Singled Out: Keith Carne's (We Are Scientists) 37 Hours

We Are Scientists' Keith Carne has announced the April 20th release of his debut solo album "Magenta Light" and just shared the song "37 Hours", and to celebrate we asked Keith to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

My new song "37 Hours" would have been so much easier to write if I'd simply been able to heed my own advice. But of course when I began writing the song, I didn't know what that advice would be.

Of all the tunes on my upcoming album "Magenta Light, " this was the most difficult for me to finish. The guitar part announced itself to me with ease all the way back in 2018. Yet it took three complete drafts of lyrics, written over 7 years before I hit on something that I knew was right. It was only when I went back to journal entries I'd made around the time I wrote that guitar part that I realized what the song's lyrics should focus on. It turns out the lyrics, like a lot of the elements I talk about in the song, were hiding in plain sight too.

Like most song lyrics, the words began as a collection of unstructured thoughts before they found a melodic home. I wrote them the day after I'd spent an intentionally sleepless night in a state of deep, focused contemplation - it was something of a spiritual exercise. The following day I took a walk around my neighborhood and was suddenly able to see my surroundings in more granular detail, and also see how those details connected. Individual leaves on the trees, wisps of smoke blending into clouds against the sky, tree roots rippling like waves in the grass... It was a revelation to actually look at these organic elements and not subconsciously relegate them to the background. That seemingly everyday walk was one of the most present experiences of my life.

This song is about seeing these things, but it isn't a condescending lecture about how we have to remain present. Instead it's a reminder to stop beating ourselves up when we're not being present. And that it's okay to have to remind yourself to stay mindful. I had to put myself into an altered state of sleep deprivation just to see these things. "37 Hours" is not about seeing what's hidden in plain sight - it's about reminding yourself to look.

I think a lot of us get caught up imagining some personal future in the utopia of ever present mindfulness. That with enough practice we'll eventually just arrive there. But anyone who works on transcendent practices like breathwork and meditation, performs a creative skill like music, dance or visual art, or even studies a language can attest to the fact that these disciplines are about the process, not the result. Yes results can feel rewarding, but our work there is never complete. I've been playing drums for over 30 years and there's still a lot that I have to remind myself to do. There's a lot I have left to work on. I'll never wake up one day and suddenly feel like an accomplished drummer. This is a journey.

As I mentioned, this up-all-night odyssey took place around the same time that I wrote the guitar part in the song. It's tempting to feel frustrated that I didn't connect these words to that guitar part sooner. But the lack of success is precisely what led me to the point of the song. Each successive and unsuccessful draft taught me something about myself and the craft. My second draft, for example, finally showed me how lyrics can work on a technical level, but still feel "dishonest. " Before that, I'll admit that when I'd heard songwriters say things like "the lyrics just didn't feel honest to me... " I sort of thought that was a bunch of self-obsessed hooey. But now I get it.

The chorus revolves around the concept of a clean slate - "Erase my history. Maybe I'll reshape my ways of seeing, if only I got that far. I spent my last 37 waking hours healing my " memory.

Sometimes I feel imposter syndrome (who doesn't anymore...) and dream of rebuilding myself from the ground up. Being a more mindful, disciplined, attentive person. But spiraling in these fear-cycles does you no good - it's precisely that history that leads one to crave the awareness you strive for. Really all you can really do is try to heal your memory.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

Singled Out: Keith Carne's (We Are Scientists) 37 Hours

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