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Father/Daughter Records

Steven

by S. Raekwon

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    * Pressed on Opaque Bone colored vinyl
    * Includes lyric insert
    * Art & Design by POND Creative

    Includes unlimited streaming of Steven via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    shipping out on or around May 3, 2024
    Purchasable with gift card

      $25 USD or more 

     

  • T-Shirt/Shirt

    * Gildan Softstyle Unisex T-Shirt
    * Art & Design by POND Creative
    shipping out on or around May 3, 2024
    Purchasable with gift card

      $25 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    * 4 panel digipak with lyric booklet
    * Art & Design by POND Creative

    Includes unlimited streaming of Steven via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    shipping out on or around May 3, 2024
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD  or more

     

1.
Steven's Smile 03:50
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Wide eyed smile Steven Make sure you light up the room Wide eyed smile Steven Don’t let their eyes get to you Turn that smile on Steven They don’t gotta know what you’ve been through Just keep that smile on Steven Don’t let them see the hurt in you But we all know there’s hurt in you Well, maybe they’re hurting too You can dance, you can laugh You can act like how you’re supposed to But you can’t hide it for long No ‘cause a lie doesn’t change the truth And we all know there’s bad in you But maybe they do bad things too So you can keep on smiling You can keep on lying You can keep disguising You keep on hiding You can keep on smiling Steven Just keep on smiling Steven
2.
Old Thing 02:15
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Even after all these years I’m still finding out about it Because this thing it can move so fast Spinning in and out of focus Darling I am terrified That maybe I’m nothing without it Because this thing between you and I Is part of everything surrounding me It’s part of everything that I see It’s part of everything This old thing between you and me Between you and me Slowly moving past your eyes I let my mind get cast aside I’m losing track of every word I’m trying to wrap my head around it I catch a glimpse of where we were When love first introduced itself to us And part of me is jealous In the way that I’m defined by this love In the way that I’ve grown so tied to its touch In the way that I’m so defined By this old thing between you and me This old thing between you and me This old thing between you and me This old thing between you and me
3.
Winners & Losers 03:11
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Losing’s on my mind again Because I feel like I’m always losing Maybe that’s the point of it Winning comes and goes I guess There’s no shame in being like the rest Because average never made no mess What’s it gonna take? How much can I take? I see the others pass me by And I’m not of the jealous kind But I was so fucking close this time When’s it gonna be my chance Because I’m so sick and tired of second best Just for once I wanna win Just tell me what I gotta do Just tell me what I gotta do
4.
The Fight 04:43
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Fighting about the pants I’m wearing Fighting about the food we’re sharing Fighting in the parking lot Fighting about the things we’re not Making up to fight again Picking a fight just to win You’ll never have to wear my skin I’ll never know the shoes you’re in Don’t you think that Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Arguing after the show We argue on the subway home Only three more stops to go Jesus is the F always this slow? Trying not to make a scene We’re saying things that we don’t mean You curse me underneath your breath Well, we could just give up instead Don’t you think that Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough? Don’t you think we’ve had enough?
5.
The Camel 03:14
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Outside of The Camel with McKinley White man makes himself at home Don’t think that he’s really out to get me Still, I’m glad I’m not alone I can’t shake this feeling no That somebody’s watching me I can’t shake this feeling no And I’m glad when he’s gone And I’m glad when he’s gone I’m glad when he’s gone And I hate myself for that I hate myself for that I wish I could change the way I’m feeling Because I feel so damn low right now I can still feel his looking on me I wanna change but I don’t know how Because I can’t shake this feeling no That this man is watching me I can’t shake this feeling no And I’m glad when he’s gone I’m glad when he’s gone I’m glad when he’s gone I’m glad when he’s gone I’m glad that he’s gone I’m glad that he’s gone I’m glad that he’s gone I’m glad that he’s gone And I hate myself for that I hate myself for that Outside of The Camel with McKinley White man makes his presence known
