By Tycoon Spotify Spotify TycoonHL Twitter.
Cover art by Kett kettleskanvas DeviantArt kettleskanvas.com Other.
Released 9/16/2023.
Duration: 3:42.

Listen on Bandcamp or YouTube.

Read artist commentary.

Also released as:

• (20231/12/2023; about 8 months, 4 days earlier) Stepping Stones (Agents Of Reality)

Artist commentary:

Tycoon:

This song is the first one off my debut album, Agents of Reality. The album name was inspired by what the songs originally were; theme songs for characters in a sadly defunct fancomic. Stepping Stones was meant to evoke a sense of innocence in the beginning, in relation to the dancestor it represented. The "drop" so-to-speak is to be the final mental break of the character that had been mistreated by royalty her entire life. The feeling of the middle is to emulate a "marching" energy, The rebelling, you could say.

Kett:

I loved the idea of a Bronze Troll stepping up to her oppressors after years of being mistreated by royalty. So upon hearing the song and reading the information, I immediately had this vision of the Bronze Troll giving a saddened smile. Something she is used to putting on on a daily basis despite the pain. Meanwhile in the background her shadow shows a more sinister smile as leads an army of Trolls towards freedom.

I wasn’t sure what background to add behind the silhouettes. There were suggestions of an interior, but unfortunately a lot of Hive interiors from the comic and games are just basic coloured walls with posters on them, which didn’t quite fit the rebellious nature of the song. In the end I went with a dark fire-lit sky and trees to further push the imagery of rebellion and and the impending downfall of the High Blood royalty.