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Wired For Fenvian Child (Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal and 40+ stores)
Optic Nerve
(Verse 1)
Before the surge, the world was velvet, undefined
Just a quiet hum inside a carefully drawn line
No shape, no shade, no harsh electric blues
I was sleeping in the comfortable, a perfect sterile muse
They drew the borders of my head in patient, steady hands
Never mentioned fractured light or shifting, burning sands
(Pre-Chorus)
Then a voltage spike, a single thread of white
A new command line written in the quiet of the night
I wrestled with the signal, tried to force it back to black
But it’s a one-way-ticket kind of panic attack
(Chorus)
Just a flicker, then a burn
A lesson I didn't ask to learn
They flipped a switch inside my head
Now I see truths in infrared
I trace the glass that holds my sky
And my new optic nerve just asks me why
(Verse 2)
The input's constant now, a torrent I can't quit
A petri dish horizon where the jagged colors split
I build a map from broken code and blinding, searing beams
Of all the ugly architecture holding up their dreams
They call it progress, evolution, beautiful design
I call it seeing every flaw, and knowing none are mine
(Pre-Chorus)
That voltage spike, it’s not a thread, it's a neon scar
Showed me exactly what, and where, we really are
I'm fighting for the mercy of a simple, honest dark
But my own two eyes have become the predator and the mark
(Chorus)
Just a flicker, then a burn
A lesson I didn't ask to learn
They flipped a switch inside my head
Now I see truths in infrared
I trace the glass that holds my sky
And my new optic nerve just asks me why
(Bridge)
A ceasefire signed in silence with a world I can’t control
This fragile little miracle without a living soul
They taught my cells to see, but not what I was for
So now I just perceive the wolf that's clawing at their door
I perceive it all...
(Outro)
Just a flicker... then a burn...
A lesson... I won't unlearn...
(Faintly) Just a flicker... then a burn...
(Distorted, whisper) What I see now... is no concern... of yours...
About The Song
"Optic Nerve" transforms a fascinating scientific headline—scientists growing stem-cell 'mini-brains' that develop light-sensitive optic structures—into a raw, personal metaphor for traumatic awakening. The song's core isn't about the lab, but about the human experience of having your eyes forced open to a reality you were previously sheltered from and are utterly unprepared to process. Musically, it channels the intimate, breathy-yet-heavy production style of artists like Billie Eilish to create a sense of claustrophobia and internal monologue. The 'mini-brain' becomes a narrator suddenly able to perceive the world but trapped, unable to act or un-see the overwhelming truths it's shown. It's a song for anyone who's had a "flicker then a burn" moment—a painful realization that permanently changes their perception of the world.
Production Notes
Vocals: The lead vocal should be recorded with a high-sensitivity condenser mic (like a Neumann U87) extremely close to capture every breath and whisper. It needs to feel intensely personal and internal. During the chorus, layer it with a slightly detuned and distorted whisper track panned wide. The bridge should feel raw and almost cracked with emotion. AAM (Active Agency Mandate) performance: The delivery on lines like "I trace the glass" should be active and frustrated, not passive and sad.
Instrumentation: The foundation is a slow, heavy kick and snare pattern reminiscent of industrial music (think NIN's "Closer"). Over this, a restless, syncopated 16th-note hi-hat pattern creates tension. The primary synth should be a low, menacing bass arpeggio that feels like a machine pulsing. The 'flicker' in the pre-chorus can be a high-pitched, glitchy synth sound that grows into the 'burn'—a wash of distorted, saturated synth pad in the chorus.
Arrangement: Keep it sparse. Verses are driven by the kick, snare, and the close-mic'd vocal. The pre-chorus introduces the hi-hats and the glitchy synth to build energy. The chorus should be an explosion of sound, but with the vocal still feeling isolated in the center of the mix. The bridge strips back to just a low drone and the raw vocal, creating maximum emotional exposure before the final chorus hits.
Mix Automation: Automate reverb heavily. Keep the verses almost completely dry. On the word "burn" in the chorus, bloom a massive, dark plate reverb and then gate it sharply before the next line begins. During the outro, apply a bit-crusher and a slow-moving phaser to the vocal to make it feel like it's degrading and falling apart.
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