There were dark days when I wondered if I’d ever finish. The truth is, that magical point where it feels completely “safe” to release your music never really comes. Some listeners will be kind. Some will not. But the alternative—letting the songs die on hard drives in a closet—was worse.
So I released Parallel.
It’s not a perfect album, but after a year and a half of focused work, it represents the best I could do with the talent, skills, and tools available to me at this stage of life. My goal was simple: create something competitive with other indie releases—music that wouldn’t make the average Spotify listener stop and think, “That doesn’t sound right.” I believe I reached that level.
The process gave me more than I expected. There’s something profoundly satisfying about immersing yourself in learning something you love. I absorbed a tremendous amount of technical knowledge about mixing and mastering. I’m still climbing the learning curve, but I’m moving upward.
This kind of focused, analytical work is good for the brain. My father was learning Khan Academy trigonometry lessons online a week before his 90th birthday. He stayed sharp because he kept learning. In the same spirit, mastering these new skills means I can continue writing and recording with the confidence that I’ll be able to prepare and release the music myself.
I still have roughly 60 recorded songs waiting for mixing and mastering, plus a backlog of new ones written during this period. Regardless of whether the Parallel album feedback is positive or negative I’m committed to learning from it and making the next releases stronger. One thing is certain: If I don’t release my songs, there’s a 100% chance no one will ever hear them. From now on, that doesn’t have to be true.