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O T H E R S I D E

by Nature's Neighbor

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Hungover Crocodile
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Hungover Crocodile This is the first I've heard of Natiure's Neighbor, and I'm really impressed - this is a very nice album. The lyrics are poetic and offers a contemplation of life in the Covid era. The whole album covers a wide variety of musical styles. And the music reaches incredible cathartic highs such as in the tracks Dreadnought, Bold Move, and Pocket Lullaby. Favorite track: Dreadnought.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Includes the single 'Tall Order' as a bonus track, a song that was written during the Otherside sessions.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    A high gloss three panel fold out containing the disc and an eight page booklet filled with pictures of each individual band member, album credits and extra background information. Comes in a protective shrink wrap. Definitely a worthy addition to any Nature's Neighbor fan's collection. Released by TaiDuo Music in 2021.

    Includes unlimited streaming of O T H E R S I D E via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 50 

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 16 Nature's Neighbor releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Live Collections, Vol. 1, The Glass Album, Michael & The Whale, Walking Around, Nighttime Underpass, YM&TP Mk2, O T H E R S I D E, Tall Order, and 8 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $61.50 USD or more (25% OFF)

     

1.
Wanna know whats the world behind your mask and I Wanna go to the same place take me back Would you ever ask a friend Will you arms ever extend Wanna know whats the reason why you left and I Wanna grow wanna feel it If I can Cause I never could say “So long” No I never could be that strong And I know its cold and bitter wind that blows And I go wherever it tells me to go, and I I believe when the sky turns the right shade of blue, that I I will be here forever singing with you Take a step.. Watch your neck.. This mat be Your last sunrise Even if there is no turning back I won't need it Even if there is no turning back Brother will you return with me Once again Where the wind cuts your skin
2.
What would I do if I lost my way? Would I just stay in place? Would it be all okay? Well.. What would I do if I lost my mind? Would moments freeze in time? Would it be so sublime? Well.. The way things go it'll get much worse I'm standing on my perch But it might be a curse, you know I'd probably laugh and then fall asleep Drift off into a dream And float on down the stream, yeah You got that look in your eye C'mon and step in the fire I know you don't wanna die These are the trying times Its time to leave the nest Put your good foot first and do your best Living my life here above the tracks The trains are flying past While I just sigh and laugh, y'know The days grow dim but I just shine my light I might just go outside And take my final flight, alright The ambulances speeding down the street Their angry sirens scream Bringing reluctant credence To the belief that we should stay inside Watching the world go by Until the day we die All has lead to this What has come to pass? How long will we ask: "How long will it last?" You got that look in your eye C'mon and step in the fire I know you don't wanna die These are the trying times
3.
Dreadnought 03:52
Though I will try to do my best To forget you and all the rest Its there, its there you know I can't forget the words you said My tempers fire engine red It flares, it flares you know If I could get some peace of mind Each day I live is just a grind I'm scared, I'm scared you know Feel my heart turn cold It never does what its told I'll never know why you rowed away I've got no place to hide from your ghost of a memory See my heart turn black Its never going to come back I'm fending off the attack today I've got no place to hide from your ghost of a memory You are the voice in my head I'll bring you back from the dead Existential dread.. On and on and on the dreadnought takes me down I will ride to the other side of my mind...
4.
Folded away somehow In a place it stays Day by day my brain decays I’d say They’re taking me away Replacing the bouquet Taking me days to make A decision about you Oh, I don’t know why But it’s been driving me to drink Laughing at the blood in the kitchen sink You didn’t need to take it seriously These people they have been so cruel to me I’m playing a guitar online for free Thinking it would help But it don’t help But it’s OK I’m just A waste of space Making up phrases to Escape the malaise I think it’s taken me 10 days To plan out this escape Will I ever leave this place? It wasn’t such a great old happy time I remember I hated most of mine You put me on a train and towed the line Sending me to Greece To walk the streets Now everything I do these days is for you And god that’s OK, he knows that I need to
5.
Bold Move 08:12
