“Setting Sail”

I’ve had this one for a long time. It is a song about my experiences with depression, which I first began experiencing when I was around 12 (to the best of my memory). One of my earliest instrumental releases as Dundar The Barbarian uses the chord progressions from this song, back then it was titled “March, Death, Victory, Home.” I wrote the riffs for this song probably when I was 15 for my high school metal band. While “March, Death, Victory, Home” conveys power, “Setting Sail” tempers that with tenderness. I programmed a string quartet in the mid-beginning of the song and first chorus using Spitfire Audio’s Solo Strings library, and it has a lead violin, accompanying violin, viola and cello. After scoring this string quartet, it made me think of something that would be played on a dock or a ship where families were waving goodbye to their voyagers. This was a difficult one to sing through. The first vocals that come in are overwhelming, and express finality without alternatives. The next vocals, which used an EQ filter, are meant to sound thin and emptier, a plea for connection. I still don’t know if the chorus vocals are empowering or desolate. Probably depends on the circumstance. Ultimately, it feels good to have it out. And over the years, it has become a representation of being vulnerable with others, even if that sits alongside doubt. Courage in the face of unknown outcomes.

Remember, we set sail to die.