Electric Soft Parade

No Need to be Downhearted

1. No Need to be Downhearted (Part 1)
2. Life in the Backseat
3. Woken By A Kiss
4. If That’s the Case, Then I Don’t Know
5. Shore Song
6. Misunderstanding
7. Secrets
8. Cold World
9. Have You Ever Felt Like It’s Too Late?
10. Come Back Inside
11. Appropriate Ending
12. No Need to Be Downhearted (Part 2)

Track by Track Guide – Writing credits

Track by Track Guide

Written by Tom White & Jon Falcone

1 – No Need To Be Downhearted (Part 1) We just figured that every band out there at the moment was rocking out on the first track of their album; it’s kind of a cliché these days to kick off an album with the most boisterous, loud piece you have, so we just thought, ‘fuck that!’. It sets a completely different tone, and immediately sets the record apart from pretty much every other rock band operating today.

2 – Life In The Backseat A song about the long, slow death of a relationship. And the Blair-Bush axis, of course. The first ‘proper’ track on the album, and the first single, too. Not a bad Strokes impression, either.

3 – Woken By A Kiss Self-destruction and shoegazing. Watching someone destroy themselves and being helpless. And getting a really fucking lush guitar sound. Krautrock outro, just for a laugh.

4 – If That’s The Case, Then I Don’t Know An indie disco monster! Squelchy synth bass and guitar hooks, keyboard flitters and omni-chord swoops. If anything, the most instantly recognisable ESP track on the album.

5 – Shore Song As with all of our records, the songs evolve, then a track listing evolves around that. It was always important to us to break up the first half of the record with something sweet alongside the heavier stuff, and this does its job perfectly.

6 – Misunderstanding Probably the oldest song on the album. We’ve recorded it in different guises for three different labels, i think, and they always say, ‘That’s the single!’. Funny, that…

7 – Secrets A revolving, unfurling mantra suddenly overwhelmed by somber brass. A requiem to a fucked world and the doomed plans of our sorry governments.

8 – Cold World A piece of pure pop, and the only track taken from last year’s ‘The Human Body’ EP. Pianos, harmonies and a melody Burt Bacharach would do well to imitate. The most fully realised cut on the album, surely?

9 – Have You Ever Felt Like It’s Too Late? Verse: why the fuck d’you have to leave me, I was having fun there, don’t leave me. Chorus: there’s a world out there, bye!

10 – Come Back Inside Alex’s sole lead vocal provides the album’s most ethereal moment, invoking the American rattle of Calexico or The Dandy Warhols at their melancholy, hushed best. Also contains the best outro on the album.

11 – Appropriate Ending This could be an appropriate ending. But it’s not.

12 – No Need to Be Downhearted (Part 2) What Matt Eaton of Actress Hands calls a ‘Chord Orchard’. Echoing the outro of ‘The Wrongest Thing In Town’ from ‘The American Adventure’, we wanted to end the record with a long instrumental crescendo, a final burst of colour. And this it it.

Writing credits

Whoever’s song it is (lyric-wise) is on vocals, with a few exceptions

No Need To Be Downhearted (Part 1)
Tom: lead vocal

Life In The Backseat
Tom: lead vocal in verses/Alex: lead vocal in chorus/Tom: chorus harmony

Woken By A Kiss
Tom: lead and harmony vocals

If That’s The Case, Then I Don’t Know
Tom: lead vocal in verses and chorus/Alex: chorus harmony

Shore Song
Tom: lead vocal throughout/Alex: chorus harmony

Misunderstanding
Tom: lead vocal in verses/Alex: counter vocal in verse/Alex: lead vocal in chorus/Tom: chorus harmony

Secrets
Tom: lead and harmony vocals

Cold World
Tom: lead vocal throughout/Alex: chorus harmony

Have You Ever Felt Like It’s Too Late
Tom: lead vocal throughout/Alex: chorus harmony

Come Back Inside
Alex: lead vocal throughout/Tom: chorus harmony

Appropriate Ending
Tom: lead vocal throughout/Alex: chorus harmony

No Need To Be Downhearted (Part 2)
Tom: lead vocal