In the silence I'll speak for you Its a bold move When theres violence I'm at peace for you Its a bold move Eyes can't see Can't see Don't know Eyes can't see Can't see Can't know In the silence I'll speak for you Its a bold move When theres violence I'm at peace for you Its a bold move Ohh.. Turn on your light In the silence I'll speak for you Its a bold move When theres violence I'm at peace for you Its a bold move Ohh.. Cause I can't see Wont you let me be? Cause I cant't see Won't you let me be? I've seen enough Tell the tale as its been told I have seen enough death to fill a tomb with grief Eyes look down on me Will they ever look away? Call it as you see it Clear as day Can you steer clear of it Right this way You hide your fear of it You will pay Would you ever ask a friend Would your arms ever extend Beyond yourself Would you ever ask a friend Would your arms ever extend Beyond yourself When the virus shows no pity It’s a bold move through the city Once the sky begins to fall From your perch you can see it all Beyond yourself Everyday is something new 50/50 it might kill you, too Even though there is no turning back I won't need them Bold Move Your Move Bold Move Just Move
6.
Been burned out and busted Dead on the tracks The wandering wolf dog Follows me back Tell him sit Throw a bone Biking home alone Text your friends Go to sleep Dream of secret songs I’m pushing the pedals To pump the heart Pink mist slowly settles After the dark Fields of black Headed back Biking home alone Text your friends Go to sleep Waking to No reply Slick trick of the eyes See through your disguise I’ll never know why you wore it in the first place I spread my parts After the dark I stretch my wings across these haunts You left me a voicemail That made me cry I haven’t responded I don’t know why Blackened skies Midnight eyes Biking home alone Wish I could go back To how it was But its gone gone gone The stars will draw my map tonight I’m off to find the other side Its all okay Its just a game we’re born to play Every day I can’t believe its come to this Edge of apocalypse Slow your roll Stay at home
7.
Are you keeping track Of when you met your passions last Are they wandering Disguised as you Holy hellish time Bled all the light out of the sky As it is Shook the life out of the question why No more goodnights Is it a thing of the past? Or are you under attack? Can they see you? Hope your fears are see through Letting go Know it only follows A tough pill you’ll never swallow Caving in Bury all your sorrows Because there’s no dark before tomorrow You got something on your shoulder Turn around just like I told ya You got something on your shoulder Turn around Don't look Everywhere you go I am there behind you Comin to getcha Comin to getcha The other side Your last sunrise Is where I hide
8.
On a Monday morning drive So glad that I survived Buckled up and feeling fine You're keeping me alive Bitter winds been a'blowin But I know we can keep each other going So many people died Just because they went outside Its so crazy I could cry Just hold me here tonight Make believe that we're somewhere Far away, where we never have to worry Once again, my friend, I see How much you mean to me In this world where nothings free You can borrow all my dreams For a day Let them take you far away Where the world will never break you We may never know..
9.
Keep your song in your pocket Sing it steady through the darkness We may never know how to stop this It just goes to show There are monsters in your closet Keep your song in your pocket Sing it steady through the darkness We may never know how to stop this It just goes to show There is so much we can be... Keep your song in your pocket Sing it steady through the darkness We may never know how to stop this It just goes to show There is still so much to see... ~ Bitter wind keeps a'blowing And the world keeps on going You got monsters in your closet We don't know just how to stop it I've been swimming too long in this reservoir This reservoir...
10.
11.
Forest Walk 03:51
You're lifting boulders while they throw stones Weight on your shoulders And oh so prone to explode some day So you're out here in the woods And I'd save you if I could But you don't need me you need the trees Grass and pebbles and the flowing streams Unaffected by the growing screams From the villages nearby You said to me You said that I.. You said.. I will go on a forest walk To find myself To find the others And find my way Take me out to the forest now To find myself To find the magic And find my way Find my way...
12.
I will ride to the other side of town And I may find a secret spot that I never knew about And all these miles that I've yet to put behind me Lead my back to the endless sea of mystery Take a step Watch your neck Cause this may be your last sunrise In this life there's no other way around You made it sound so simple dear So far from here But I can't lie I have never been the one So take it back And give it all to someone else Take a step Watch your neck Cause this may be your last sunrise You may never know Til you make it to the other side of town Don't look around Human After all this time I have spent Trying to become the best version of myself Will I ever let the missing pieces pick themselves?

credits

released May 14, 2021

"Throughout the album, the group maintains a firm grip on its most experimental impulses, wrestling them into shapes that carefully draw listeners through every stylistic dip, switcheroo, and loop-the-loop. The way “Bold Move” expands its shrunken funk synth into a maximalist intergalactic melody suggests that Walker and Nature’s Neighbor have only begun to explore their creativity."

