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Imaginary Friend

by Brendan Little

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1.
Imaginary Friend 03:48
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My ship is wrecked, I barely float I heard your echo say you’d never go Washed ashore, I wake up to find you gone With scraps you left, I built a fort Under moonlight on the shore From where you sailed off the pitch black sea calls me to its mouth A world apart I'm a child lost in pretend Tell me where you've been, imaginary friend Swimming out, I search the sea For any sign you might have called for me Empty handed, I lose my legs I lose my arms One last look up, that moon still glows Lit by a source of light I used to know Some distant sun warms foreign ground where you walk now A world apart I'm a child lost in pretend (Where we ended) Tell me where you've been, imaginary friend (Were you pretending?) You don't start Kind of looks like you'll never end (You'll never end) Tell me where you've been, imaginary friend Sinking down, I lose my lungs A final voice speaks in foreign tongues Its message clear: “There is new life after this life” There is new life after this life Let go of me Don’t let go of me Sometimes a lie will bring you peace Most times it knocks you to your knees Let go of me Never let go of me Sometimes pretend will tend your wound Each night the sun bows to the moon Let go of me (There is new life after this life) Don’t let go of me When we next start Know I'll find you again Tell me where you'll be, imaginary friend
2.
Love Like a Lion 04:48
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The worlds behind your smile You clutch them tight I can sit and watch them unfold With you all night I hear you through the silence Respect your doubt And when you hide in tall grass I wait you out Like a lion, brave and strong Trust your gut when something's wrong You love like a lion You always prowl around my head Endlessly burn In due time we bear ourselves Go, it's your turn And what if two things forged to one? Where have we been? If you live another life, Find me again Practice patience, find your breath Sometimes new life looks like death You love like a lion You love like a lion (3x) I won't forget, please don't forget I won't forget, please don't forget The worlds behind your smile They look like home I always have them with me Wherever you roam No matter time or miles No matter space I still see a future in your face Like a lion, you struck me strong Remember me when summer's gone You love like a lion You love like a lion (3x) I won't forget, please don't forget I won't forget, please don't forget I won't forget You love like a lion (3x) I won't forget, please don't forget (You love like a lion) I won't forget, please don't forget (You love like a lion) I won't forget, please don't forget (You love like a lion) I won't forget
3.
Reflection Pool 04:07
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I'm not gonna save you You're not gonna save me But every now and then we need a friend Meet me at the pool tonight We can reflect and right All the wrong we've yet to do I miss you, I miss you I miss you, I miss you With everything I've figured out I still can't erase the doubt At the start of every road I fear it's end They say, "Everything is fleeting, love" But I can't help dreaming of All the good we've yet to do I want to rest with you, rest with you I want to rest with you, rest with you I'm not gonna save you You're not gonna save me At the end of this road I have my friend How I missed you, I missed you How I missed you, I missed you (I miss you, I miss you)
4.
Pray Me Away 03:31
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Some nights I summon your eyes And revel their ghostly light Like stars, long dead, yet there Defying time, they glare Pray me away Pray me away Some nights I'm stuck in the cold The terror of growing old When promises decay You have to carve another way Pray me away (4x) And we start where we ended Cause at least I had a friend then And it's sadder pretending (Tell me where you've been) But the signal got lost in the sending (I'll find you again) Some nights I remember my voice And it rises through all that noise Pray me away Pray me away And say that you're okay (It's just a bedtime story) Tell me you're okay (It's just a bedtime story) And I'll be okay Yeah, I'll be okay I'll be okay

about

As a kid, when things were hard, I would often cling to my imagination in order to survive a chaotic, unstable, and lonely adolescence. The more difficult things got - the more I needed to escape. Over the years, the methods of escape changed (television & movies, running away from home, substance use), but the practice remained constant.

As an adult, I’ve grown to be grateful for the part of me that desperately needed to hold onto my escape tactics, while also realizing that I needed to let them go. In all the ways avoidance helped protect me as a child, it hindered healthy connection as an adult. Eventually, in order to move on, I needed to face the trauma that I tried to keep at bay.

In the two years since my last musical release, I both became a father and lost my own father. These life changes led me to grapple with difficult issues from my own youth. The result is four songs, told mostly in child-like allegories (as a relatively new dad, I’ve been reading A LOT of children’s books lately), that explore abandonment, a yearning for love and safety, a childish clinging at something unattainable, and an ultimate reckoning with an absence that can never be filled by another person, place, or thing.

Much like my son’s children’s books, these songs are made up of vivid imagery and symbolism. The musical arrangements also mirror this dramatic quality: songs quickly switch from minimal to elaborate production. I composed string and choral arrangements and, for the first time, my musical partner (Daniel Stone) and I recorded additional performers to achieve this higher level of drama. We recorded a choir, a violist, a pianist, and another vocalist.

I couldn’t have gone through this process without heavily leaning into the illuminating and sustaining love of my partner Emily and my son; they were the key to stopping my patterns of escape because they embody all I ever longed for. Together, with my close friends, their unconditional love, patience, and commitment knows no bounds.

This EP is both a love note to an old friend that once sustained me, and the compassionate letting go of something that presently can only hold me back. It’s a both a final indulgence in, and a parting eulogy for my practice of escaping into the imaginary: There is new life after this life.

credits

released September 12, 2018

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All songs written and arranged by Brendan Little

Produced and Engineered by Brendan Little and Daniel Stone in Boston MA and Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard MA | Winter-Summer 2018

Mixed and Mastered by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios, Allston MA

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PERSONNEL:

Brendan Little - Vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, bass, pianos, synths, and percussion

Daniel Stone - Pianos, synths, and percussion

Annie Cheevers - Backing vocals on "Imaginary Friend", "Love Like a Lion", and "Pray Me Away"

Elisa Birdseye - Violas on "Love Like a Lion" and "Reflection Pool"

Pareesa Charmchi, Danny Green, Drew Pidkameny - Choir on "Love Like a Lion" and "Reflection Pool"

Danny Green - Choral arrangement transcription

Jonathan Payne - Piano on "Reflection Pool"

Mat Park - Front cover illustration

Kara Elliott Ortega - Front cover design

Ali Ragan - Additional design

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SPECIAL THANKS:

Emily & Baby James, Stephanie Becker, Glenn Klein, Brion Regan, Tim Hare, Ross Lohr, Benny Grotto, Jen Tracey, Tom Johnston, Joyce Linehan, Mat Park, Kara Elliott-Ortega, Ali Ragan, and to all the incredible musicians and artists who helped create this EP.

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Brendan Little Boston, Massachusetts

Brendan Little is a Boston based singer-songwriter & producer.
Contact him at blittle86@gmail.com with any inquiries or thoughts.

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