Eudaemonia EP by T W Y N

As artists, we are always on a journey to find true creative fulfillment, and the ability to express who we are through our art. As musicians, our journey begins with the desire to become artists. We idolize our musical heroes because they were brave enough to make their art tell a story about who they were, to go out on a limb and rise above the instruments themselves. I see now that the difference between a musician and an artist is simple.

The Eudaemonia EP is a musical narrative about struggles with addiction, escapism, and the journey to overcome them. The opening song Never Thought About It is quite literal in its meaning. During my worst addictive cycles, I never thought twice about the moments I chose to begin a long night in the dark. I was capable of going from 0 to 60 in a matter of hours. I never thought about the consequences of my actions, even though I knew what they would be. Before I knew it, I had a gram of cocaine in my pocket, was shelling out for cocktails, and smoking through packs of cigarettes like they were candy. Hence the lyric "Got my head blown, never thought about it."

I speak to the moments right before I knew it was going down with the lyric "Restless in my mind, pick up pieces from it. Take off and I’m running on...Can’t do a thing about it." This is the reality of an escapist mentality. The cycle begins with a restlessness in your mind, wondering when the next big night will happen again, and then when the opportunity presents itself you just take off and run with it. That is the definition of "Running Away" isn’t it?

Jellyfish, an instrumental boom-bap, represents the juxtaposition between the alluring nature of feeding your impulses, and the actual pain that comes with following through. A Jellyfish, although beautiful and elegant in the water, once you turn it over, it will sting you until you let it go. It bobs up and down in the water, a seemingly harmless feature of the ocean, but all the while packing a punch to all those who engage. Temptation is always moving around us, and we are always capable of reaching out and grabbing.

The third song, and second lyrical piece, Good Wolf Bad Wolf represents an essential message in this narrative. The title comes from a known parable which states that between these two wolves inside of us, good and bad, the one that wins is the one you feed. By giving in to our escapist mentality, we fuel it, and ensure that it will continue to dominate our thoughts. At the same time, should we choose to feed our Good Wolf, we can then begin to shift our mindset towards positivity and hope. We all look for a way, just to fall and get up. A notion I know to be true from my own journey. "When you begin to feed your Good Wolf, you will fall again. But do not give up, just get back up."

Good Demon is the brightest tone of the EP, and it represents the phase in this narrative in which all seems to be going well and moving towards change. This is actually the hardest part about overcoming an addictive cycle. The weeks where you have distanced yourself from your dark side can be fool’s gold. You feel happy that you have made progress, but do you then reward yourself by giving back into your impulses? The tonal shifts within the music show a contrast between feelings of hope and renewal, and the potential for self-destructive behavior. Guitarist, Nick Tannura, who is featured on this song, plays both tight, rounded lead guitar, and dark, ethereal textures signaling these contrasting messages.

Finally, Nostalgia, one of the most paramount of human emotions. Nostalgia is a juxtaposing feeling in and of itself. There’s a sense of loss -- knowing what’s in the past will never be again -- but there’s also a sense of gratitude in remembering the moments that were good. Music has always been my connection to recreating images of the past, and old songs have allowed me to travel back in time to moments far back in my childhood. On the back end of my darkest moments, when I’ve felt that I had fallen to rock bottom, the first feeling that could bring me back to the surface was Nostalgia.

- Aaron Glueckauf
September, 2020

experimental duo based in Miami