FAWM: "Could Have Been An Email"

Could Have Been An Email

3 weeks ago by @vomvorton

Liner Notes

I swear it gets harder and harder to start every year. Feel like maybe I've written this before? At least I'm off the mark.

#indiepop #acoustic

Lyrics

You sat me down to say that things weren't going great, it was too late
the iceberg had collapsed into the sea
I suggested that meant nine-tenths could survive under the water but you shrugged
and said that was pedantry

dejected, I was left, like a dog sat on its tail
thinking, couldn't this have been an email?
wondering whether this could have been an email

Everyone suspected that the company was closing
But they announced intent to burn it down
Through a megaphone they reminded us of our safety training
As the flames began to spread all over town

I tapped my headphones listlessly as the news was reported
And asked "will this meeting be recorded?"
I'll watch it later if it's being recorded

Comments

@paulhenry 4d

corporate meltdown? un-natural disaster? technodystopia? Why yes, all 3! Very boppy for an end-of-the-world Thomas Dolby-ish tune. Well done.

@catmisgivings 1w

the arpeggios after the chorus are my favorite part

@scottmcb 1w

I'm really liking the play between the synth bass and drums and the acoustic guitar. Great lyrics and melody

@frenchcricket 2w

2025 is the year for bland office dystopias, I reckon. New season of Severance, after all. This one has a classic Vom feel, peerless wit and melodies for days. And the squelchy 303 sounds fantastic with that acoustic arpeggio line. I can tell you have years of resentment still waiting to be purged. Could this have been an album?

@owl 2w

Love the blorpy synth bass and warm acoustic guitar combo! The feel of the music and the delivery really capture a wry sense of resignation. The lyrics are a perfect blend of humor/melancholy/dystopia that feels toooo familiar.

@adforperu 2w

I listened to this aaaaaaages ago in the car and I forgot to leave a comment. Well, I can tell you it passed the car test. It also passes the 'Vom's unique skill of taking of the mundanity of day-to-day activities and turned them into an enthralling and relatable song' test.

@nancycunning 2w

Oh, yeah. I hope they pick this up for a movie based on Joshua Ferris's book "Then We Came to the End" For me, the instruments and singing make me think the singer hasn't been wasting his time at work on work things - but will be pretty happy to have the time off to play and sing....I was also thinking that the first line could open up into a song about a relationship coming to an end. Maybe you could do a whole album of songs that start with that first line. Happy FAWMing.

@afterschoolclub 2w

Ooh, loads of compelling elements combining nicely here. I like the use of that tb303 style squelchy bass. The picked acoustic guitars sound lovely too. Lyrics are top notch as per ever with you! You might be finding it harder to start but it seems the end result isn’t affected! 😊

@jorh 2w

Loved you use of metaphor in the lyric - and especially how you interweave them between more direct, matter of fact lines. Also I spend my life thinking ‘couldn’t this have been an email’ so that got a relatable laugh from me. Also goes without saying but I agree with everyone else that the synth-y bass was COOL

@anthonykapfer 2w

damn! this is excellent. really catchy. really fun upbeat sounding song with dark lyrics. that’s my favorite kind. this is the kind of pop music we need right now

@katestantonsings 2w

Loving the vibe with this! It's fun, creative, and makes me feel good whilst listening. Backing vocals are lovely!!

@squirrelhavenstudios 2w

I love the melody here, and the delicate guitar part. Great way to start the month.

@texmachine_mk2021 2w

As others have said, the synth bass is catchy. Cool tune.

@shelleyjane 2w

I love this. Can I do backing vocals when you record this as your summer hit?!

@sadloaf 2w

Digging the sproingy percussion and instrumental elements. They really gave the song a character of its own.

@fangirlshipper 2w

The positive vibe of the song with the sad lyrics is such a vibe, I love a boppin apocalyptic feel 😌💜 This has DHMIS vibes /vpos 💜

@freshspotlessyouth 2w

The pedantry line made me laugh. There's something really charming about this world-weary pop music. Love the harmonies and the little guitar interludes. Pretty sure this is going to be in my head for a minute

@loveonamixtape 2w

Ooh this is great. Love the wobbly synthy bass (stealing that description, can't think of a better one -- except maybe that it sounds like a rubber band ball bouncing up and down? Anyway, it's cool!) underneath that lovely picked guitar. The harmonies on the chorus and the way the melody shifts on the second line of the choruses is excellent. Wry, smart and funny lyrics, as per usual, this one with an extra dose of "I went into the office so I could be in Zoom meetings all day!" modern life dystopia. I give it 5 out of 5 upside down smiley faces! 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

@communitykickabout 2w

wobbly synthy bass = cool. The BVs on the chorus are, and I don't say this lightly, lush. Lovely the guitar line that follows too.

@coolparadisoMod 2w

lovely modern pop song. compelling from those first beats. cool words.

@tfish77 2w

Dig that gentle guitar line and how your vocal delivery fits so nicely in between the guitar and the synthy bass line. Beautiful harmonies, too. The lyrics surprised me as they turned toward arson, which was a really fun choice. "I'll watch it later if it's being recorded" - how many times have I said this... and then (of course) never watched it.

@thedutchwidows 2w

This is lovely! Those acoustic guitar lines after the choruses are superb, Buck-esque in their beauty (I know of no higher praise, guitar-wise). Love the squelch of the bass. Still got it!

@thelowestbitter 2w

I like when the chords go down on the "couldn't this have been an email" line. Is that a downwards modulation, I don't know anything about music? Anyway, I really like the combination of that clean acoustic and that squelchy synth bass, an unusual combination but it works well.

@bradbrubaker 2w

Captures the "watching life as a spectator" concept perfectly. Whimsical!

@judypie 2w

Can confirm (in case you were curious) 6.9km/h is the correct speed to jog along and maintain pace with your ditty here Vom. Yes I’m in the gym listening. I really enjoyed it (even if it’s the first song so far to break me into a sweat), oodles of fun😁

@jimdgreen 2w

Well this most definitely has the @vomvorton vibe I’ve come to love.

It might have been hard to get the first one out, but it’s a very strong start.

Live this.

@seemanski 2w

great start, loved the way the acoustic guitars play against each other, they have a really nice new string sound to them too. The squelchy bass is great and love the lyrics, one for the worker bods ;).

@karlsburg25 2w

Bloody uppy bouncy delight especially the squelchy bass, but mate i always adore your unexpected but seemingly so easeful chord varieties, and the chorus is sumptuous. Am totally on board with the subject matter, and despite my optimism for areas of life, doen'st mean i don't find myself raging. So ta for doing that for me in a deilghtful poppy manner.

@odilongreen 3w

Such a poppy delight. It kind of strikes me as an 80s alternative pop song (especially with those synth bass sounds), but a super-catchy one. Tremendous "the world is falling apart" lyrics too!

@kvnwoodruff 3w

Came for the title and got sucked in by the perfect almost kitschy 60’s drum beat that sounds like one of those off of a Hammond. Super dry but soaking with remorse for the corporate world

@willlll 3w

It's a shame corporate rock already exists as a different thing, because you and MJ Hibbert, amongst others, are rockumenting the workplace with aplomb.

@lonelyrobot 3w

Enjoyed this. Lovely stuff. Especially liked the harmony on the headphones line, and the fact that no one ever watches it later if it's being recorded