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!!! aspiring music producer here, also going to be putting my input if you don& #39;t mind (100% agreeing with you, side effects is a masterpiece) https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107648453120003">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
the instrument they use here is a piano, mixed with a short synth, usually used for arpeggios. the chords have a delay effect(echo), and mixed with the minor 1-3-6-5 chord progression it creates unease https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107652441956352?s=19">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
it also sounds like there& #39;s a reverse effect on the piano, going from quiet to loud(so it& #39;s either a reverse effect or a crescendo on the audio), which differs from an actual piano recording w/o any reverse effect/crescendo on it. this also builds up to the first verse
!!! you make a good point !! also!! the low voices emphasize that really dazed feeling, like you& #39;re tired and dizzy, and it just forces that feeling onto you (and i feel like it& #39;s because they mightve turned up a specific frequency when mixing the voices) https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107653280763904?s=19">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
the rolling drums they use are very out there and aggressive, and mixed with those low horns !!! you can also hear a synth in the background(with saw wavelengths im sure of it) that doesn& #39;t even relate to the key of the song, and it makes it sound all over the place+ https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107654115393537">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
which!!! was basically what the song is trying to convey!!!
the pseudo-whispering goes back to that "dazed" feeling the low voices in the intro convey, because it feels like they& #39;re starting to feel nauseous/drowsy. everything cuts out and all you can hear is the sharp bass, which is in compound meter, but the first beat is missing https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107655071694853">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
wait no the triplets are mentioned here right okay so jisung& #39;s verse!! a rhythmic genius !! he also avoids the first beat(but of every bar, not triplet) which makes it harder to find the count(this part represents the confusion that the lyrics convey) and as the meter changes+ https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107655893815302">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
that also ties in to the "everything around me is changing, what should i do" theme of the lyrics of that exact part. as the snare hits, it builds up to this realization that yes, everything IS changing, everything is now in compound meter, the treble/higher pitch in the+
instrumental of the hook has been yeeted, and you& #39;re left with the thought of "what is going on" because that& #39;s EXACTLY what the song is saying !!
yes!!! the scream just diverts your attention away from the change in meter, away from jisung& #39;s (fire) rap, and it just hits you like a truck because that& #39;s what side effects are. stray kids are really externalizing their thoughts through subtlety, because not everything+ https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107656879550464">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
has to be complicated and poetic when all you feel is *agitated scream*
++++ one thing you missed!! it changes back to duple meter because everything seems "back to normal" because in a first listen, you& #39;d think "oh we& #39;re back to this sound now" but !!! the 5-6-5-6-5-3-1 pattern is just. it gives that feeling of both comfort and unease since it+
teeters between major and minor(the 6th degree key of a minor chord is major) and then it comes back down with a broken minor chord(the 5-3-1)
it creates the thought "everything seems fine... but is it?"
it creates the thought "everything seems fine... but is it?"
also that mightve been overanalysis but STILL LET ME HAVE MY MOMENTS
THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS !!! yes changbin raps in duple meter while the bass rhythm is in compound !! it makes it sound like changbin doesn& #39;t want things to change, which is why he raps in duple meter over a (changing) compound meter beat https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107657718300674?s=20">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
also i just missed the vocal part + felix& #39;s low rap hold on
okay so the melody from 1:15-1:30 !!! it& #39;s a melody stemming from the 3rd degree(the relative major of the song& #39;s minor key) again, tying back into the line between comfort/unease (also tying into your "major=happy minor=sad" point!!)
and the lyrics "bravado can& #39;t last anymore" !!! the melody hiding behind the bravado of the relative major key in a minor song with these lyrics is just. genius
hyunjin cuts in with a syncopated rap with gradual aggression, with the frustrated "maybe it hurts more because i thought it& #39;d be easy" they& #39;re falling back into the hurt and confusion that comes with the change(!!! and the compound meter comes in right after that!!)
(also i hope that everyone got my point that compound meter represents change in this song)
and then felix& #39;s low rap comes in perfectly!!! they& #39;re trying to convince themselves not to change, the rhythm gives it a "panicked" feel, as "according to my surroundings, countlessly being changed" and the parts of the rap that sounded like adlibs add even more to that+
confused feel, as if he& #39;s stuttering, because the convincing didn& #39;t work ("& #39;i won& #39;t change, always& #39; i used to shout that")
and then changbin!! giving in to the frustration as he& #39;s borderline shouting his verse!!
yes !!! this scream is much different from the first one, as it lowers in pitch and volume, as if something had cut them off that they couldn& #39;t scream anymore
and now there& #39;s a snare in the hook!! it& #39;s very dense and high pitched and it just pounds in+ https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107658586558464?s=20">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
and now there& #39;s a snare in the hook!! it& #39;s very dense and high pitched and it just pounds in+ https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107658586558464?s=20">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
your head!! it contrasts a lot to the hollow kick and bass sounds, and in each of the drops you can hear more and more elements being added(this probably represents the growing frustration, as all the things being added are in a higher pitch)
can i just say i love this chord progression. it& #39;s a minor chord followed by 3 major chords PLUS it& #39;s in harmonic minor!! the major 5th chord creates that suspense because the major 5th chord comes from a major key but !! the key is minor!!+ https://twitter.com/XURACHA/status/1291107659525918720?s=20">https://twitter.com/XURACHA/s...
you& #39;d expect something bright but it& #39;s actually dark(again, the major=happy minor=sad point) and the major 5th back to minor first is just !!! satisfying but in a tragic way
and now they state the reason why they felt so confused/hurt, which is baseless confidence, because it usually takes a long time to get to the root to your problems
also note that!! the title "side effects" hasn& #39;t even been mentioned until changbin says it, and only once
also note that!! the title "side effects" hasn& #39;t even been mentioned until changbin says it, and only once