New Release – Together by Byron Smith and Reynaldo Costa
Byron Smith is an independent Melbourne based singer, songwriter and recording artist. He played in a few different indie bands in Melbourne in the 80s, at the time releasing several albums and singles on vinyl and CD. After a long hiatus from the live scene, Byron kicked-off his solo recording adventures in early 2020, and has since been busy writing, recording and releasing songs that have been attracting international attention and critical acclaim. Once described as ‘thoughtful, alternative pop’, his songs delve into thoughts and feelings often left unexplored in this genre.
“This is my first songwriting and recording collaboration since becoming a solo artist.”
‘Together’ is a cross-continental collaboration between Byron Smith and Brazil’s Reynaldo Costa. ‘Together’ will be released on 15th September. It can be pre-saved on Spotify, iTunes and Amazon here.
Here’s what Byron told us about the upcoming release:
“Reynaldo and I originally became friends via Twitter and our shared experience of the sadness and isolation caused by the lockdowns led us to working together. The song essentially reflects our feelings about the long Covid lockdowns in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Melbourne, Australia, where I live – cities normally known for their vibrant nightlife, live music scenes and social connections. It was written and recorded during lockdowns in each of our cities, we set out to create a song about these feelings and spread an inspiring, positive, and reassuring message about being patient and ‘hanging in there’ for the return human togetherness.”
“Together we laugh, together we fly, it might feel like forever, but it’s gonna be alright”.
“Along with providing a message of hope, I think creating the song collaboratively, from different sides of the world, really epitomises the unifying power of music.”
“The lyrics and accompanying music video, that will be available on YouTube from September 22nd, juxtapose stark thoughts and images of deserted streets, cafes, schools, beaches, harbours, and playgrounds, with an upbeat chorus celebrating the joy of being together with friends and loved ones.”
“I made the artwork myself. I used an image taken at night of an empty park bench, positioned under a single light. I liked the idea of showing an object that is normally associated with human interaction and intimacy, with no people there. To me, combining this image with the song title of ‘Together’ creates a poignant visual irony that is quite arresting… I hope it evokes questioning and curiosity, while also reflecting a scene that has become all-too familiar during the pandemic, of a public place devoid of humanity.”
“The process of creating a complex piece of music from different corners of the world is both exciting and challenging…. Exciting because it’s a new experience and a chance to learn and expand our respective musical scopes. Challenging because it also requires some technical nous, a solid understanding of time zones, clear and regular communication, and lots of patience due to the understandable delays between each stage of the song’s development. It’s quite different to working alone, but ultimately very satisfying, as you feed-off each other’s ideas and creativity, resulting in something surprising and new, which you might not have ever produced on your own.”
“Certainly, Reynaldo brought a Latin American vibe to the song, which is a new feel for me, while I brought more of an indie pop sensibility, which turned out to be a very synergistic combination.”
“The chord progression and basic initial melody were written by Reynaldo, to which I then wrote the lyrics based on conversations we’d had over Facebook Messenger and email about the lockdowns. I made a few top-line melody and song-structure suggestions, and Reynaldo then went into a studio in Rio to play and record the drums, lead vocals and some of the guitars. He also brought in fabulous bass player Adonias Hipolito, who also lives in Rio, to record the bassline. Reynaldo then transferred the .WAV files to me in Melbourne, and I added piano, some more guitars, backing vocals and percussive elements in my home studio, using Logic Pro X. I did a basic mix and went back and forth online with Reynaldo until we were both happy, and I then sent the project to Bryan Daste – a fantastic mixing and mastering guy I know, who’s based in Portland, Oregon – for a final polish. Reynaldo and I had some input during the final mixing phases, until we reached a consensus, before giving the green light for mastering.”
“So, in the end, the song travelled across three continents on its journey to completion!”
You can discover more about his music at byronsmithmusic.com
