“A Shot in the Dark”, track-by-track by Kayla Thompson
Photo credit: Madison Rensing
INTRO
Titling my first project was not an easy task. Of course, I wanted it to be perfect. The titles of each song I knew would be on my EP just didn’t feel right. And then “A Shot in the Dark” popped into my head. It felt right. In my single “One Day” theres a lyric, “trusting these shots in the dark” and that is truly the through-line of every song on this EP. It’s me stepping out into the unknown again for my dreams in music, putting myself out there in relationships and even confronting someone…it’s taking my shot, not knowing what the outcome will be. I found that even if ‘your shot’ falls flat…it’s freeing enough just to step out and to take it. In the waves of every song, I hope you hear that and feel it.
“Before You Say Goodbye”
This song has a bit of an odd origin story. I was watching the Bachelorette, random I know, and one of the guys was sent home very blindsided and upset. He said to her “before we say goodbye…was everything you said real?” OOF! I was like, “that’s a lyric.” And I’d felt that before too. I was inspired by him speaking up. So in my next writing session with my friend across the pond, George Gleeson, I started playing him this hook I wrote. One year later, I played the voice memo for my producer, Joel Setien and he gave it this edgy indie pop feel…the bridge being my favorite bridge on the entire project.
“Too Much”
I’ve always wanted to write and release a certified bop, and “Too Much” is exactly that. It’s gone through a lot of phases; this song. It started super grungy with this muddy guitar line playing big power chords. Then it shifted to being a little slower but with these gorgeous layers of bass lines composed by my friend, Tilman Acker. But when Joel added pop drums with syncopated claps and snaps…I dare you to listen to it in the car and not bop your head the whole time. The context of “Too Much” is simple. There was I guy I liked, I wasn’t sure if he liked me back and I wanted to shoot my shot, so I did. I’m sure you can relate.
“Matter” (feat. Nate Diaz)
“Matter” was not supposed to be on this project. I had another song I wanted to produce called “Dumb” — another song for another day — that just wasn’t click for me and Joel in the studio. I scrolled through my old demos and there was “Matter.” Joel begged me to swap out songs, but my problem was finding a guy to be the feature. Our friend Nate Diaz texted me at that exact moment and after that it came together all too perfectly. I’m so proud of this duet. Our voices meld together so seamlessly and I think we beautifully told the story of two people fighting for their relationship. It’s the ballad on the project but has this really cool mix of indie pop and RnB. The melody won’t leave you and the sweeping, yet crisp guitar layers, I promise you, feel like love.
“hometown”
“I think something’s wrong with me.” In the fall of 2020, I was sitting in my room thinking this over and over. Feeling this mix of passion and drive for my dreams, and deep insecurity that they would never come true. Thirty minutes later I finished the song and never changed a line, chord or melody since. “hometown” acts as the palette cleanser on the EP, with stripped production that leaves just me singing and playing on acoustic guitar. It precedes the final song on the record as an appetizer for how I’ve grown these past 3 years and how sometimes I still feel the same.
“One Day”
Like I said, 3 years after I wrote “hometown,” I wrote “One Day,” and in a very similar way. I had just moved back home from living in LA in an attempt at furthering my career. While it was’t a total failure, it wasn’t the success story I thought it would be. I had taken a HUGE shot in the dark, put all my trust in it and felt like I had nothing to show for it. All those emotions came rushing and I started singing to myself “one day I’ll stop feeling crazy. trusting these shots in the dark…” When I brought this idea to Joel, thats all I had. In about three hours we had a finished song and a fire demo. It has all the angst that I still feel about wanting to reach my full potential, yet carries a warmth of stacked vocals and one of the prettiest melodies I think I’ve ever written.
OUTRO
I haven’t shared this yet, but I have tried and failed at producing and releasing an EP three times before. It kinda took a lot of guts to get back up and take another shot. But I’m so glad I did. I’m so proud of this EP, how it came together and what it represents. I hope who ever listens can feel me moving past my second guessing and into a new level of confidence in myself. I hope it inspires someone to know that they can do the same.