- Chicago Reader

"Nature’s Neighbor return with another full length, the eclectic and worldly, Otherside. The album truly has no boundaries, rippling from synthetic laptop-pop to progressive folk and warped R&B with everything else in between touched upon for good measure. Mike Walker teams up once again with frequent collaborator Terrill Mast to create an album conceived and developed during lock-down that in turn sounds as free and adventurous as they come."

- post-trash

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Mike Walker - acoustic & electric guitar, baby sitar, baglama, zhong ruan, melodica, aux percussion, lyrics & vocals

Terrill Mast - piano, beats, synths, mellotron, marimba, taal tarang tabla, melodica, drums, aux percussion, lyrics & vocals

Benni Perkins - bass guitar, ukulele, lyrics & vocals

Brandon Studer - synths, beats, lyrics & vocals

Perry Cowdery - electric & acoustic guitar

Seth Engel - drums

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Written, performed & recorded at home by Nature's Neighbor

Produced & mixed by Terrill Mast

Mastered by Nate Amos

Artwork by Mike Walker

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Produced and written mostly during the first wave of COVID-19, this album was my saving grace during the insanity that was 2020. The idea was initially kicked off by a text message that Terrill Mast had sent me in early April. He asked me if I wanted to make one song and at first I was hesitant. My previous album did not get the kind of reception I was hoping for and I was feeling uninspired to make anything new. When a difficult situation arises my initial instinct is to respond to it by writing songs, but I felt completely spent and overwhelmed by the global circumstances.

Looking back on that moment I would say Terrill sent me that message at the perfect time. He said, “I wrote this song and it needs your voice. We can make it a Nature’s Neighbor single. I want to feel like I’m a part of this band again.” After a while I said yes, and that song became ’Otherside of Town’ which ended up being the final track and the theme for the whole album. Our idea to release a single quickly turned into three songs, then into a five song EP, then seven, then nine and before we knew it we were sitting on 12 brand new tracks. It came together so damn quickly, I was shocked.

We worked in isolation, Terrill in his basement in Virginia and me in my condo in Chicago, both recording everything at home. There was no going into the studio this time for obvious reasons, except for Seth Engel to record his drum kit. Working via email is something that Terrill and I are very used to at this point, and it was so refreshing to work with him again. The two of us hadn't worked this closely on an album since 'Vein Matter' in 2017. In many ways it felt like a sequel to that album, and even echoed a few lyrical motifs from it. I am forever thankful to have such a strong creative partner with such a distinct voice. I am even more grateful for the fact that Terrill had the sense to give me that push I needed to start writing again. Terrill basically single handedly produced this entire album.

While Terrill and I shared vocal and lyrical duties for the album, he sang on it far more than he had before on any previous NN release. We were both inspired by imagining what the other was going through. While I spent most of my days looking out onto Chicago from the balcony of my condo, Terrill would walk through the forest of his backyard in suburban Virginia. Because we were separated by roughly 750 miles we could only talk about and speculate on what it must be like to be in each other's position during this difficult and tumultuous year. The lyrics on this album really show the infinite amount of empathy and love we have for one another and how we are strongly connected despite the physical distance.

Terrill also brought some new faces into the fold. Benni Perkins is the first person to have played on a NN album without having first met me in person. Extremely talented and a welcome member of the collective, Benni sang the lead vocals on 'Shades of Yesteryear' and gave one of the most compelling performances of the entire album. Some old friends also made appearances as well, like the brilliant Brandon Studer who contributed the first sections of the 8 minute epic 'Bold Move' and of course his voicemail recording in ‘First Mother’s Day’. Perry Cowdery provided beautiful guitar layers, and Seth played drums on five songs.

While making this album it really felt like the world was falling apart all around us and I think the songs strongly reflect that feeling. We poured all our fear, joy, and reflection into this album. We really did. At times it felt like we were all just barely hanging on, but we made it through, thank God. Although we have yet to see the end of this dumpster fire we call 2020, I have high hopes, and I’m glad we were all able to pull this one off.

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'Otherside' is dedicated to Leo Arslan Studer & Evelina Alessia Lee

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Nature's Neighbor Kyoto, Japan

Nature's Neighbor is the project of song-writer Mike Walker and his friends.

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