet if I ever stand secure
In all the pain I might endure
Fear would be the cancer, not the cure

4. “Developments”

She fell into my arms, which made me drop the ball
Not sure which mattered more after all
I looked below but can’t tell where she’d fall
If I dropped her to catch the next doll

Little did I know after her would come a book
And after a book, a game, but the real hook
Was when the doll became a girl, just a look
Could leave my whole system shook

Does it make you arrogant to always know
How to press my buttons just right so you’ll have me?

I’m developing new skills: stare, smoulder, lie
Be a shoulder to cry on, a sensitive guy
I’m discovering the power deceit supplies
Stealing back control I thought was mine

Does it make me arrogant to always know
How to press your buttons just right so you’ll love me?
What can I say, I was raised on games,
Not on the kind of love that stays

I won the game, so where’s my prize:
You want to be my trophy, I can see it in your eyes,
I won the game, so here’s my prize,
Congratulations, you traded love for lies

Your desire for comfort is what you’ll blame
But comfort and truth are rarely the same
Were you really happy before I came?
At least before me you had no shame

Does it make me arrogant to think I know
How to press your buttons just right so you’ll love me?
What can I say, I was wrong that dolls
Ever need me to love them at all

5. “Wings Not Made to Fly”

I had it coming — we all knew I’d try
To learn what to do with — these wings not made to fly
Are they for hiding — or purposed at all?
If I climb too high — would they even help me fall?

When his face shines in — they rise to my cheeks
If I appear filthy — these things bow to my feet
When I’m uncovered — with wingspan displayed
I’m left feeling naked and asking why I was made

The whole earth is filled with his questions
The whole earth is filled with his questions

Eyes are for seeing — but here, I am blind
Are answers before me — or was I left behind
Forgotten, abandoned — are these even real?
If I am broken, can my breaking also heal?

The whole earth is filled with his questions
The whole earth is filled with his questions

I can do this (x4)
I can defy
How I was made
I can fly
I can escape

6. “Work Together”

All my voice needs is pitch and passion (pitch and passion)
But all that I sing is quickly clashin’ (quickly clashin’)
Words out of my mouth
They don’t sound like sound
All my fist needs is speed, precision (speed, precision)
But none of my punches match my vision (match my vision)
A swing and a miss
A one-sided kiss

Are we gonna work together,
Me and you, you and me?

I only imagine fits of fashion (fits of fashion)
I’m too quick to answer before askin’(before askin’)
Words slip through my teeth
Feign truth by degrees
When my eyes blink, what am I missin’? (am I missin’)
Everything moves without permission (no permission)
Ignorance is bliss
A mirror to kiss

Are we gonna work together,
Me and you, you and me?
Are we gonna work together,
Me and you, you and me?

7. “Madison”

Every step through your city
I’m dreaming our paths might cross
That fate may offer pity
Or that chance negate the loss
I had mothers, fathers, friends
Spread throughout this sad, old place
Means were lost enroute to ends
How to forget every face

Oh, who has despised the day of little things?
Visiting that small cafe
Those lamplit streets
So, if the right time, right place
Opportunity comes
What will I say, who will you be?
(I know… I don’t know)

This may not be a ghost town
You can’t deny I’m haunted
To unearth who you are now
Both wished for and unwanted
Have I the courage to think
That all is as it should be?
Or the cowardice to drink
My poisonous fantasy

Oh, who has despised the day of made-up things?
Visiting that small cafe
Those lamplit streets
So, if the wrong time, wrong place
Opportunity comes
What will we say, who will we be?
What awkward conversation could change
What these years were always meant to bring?
Who has despised the day of memories?
I’m always dwelling on past ones
Or inventing a new one
To avoid the fact,
What’s done is done
(What’s done is done… I know… I don’t know)

8. “Hello, Zunyko”

Hello, Zunyko — yes, I’ll take this dance
I’m a solo spirit, I may not hold your hand
But I’ll make you feel beautiful, we’ll love it to the end
Then after the hour, you won’t see me again

‘Cause I’m a stranger for the night, and of the night, and by the night
So only for tonight, I’ll let you slip into my life
I’ll spin you ‘round and dip you down
And we can stay as long as it takes to leave it all right here
Hello, Zunyko

You like my style, you watch me for a while
As I don’t dance with other girls, I wander through denial
When you approach me, I worry I will not lead you well
But as the light falls on us, and our moves get honest
You wash my fears away
We waltz in language and our conversation
Fits years into a day

