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Wired For Fenvian Child (Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal and 40+ stores)
(Verse 1)
Ten A.M. the bathroom's getting hazy
Got the hot iron in my hand, call me crazy
You like the clean lines, a life without a curl
So I burn myself into your perfect world
Yeah, I turn the fan on, try to wave away the sting
A little chemical halo for the angel I'm presenting
My own two hands keep painting on the burn
Another lesson in compliance that I never seem to learn
(Pre-Chorus)
And oh, I'm breathing shallow now, a high I can't explain
Fighting every natural wave inside my brain
You say it’s beauty, this reconstruction
I’m starting to think it's just self-destruction
(Chorus)
You keep me Formaldehyde
A pretty poison deep inside
Straight until I break inside, a perfect lie, a perfect lie!
You keep me Formaldehyde
One breath and I am paralyzed
Smiling 'til my tears run dry, you love the look, but not what’s in my eyes!
(Verse 2)
Walk into the party and I know I own the space
Not a single strand of chaos is out of place
You got your arm 'round me, showing off the sleek design
Ignoring the faint scent of turpentine
And I just laugh and sip my drink and play the flawless part
Straighten out the anxious kinks inside my heart
I feel you beaming, proud of what you tamed
Another wild thing you successfully reframed
(Pre-Chorus)
And oh, I'm breathing shallow now, a high I can't explain
Fighting every natural wave inside my brain
You say it’s beauty, this reconstruction
I’m starting to think it's just slow seduction
(Chorus)
You keep me Formaldehyde
A pretty poison deep inside
Straight until I break inside, a perfect lie, a perfect lie!
You keep me Formaldehyde
One breath and I am paralyzed
Smiling 'til my tears run dry, you love the look, but not what’s in my eyes!
(Bridge)
And in the quiet, when the heat is gone
I trace the damage from the dusk 'til dawn
My lungs are aching, my edges feel all fried
Was this your masterpiece, or my suicide?
This smooth veneer, this suffocating gloss
I calculate the gain against the crippling loss…
(Guitar Solo / Breakdown)
(Chorus)
YOU KEEP ME FORMALDEHYDE!
A pretty poison deep inside!
Straight until I break inside, a perfect lie, a goddamn lie!
You keep me Formaldehyde!
ONE BREATH AND I AM PARALYZED!
Smiling 'til my tears run dry, YOU LOVE THE LOOK, BUT NOT WHAT'S IN MY EYES!
(Outro)
The look… but not what's in my eyes…
Keep me formal… de… hyde…
A perfect line…
(Sound of a sizzle and a slow exhale)
A perfect lie.
About The Song
This song uses a news story about the FDA investigating formaldehyde in hair-straightening products as a core metaphor for a toxic relationship. "You Keep Me Formaldehyde" explores the emotional and psychological cost of conforming to someone else's ideal of perfection. The act of chemically and physically "straightening" hair becomes a powerful symbol for suppressing one's true self—the curls, kinks, and waves that represent individuality—to fit into a smooth, sleek, but ultimately damaging mould for a partner's approval. The lyrics detail the protagonist's active participation in their own diminishment ("My own two hands keep painting on the burn"), mistaking a poisonous process for an act of love or beauty. Musically, the track fuses the confident, talk-singing synth-pop of an artist like Sabrina Carpenter in the verses (representing the flawless exterior) with the raw, gut-wrenching vocal power of a soul-rock singer like Teddy Swims in the chorus (the screaming internal reality). It's a song about the beautiful lie we live in and the ugly truth that burns just beneath the surface.
Production Notes
Genre: Synth-Pop / Soul Rock
Instrumentation: LinnDrum-style beat, pulsating synth bass, 80s-style glassy pads, overdriven Telecaster-style electric guitar.
Vocals: The verses should have a tight, almost spoken, confident delivery, using a mic like a Shure SM7B with light compression to keep it in-your-face. For the pre-chorus and chorus, switch to a high-end condenser mic (Neumann U87) to capture the full dynamic range. The chorus vocal should be layered, with the main take pushed hard into a tube preamp for natural grit, and flanked by wider, slightly less intense harmonies. Vocal chain: U87 -> Neve 1073 -> Tube-Tech CL1B.
Arrangement: Verses are sparse – drums, bass, and a quiet pad. The pre-chorus introduces a rhythmic guitar pluck to build tension. The chorus explodes with the full band, with the electric guitar playing powerful, sustained chords. The bridge should strip back to a filtered synth and a vulnerable, close-mic'd vocal before the final chorus hits with maximum impact, including a fiery guitar solo over the top.
Mix Automation: Automate a subtle distortion and a high-pass filter on the vocal during the outro, making it sound thin and chemical-burned as it fades. During the choruses, use sends to a big plate reverb and a stereo delay that's heavily side-chained to the lead vocal, so the space erupts around the words but never buries them.
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