Music Spot: Not Really Like that - Joseph Shin (Nagne)

Not Really Like That

Built on a bassline and a four-beat kick, Not Really Like That pulls from Queen, Dostoevsky, and Justin Timberlake to paint a portrait of a man too proud to act on his own ambitions, a track that makes creative paralysis sound this cool. Not Really Like That by Joseph Shin (Nagne) is this month's MusicSpot!

What’s the real meaning of this track beneath the surface?

It explores the mind of a nihilistic, narcissistic, self-loathing man living in isolation, who falls into a toxic pattern of procrastination and inertia, paralyzed by the fear of failure to realize his grand vision.

What line (or moment) is the emotional core of the track?

"Every day I get a shot to prove what I have to do is greater than the stuff you ever do But I'm little bit too proud to lose / So I can't get myself to move"

These lines from the chorus perfectly capture the narrator’s character in a nutshell. It exposes the tragic irony of someone who is too proud for their own good, yet self-aware enough to admit that their own ego is causing their cowardice.

What was the first spark?

The first spark was the bassline. Then I added the four-beat kick drum, looped it, and started writing the lyrics and main melody for the vocals.

Walk us through your process from first idea to final version.

First, I found the melody and the lyrics for the chorus (once the main bassline and the kick were laid). Then I wrote the verse and pre-chorus. Once I had the lyrics and the main melodies figured out, it was all about the instrumentation and orchestration, to keep the music developing and interesting throughout.

If the track’s world was one image/scene, what is it?

I pictured the Underground Man, the narrator from Dostoyevsky’s novella, sitting alone in his candle-lit room, writing, bitter. My song’s opening lyric is a direct nod to the book’s opening line.

If you had to tell listeners to focus on one thing while listening what should it
be?

The lyrics. I think anyone on their creative journey will be able to relate to the underlying themes, the procrastination, the self-doubt, the ego, and the fear.

Give 1–2 references you had in mind for this track

Another One Bites the Dust by Queen. Oddly enough, I realized halfway through production that I was also subconsciously referencing Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake.

 

You can listen to Not Really like that by Joseph Shin (Nagne) on the SoundGym Charts, and you can also listen to it on Spotify and YouTube

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