OFF THE WALL
I wrote and recorded this song last summer. I really just wanted a feel good rebellious EDM opening track to solidify the Dummy Boy alter ego. I had Miley Cyrus’ “Can’t Be Tamed” on the moodboard while making it. I definitely think it’s a departure from any of my previous works and it’s all about demanding the dance floor or just any room you walk in. So many times you go to parties and see so many people standing around on their phones or think they’re too cool to vibe so they stand on the wall. Then there’s the ones who stand on the wall who're afraid to really let loose. This song is about breaking free from those chains.
BREAK ME OFF / WHAT’S YO NAME?
“Break Me Off” was a song I also recorded last year. Literally the night I released Act I, I went in the studio and worked on it. This is another track by JayRewind who’s an amazing producer. I really wanted to challenge myself on this track and showcase a different side of myself. Sexuality isn’t a topic I usually touch on in my music. Me being older now and becoming more in tune with my desires and needs, I wanted to make a song about it. I definitely don’t want my parents to hear it though.
“What’s Yo Name?” was one of the final tracks I worked on during the sessions of this EP. I literally did it in one night right before turning it in in May and I found a way to attach it to the final tracklist. It started as a freestyle. Like introducing myself honestly. I had Doechii’s 2021 song, “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” in mind. I wanted it to feel like those little back of the classroom freestyle cunt songs.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
I started working on this song around February. I kind of hated it at first mainly because I didn’t know what I was doing or where I wanted to go with the track. I just knew I couldn’t pass this beat up. I took some months off working on it and eventually completed everything around the time I submitted everything. It was originally going to have a feature but due to scheduling conflicts, I ended up doing the rap verse myself. I think I really pushed myself with this track. Everything worked out the way it was supposed to and I really just wanted a feel good dance track everyone can vibe out to. Although I have never experienced a love that’s described in this track yet, a boy can still dream right?
NOT MY CALLING
“Not My Calling” was one of the first tracks I cut for DB back in the Summer / Fall of 2023. I had just released the deluxe version of KYLETOPIA during the time and I was still in the process of finding the sound for this project. It was originally going to be on Act I but I felt it was gonna be overshadowed by the other tracks so I just sort of preserved it til now which I believe was a good idea. I think it really captures that 2010s Tumblr wave of Alternative R&B. Artists like SZA, Jhené, Childish Gambino, Spooky Black, etc. A song you can just get high on a rooftop somewhere and chill, at least that’s how I feel.
LA LA LA
“La La La is” a battle cry. It was the last song I worked on for the EP. I heard the beat in Nashville and I was like “I have to work on this as soon as I get home”. I finished it before June. I feel it’s me talking directly to the enemy. The enemy could be anyone: depression, myself, doubt, fear, imposter syndrome, negative people, etc. I think when I wrote it, I had grown so frustrated with wanting to give up or comparing myself to others and then I had to remember who the fuck I was and understand that the only person in my way was me. It’s about taking your power back and literally kicking and screaming your way through life’s challenges and struggles. I really had Lemonade Mouth in my head while doing it and a bit of Kelis / N.E.R.D. The power literally went out while I was recording it.
CAN’T TOUCH THIS
This song, I really was on my Yeezy shit. I just really wanted to make a song of me really talking my shit and saying what I had to say. I remember when I first finished it back in October, I rode around my school campus and would blast it in my car with the windows down hoping someone would hear it. This also one of the first tracks I really put my all into the rapping. Rapping really isn’t my strong suit but it’s almost like singing a song and finding the flow of how to sing it. It’s weird. Don’t ask me to freestyle though.
PRETENDING IT’S FINE
Probably one of my most saddest songs. I wrote it last summer. This song is really personal to me mainly because it’s about me. Growing up I always had to be tough or masculine, mainly due to the pressures of the men and boys in my life. Pretending everything was fine was my way of protection. It was my way to avoid confrontation. But overtime, that shit eventually eats you up inside if you don’t let it out or truly express yourself the way you want. I wanted the song vibe to feel like a melancholy dream or like one of those wind up ballerina dolls. It has such a beautiful dreamy sound but it’s also this haunting darkness to it.
Click to watch an exclusive video for the track here.
TWO LEFT FEET
Another song I cut last July. I originally posted a raw snippet on my IG story and everyone was fucking with it. It wasn’t finished at the time but I knew I had magic on my hands. Definitely another song that has a bubbly vibe but still kind of haunting and dark. I don’t even think I had anyone in mind when I wrote it. Just a catchy melody and that was that. It was originally released in October and it underperformed, but in my heart ot hearts I knew this was a good fucking song. So I kept pushing it and I’m still pushing it. Everyone goes through moments where they miss their lover and wanna spin the block to the point it becomes desperate and soul crushing. But the music still makes you wanna dance.
SORRY
I wrote this song in December after going through a really difficult transitional period. For most of my life I’ve always been a people pleaser. Constantly apologizing when I wasn’t wrong. Lowering my standards for other people’s comfort. Not feeling worthy or good enough in anyone's eyes, not even God. So I wrote and recorded this song literally in the bed of my dorm room in a ball of tears. The song was originally 5 minutes but I cut it down mainly because I wasn’t sure if anyone wanted to listen to all of that. I also knew this would be a good closer for the EP because although the song’s theme has a worn down / tired aspect, there’s still a piece of optimism and hope in it.
All Songs Written by Kyle M. Horn, ll
Produced by: SHABAFLABYLA, JayRewind, Cloudlvl, Nono G, Suzukisan, Unsaved, STXRMIIX, & Gagabaer