#nahdfox

[nahdpencil]

First track from my new EP, "IKE"

Song description under "read more" below.

XM-000416 “IKE”

XMs (“Experimental Models”) were among the first models produced by RAS under the AAW program. During the period when XMs were being designed, RAS was still a small-scale private military company that only dealt with human security contractors. As such, XMs were only ever officially designated for use in non-combat support roles, even though there were reports of XMs being sighted on the frontlines.

When later combat models were officially released, many XMs were scrapped for raw material. It remains unclear why IKE was not scrapped.

As one of the only remaining XMs of its kind, IKE is also one of the few known models to exhibit “mirroring” behavior, which AAW had been experimenting with before transitioning to its more common “self-learning” algorithms seen on later models.

Remaining information about IKE, or other similar XMs, is hard to come by, as RAS heavily safeguards most of its documentation regarding experimental models.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IKE is a four-track instrumental EP that I wrote during the summer of 2024. I had been interested in the idea of writing solely instrumental tracks for at least a few years, both because I grew up listening to the instrumental rock duo Ratatat, as well as suggestions from my father to release the instrumentals for some of my vocal-focused tracks (which I plan on doing one day in the future). When the summer of 2024 came, I realized it was way too hot for me to try recording vocals in the garage like I normally did for my other songs, which made it a great time to commit to writing an instrumental EP.

Regarding the subject matter of the EP itself, “IKE” is a story that I began brainstorming back in 2022 as a way for me to explore subject matters beyond the typical anthro-focused narratives I am used to writing. More specifically, “IKE” is a story I came up with that centers around four humanoid robot soldiers, known as “Models”, who exist in a post-apocalyptic world which was torn apart by nuclear war. It is heavily inspired by video games like Battlefield 4 and the Metro series, and the short stories I would write about the characters (which I only ever shared with my friends) are written in pseudo-computer-terminal language, reflecting the fact that the four main characters are robots who cannot communicate with each other in typical human ways.

Each of the four tracks from this EP were written to represent each of the four main models in the story: IKE (an original, experimental model and the primary protagonist of the storyline), TUKS (a model originally designed for factory work that was later reassigned as a machine gunner), ZAGHAZ (a frontline soldier model riddled with programming issues), and ETO (an advanced sniper/reconnaissance model whom is the de-facto leader of the group).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“IKE” was the first song I wrote for the titular IKE EP, and given IKE is the main character of this storyline, it made sense to me that this track should also be the theme song for the storyline as a whole. As such, I wanted this track to cover all the bases I would expect to have for this kind of post-apocalyptic storyline: the acoustic chord progression during the verses conveys an overall dreary feeling, reflecting the monotony which comes with having to scavenge for supplies throughout the wasteland; the distorted chorus chord progression has more major chords, reflecting a hopeful feeling that someone might get every so often when things seem to be getting better; and finally, the song features a bridge which slowly builds up anxious energy, reflecting the firefights that the models sometimes find themselves in when they encounter mutated wasteland creatures or other models who are willing to fight over dwindling supplies.

[nahdpencil]

Second track from my instrumental EP, “TUKS”. For a description of the album as a whole, see this post.

For a description of this song specifically, see the “read more” below.

SM1-WB7UKS “TUKS”

SMs ("Support Models") were among the first official models released after XMs. Though combat models became the primary public focus of the AAW program, RAS engineers were also interested in deploying models in support roles.

As such, SMs were often employed in the operation of heavy machinery and mass transport of supplies. By designing SMs, RAS effectively created its own laborers, as support models came to be the primary workhorses of RAS production facilities.

SMs have the most limited self-learning algorithms of all models, as they were usually deployed for specific jobs under controlled environments, where SMs would rarely find themselves needing to respond to rapidly changing conditions. However, as a safety measure, SMs were designed to follow the commands of higher-ranking models in an emergency.

Originally assigned to a mass transport role, TUKS was later deployed to the frontlines when the catastrophic failure of CM3* models left many CM3*s in a non-functioning state, necessitating their destruction before their technology could fall into the hands of opposing forces.

While deployed, TUKS was later assigned to a machine gunner role, as its bulky construction lended it well to carrying larger weaponry and substantial amounts of ammunition and supplies, with little impediment to its movement.

——————————————————————————

“TUKS” was the second song I wrote for the IKE EP. In the five months since initially starting this album, I went through three draft compositions for “TUKS”; each one was in 3/4 time, and each ended up having so much distortion that my recordings sounded muddy and lacked dynamic variation. I was committed to releasing “TUKS” by the end of the year, so in December of 2024, I scrapped my drafts so I could rewrite and record an entirely new composition for "TUKS" within a day. This is the version you get to listen to here. (Technically, this new version is not entirely from scratch—the verse chord progression originated from a four-note descending bassline which came to me two and a half years ago. I jotted down the bassline in a file on my computer, yet contemplated deleting the file every few months since I thought I’d never use the bassline; I’m glad I didn’t now, since I love how this final iteration of the song turned out.)

My initial drafts were distorted and punchy because I wanted the song to represent TUKS being a support model working tirelessly in an unrelenting arms factory. However, after scrapping that idea, I decided to go with a cleaner, more sullen sound for the bulk of the song to represent the monotony of TUKS’s daily work. The more muted, dreamy choruses then represent the short moments of reprieve TUKS sometimes has during transit between factories, admiring the stormclouds and what little overgrowth and wildlife are still around.

[nahdpencil]

New non-album single, "Losing Focus".

Give it a listen if you have the time!

[nahdpencil]

New non-album single, "The Songs He Couldn't Write".

Keep doing what you do—if not out of love, then out of the fear that one day you might no longer be able to.

[nahdpencil]

New song, "IX", the ninth song from my debut album, "The Party". A little bit more guitar-focused than the others.

[nahdpencil]

New non-album single, "poppyfields".

Give it a listen if you have the time.

[nahdpencil]

NAHDFOX - The Party full album release!

Check it out when you have the time!

[nahdpencil]

New song, "Seventeen", the seventh song from my debut album, "The Party". Heavy vocal focus on this one.

[nahdpencil]

New song, “8-Ball Tattoo”, the eighth song from my debut album, “The Party”. The one and only love song on the album.

[nahdpencil]

New song, "Can't You Love Me", a love song that I envision as a spiritual successor to "Lowly Wolf", but now from the perspective of the flapper.

[nahdpencil]

New song, "Sixth Eve Ave", the sixth song from my debut album, "The Party". A lively power-pop track!

[nahdpencil]

New song, "Five O'Clock Shadow", the fifth song from my debut album, "The Party". My first acoustic release.

[nahdpencil]

Released another single, a punk-rocky party song about making bad decisions while wasted. Check it out when you have the time!

[nahdpencil]

New song! I've decided at point that this track, in addition to the previous two, "2 A.M." and "First Breakdown of the Summer", will be on an album called "The Party". This will indeed be my first official EP by the time it is done, so feel free to check it out when you have the time!

[nahdpencil]

Decided to compile the first four song covers from my debut album. I am really happy with how they turned out, given they feel thematically connected.

[nahdpencil]

My first single. Check it out when you have the time!