Fat Kid Emo Pants - 2020s Pop Punk Revival edition

[vomitHatSteve]

So years ago, I wrote a song about those super-black, super-baggy, Hot Topic jeans with - like - 6 wallet chains dangling off them that were the alternative pant for corn-fed Wisconsin kids who couldn't pull off the skinny jeans look.

I never got a recording I was entirely happy with. So now that I'm the heaviest I've ever been in my life and early 2000s pop punk and emo are back in vogue, I decided to re-record it.

This is me channeling my best "produced by Travis Barker": midwest emo-esque guitar picking but not actually being good at guitar. Bass playing pretty much straight 8ths. Drum production that's basically all kick and snare. Shitty vocals with barely any harmony and too much auto-tune.

I think I'm getting close, but I'm not quite there. Any ideas you guys have on how to get it the rest of the way?

Mix 2

FKEP 2020s Pop Punk Revival Mix 2.mp3

Mix 1

FKEP 2020s Pop Punk Revival Mix 1.mp3

I'm also working on a "good" version of the song. (That's what the woahs I asked for will go to.

Lyrics:

Long ago in high school, I was a scrawny whiner
Then I went to college and gained the "freshman 15"
I need a whole new wardrobe that's big enough to fit me
But shows my friends that I'm still just an angsty teen

I need my fat kid emo pants
Black and wide covered in chains
I need my fat kid emo pants, they weigh me down 'til I can't dance
In my fat kid emo pants

I'm so mad at my girlfriend; she won't loan me her makeup
This is such a betrayal, I think I'm gonna die
She says I'm an adult now, and I should just buy my own
But she doesn't understand the things I feel inside

I need my fat kid emo pants
Black and wide covered in chains
I need my fat kid emo pants, I am just way too sad to dance
In my fat kid emo pants

Every night I cut myself to sleep 'cause you're not there
It's too late I have outgrown you, and you don't care

I need my fat kid emo pants
Black and wide covered in chains
I need my fat kid emo pants, here and now I take my stance
In my fat kid emo pants

[rayc]

"This is such a betrayal, I think I'm gonna die" phrasing clunks a little.
The guitars need more aggression/presence or level.
The do dos etc will be great as backing vox but they're too far forward at present.
Funny song.

[vomitHatSteve]

"This is such a betrayal, I think I'm gonna die" phrasing clunks a little.
The guitars need more aggression/presence or level.
The do dos etc will be great as backing vox but they're too far forward at present.
Funny song.

Cool. Thank you. I'll take a look at those guitars again.

Yeah, I'm not sure the best way to handle the doo doos. In the regular version of the song, it's 3-5 part harmony and brass, but that's not very 2020s pop punk!

[WhiskeyJack]

HAHA!!! this is fantastic! The lyrics are witty and clever and i also just have bit of a history of poking fun at emo kids back then so it's nice stroll down memory lane for me really.

On the mix.

When the guitars in the chorus come in they sound like they drop behind the bass and kick. But the balance resumes-ish in verses and bridges? It's kinda weird. I want more guits in the choruses i think. MAybe a bit dirtier too if it's possible.

that kick is extra wooly/beefy but somehow everything kinda of works and i can hear all the parts and pieces.

Your mixes are as interesting as you are, sir.

[vomitHatSteve]

HAHA!!! this is fantastic! The lyrics are witty and clever and i also just have bit of a history of poking fun at emo kids back then so it's nice stroll down memory lane for me really.

On the mix.

When the guitars in the chorus come in they sound like they drop behind the bass and kick. But the balance resumes-ish in verses and bridges? It's kinda weird. I want more guits in the choruses i think. MAybe a bit dirtier too if it's possible.

that kick is extra wooly/beefy but somehow everything kinda of works and i can hear all the parts and pieces.

Your mixes are as interesting as you are, sir.

Full disclosure: the bass is the way it is because I forgot to arm the DI track, so I only have the wet signal. lol

[TripleM]

I love the song.

The vocals sound good to me. You could probably nudge up the harmonies just a bit.

The rest of the mix sounds cloudy to me.

The bass doesn't have a lot of definition.

The guitars seem to be missing a lot of high mid-range. In the verses they're not that bad. But in the chorus, they sound muffled.

I like the snare and cymbals. The kick lacks a little definition/attack.

[vomitHatSteve]

I love the song.

The vocals sound good to me. You could probably nudge up the harmonies just a bit.

The rest of the mix sounds cloudy to me.

The bass doesn't have a lot of definition.

The guitars seem to be missing a lot of high mid-range. In the verses they're not that bad. But in the chorus, they sound muffled.

I like the snare and cymbals. The kick lacks a little definition/attack.

Thanks, I will look into these. Especially the kick definition. That's key for the genre!

[Greg_L]

Yeah the guitars could use some more early 00s Mesa-ish grind. Not too bad overall. Funny lyrics.

[musicturtle]

Fun song @vomitHatSteve!

I agree with the others that the guitars need a bit more aggressive sound to fit well.

[paulman]

Late to the game and nothing new to add, just agree that the guitars need to be more in-your-face.

[vomitHatSteve]

Late to the game and nothing new to add, just agree that the guitars need to be more in-your-face.

Good news on that! I haven't gotten a chance to tweak the mix yet anyway! Whee!

Thanks for the input all. I'll probably get to this on Friday or Saturday. (turns out booking 3 shows in one week fills up my schedule)

[vomitHatSteve]

Ok! I finally got a chance to take another stab at this. Mix 2 is in the OP.

Major changes
EQ tweaks to the kick drum to give it more attack
Volume and FX chain tweaks to guitars to make them more aggressive.
Ran the "doo doos" through a vocoder, why not?

[rayc]

Mix Two - cool. I actually looked up Freshman 15. Apparently is the Fresher Five (Kg) Downunder. Wasn't a thing in my day...probably because my college was in a cold climate and we wore lumber jackets n Ugh boots a lot. Also, no one seemed particularly weigh aware where they could be "Beer? Oh, where?"
Then there's the lack of money thing - no takeaway food becasue that small, available amount of money was pre allocated to alcohol.
Everything sees balanced though the guitars aren't "aggressive" but they work.

[vomitHatSteve]

I actually looked up Freshman 15. Apparently is the Fresher Five (Kg) Downunder.

Oh, lol. Yeah that makes sense.

Everything sees balanced though the guitars aren't "aggressive" but they work.

Rock. Thanks!