Chime - Withdrawal

The B-side to "No Turning Back" and one of my favourite pieces of music I have produced to date.

"Withdrawal" like "Between", is another Chime track title with multiple meanings. It was written during some of the darkest parts of my journey to come off antidepressants during the start of this year - a period punctuated with a feeling of uncomfortable hopelessness and easily-provoked irritation as the chemicals my mind had been relying on for years were withdrawn from availability. I wanted to get this across with the almost sticky, crunchy percussion used in the tune and callbacks to the glitched anxiety motif I used throughout the "Aetherborne" album.

Despite that though, I also wanted to capture a feeling of oxymoronic hope within the track. A reminder that the withdrawal symptoms I was experiencing were a sign of me taking control over my own life and mind in a way I wasn't strong enough to do before. I hope that aspect comes across in the main melody and harmony.

That period not only saw me withdraw from social life, but also from a music scene I've been part of for 10 years. The track represents my conflicted thoughts with the decision to step away from everything I've built and potentially alienate certain fans of my music all in the pursuit of my own happiness and well-being - a situation that poetically mirrored that of the chemical control I was taking over my own mind at the time.

So yeah, I hope that context provides a bit more depth into what you might be able to feel when you listen to the track. I find these mixed meanings and connections between them to be such interesting and fulfilling artistic areas for me to explore and I feel like this one should convey that this part of my artistry isn't going anywhere as I move into this new era!