FAWM: "Not After This"

Not After This

1 week ago by @jamesstaubes

Not After This

jamesstaubes

00:00

Liner Notes

This was one I wanted to finish during FAWM, and The Weeknd—one of my favorites—was the inspiration. But man, trying to sing like Abel? That’s a whole different challenge. The bridge alone nearly broke me. In a perfect world, I’d spend days nailing those parts, but FAWM waits for no one, so I did what I could in a night.

Lyrically, I leaned into that classic Weeknd vibe—betrayal.
#pop #fawmtronica #synth #synthpop #dark #finished

Lyrics

Verse 1
You ask for forgiveness
After what you’ve done
Like my scars don’t matter
Like the past is gone

Think your words can fix it
And I’ll just forget
But I am not so foolish
No, not after this

Bridge 1
Now you dare to come to me and look me in the eyes
You must think I’m desperate and won’t see through the disguise

Verse 2
Swear you never meant it
But the knife still twists
I have no more pity
When the pain still hits

I won’t open my heart
To all of your deceit
All of your fake crying
Won’t change what I believe

Bridge 2
Left me bleeding in the dark without a word to warn
Now you’re begging to go back to how it was before

v3
You built every promise
On a house of sand
Watched it fall around me
While you played pretend

Now you're reaching for me
Like I’ll take your hand
But I’ve learned my lesson
And you won’t get that chance
Not after this

Comments

@rogerhammond 1w

What a great synth to start with. 80s classic. Great melody and you've found a super-nice lush roomy sound with your voice. I like the occasional wide open synth space in between the groove too. The compelling melody and the driving beat give it a dark feel ... but a very engaging one.

@frozenlonesome 1w

Great production again. The synths sound great and the beats are spot on. As a self proclaimed “vocal stylist”, not a “singer”, I think your vocals are great.

@b3nut 1w

This is a gem! You've brought in the elements that can make pop enjoyable and catchy while leaving out the stuff like Autotune that makes it plastic sounding. I dunno...sounds like you nailed the bridges to me, love the doubled vocal sound you went for on those. Your synth work is particularly effective, bridging 80's synthpop with a contemporary vibe. I diggit man!! 😀

@davidtaro 1w

I’m not overly familiar with Monsieur Weeknd, aside from the obvious hits, but you’ve definitely nailed a modern pop vibe here. That synth line at the start is spot on. Lyrics feel very genre-correct too. And a great vocal performance from you man, really enjoyed the track!