‘Cause we are dancers for the night, and of the night, and by the night
So only for tonight, you let me slip into your life
I spin you ‘round and dip you down
Say our farewells as if our lives only have this time to spare
We swing and sway for movement’s sake
The room is all we share
Every perfect chance for kissing you
Is left hanging in the air
Feel the moment’s pain of leaving you
Yet in a week, we will not care
But I pray if we hear those songs again
We’ll fondly recall… the stranger of the night

9. “Q2FN”

I left your midst jaded
Your work had been belated
But I knew not what I waited for
High hopes had been created in me
But I didn’t want to linger anymore
So I said “I’ve got to go”
I didn’t give a finger about you anymore
So I said “I’ve got to go”

(Go)

But I never really knew
What it is you really do
All I wanted was
“Quick quick faster now!” (Oh!)
But I couldn’t ever see
What it is you do for me
Kept me walking so
Quick quick faster now, oh!

With big talk, deadlock, I was baited
But called your bluff when my happiness faded
And I couldn’t put in effort anymore
So I said “I’ve got to go”
I wouldn’t read a letter about you anymore
So I said “I gotta go”

(Go)

But I never really knew
What it is you really do
All I wanted was
“Quick quick faster now!” (Oh!)
But I couldn’t ever see
What it is you do for me
Kept me walking so
Quick quick faster now, oh!

Can I ever really know when it’s time?
Do you ever tell a soul when it’s time?
Will I quit before I know that it’s time?
Are you gonna let me know, give me providence or don’t

10. “A Compromise”

It’s hard to get a grip on a slippery slope
And convince yourself that you’ll stand tall
It’s hard to throw away methods you used to cope
And not think that everything will fall
It’s harder when you fall mad in love with someone
That you’ll never get a chance to see
And then your life becomes a big countdown to none
Of how many promises you keep

Seems so simple stayin’ in
Seems so simple
Seems so simple stayin’ in line

Oh we talk about meeting in the middle
Yeah we talk about meeting in the middle
Yeah we talk about meeting in the middle
‘Til we have to choose a side

I’m trying to keep tabs as it all comes unfurled
But distractions make for such good fun
I could become a man in this fatherless world
But I feel no need to be a son
So I let myself fall mad in love with someone
That I’ll never get a chance to touch
But I need to connect when I’m under attack
There, to me, promises don’t mean much!

Seems so simple stayin’ in
Seems so simple
Seems so simple stayin’ in line

Oh we talk about meeting in the middle
Yeah we talk about meeting in the middle
Yeah we talk about meeting in the middle
‘Til we have to choose a side
We have to choose a side
We have to choose a side
Not everything can be a compromise

11. “Roethke”

Adapted from Theodore Roethke’s poem “The Shape of the Fire”

To have the whole air, love sang toward
To be by the rose, rise out of bed
Still as a child in its first loneliness
Death was not and I simply was
To have the whole air, pleasure on ground
To be by the rose, it has no sound
Have I come unhinged or carelessly slipped?
Death is not and I simply am

Morning-fair come back
To the world of leaves and ditches
To answer the call
To abandon all your riches
See the after-light
Glitter left on the lake’s surface
As my intentions
Stretch past their initial purpose

To know that light falls and fills, often unknown
Trembles at the edge but does not overflow
Holding and feeding the stem of the flower
Still as a child in its first loneliness

To have the whole air, love sang toward
To be by the rose, rise out of bed
Still as a child in its first loneliness
Death was not and I simply was
To have the whole air, pleasure on ground
To be by the rose, it has no sound
Have I come unhinged or carelessly slipped?
Death is not and I simply am

12. “Wired Side of Content”

Blue light reflects off of my eyes
My satisfaction’s on the rise
I tried to go to sleep at night
But my enemy stayed by my side
I used to run, I used to care
But I’ve been sucked into the glare
When the whole world is in my palms
I’m just a beggar taking alms

Please, me
Please, me
Stop doing this to me!

Innocence stolen from a man
But was it there when he began?
He can remember all his dreams
Because he saw them on the screen
Plug me back up and fill me in
Notify my once again
Whether the sky is sun or moon
I’ve got light inside my room (I’ve got light inside my tomb)

Please, me
Please, me
Stop doing this to me!

Give a little
Give a little, oh
Give a little
Give yourself over to the wired side of content

Please, me
Please, me
Stop doing this to me!