6.
If There's No God... 05:05
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Jesus Christ, I was so drunk last night I promised you I’d be better Or at least I think I said I’d try But I’ll probably do the same damn thing tonight Because that’s what I do But I promise it’ll just be a few For one last good time Well, everyone lies So that’s what I do And everyone will die One day I’ll go too But if there’s no God Maybe I’ll be okay Jesus Christ, no wonder I can’t sleep at night The lies, the fucked-up memories They’re the good ones for me too Well, if there’s a God, I hope he’s a forgiving one For all the things I haven’t done And what I’ll do from here Because everyone lies So that’s what I do And everyone will die One day I’ll go too But if there’s no God I guess I’ll be okay Maybe I’ll be okay Does everyone lie? Or is it just what I do? Well, everyone will die But my day might come soon And if there’s a God How will I be okay?
7.
Does the Song Still Sound the Same? 02:22
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Are you tired as I am? I couldn’t sleep and now it’s morning I’m not hungry but I should eat Another day, another week Does the song still sound the same? Because these strings have come a long way If the notes feel like they’ve changed That’s okay, they’re from an old place Are you holding onto me Because you’re scared of being lonely? Well, if it’s companionship you seek There are dogs, there are cats, there are babies But does the song still sound the same? Because these strings have come a long way If the notes feel like they’ve changed That’s okay, they’re from an old way Were you sleeping making dreams? Were your eyes just closed from seeing? There’s a tiredness in me But I couldn’t rest because it was screaming Wondering if the song still sounds the same? Because these strings have come a long way If the notes feel like they’ve changed That’s okay, because it’s a new day
8.
It's Nothing 06:03
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Tell me do you understand me? Did I ever let you through? Did you know the path that you were making When you tied me into you? Did I rush to heal from taking? My belly full of love from you Tell me is it still worth saving Tell me what I do for you Or you could Just say what you mean Tell me that it’s nothing Take what you need Have I got nothing? Or was it just because it was new? Or was it just something to do? I could rearrange for you I could split myself be both to you Would I be everything you want? Am I everything you thought? Well, you should Just say what you mean Tell me that it’s nothing Take what you need Or have I got nothing? Or have I got nothing? Or have I got nothing? Or have I got nothing? Or have I got nothing? Or have I got nothing? Or have I got nothing? Or have I got nothing? Or have I got nothing?
9.
What Love Makes You Do 03:19
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Should I write you a love song Just to tell you I do? If instead it’s a sad one Does that mean that it’s not true? Isn’t love more than saying “All of me loves all of you”? Even if I thought that was true I’d still write one Can I tell you a secret? I’m scared not to know They say forever’s a long time Even if that’s so I think I’d rather be guessing And missing with you by my side If that sounds alright I could write one If I wrote you a love song Would you believe that I do? And when you feel like there is none Would the words comfort you? I know love’s more than saying “All of me loves all of you” Even though I think that’s true I’ll still sing those words to you Because that’s what love makes you do
10.
Katherine's Song 02:32
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Katherine, do you want me forever? Katherine, do you want me for real? Katherine, I know I could be better Katherine, do you want me for real? Katherine, do you want me forever? Katherine, do you want me for real? Katherine, I know I could be better Katherine, do you want me for real? Aren’t our dreams so tied together? Who am I to say If it’s true we’ll drift as tethered Sails along the way And if we do I hope that one day Our path will be confirmed! Well, I suspect no horn will sound No choir will be sung Because it won’t be so obvious No, it won’t be so clear No, it won’t be so obvious But Katherine, know that I’m yours I’m yours for real

about

Steven Raekwon Reynolds performs as S. Raekwon, but his second LP is simply called Steven. Across 10 tracks of furious and subtly strumming guitars, groovy bass riffs, and whispering revelations, S. Raekwon’s newest album strips back sonic and personal layers to present his most vulnerable, yet authentic self.

Still, stage names can be masks of sorts, creating distance between art and artists themselves. A bi-racial, multi-hyphenate born in Buffalo and now based in the East Village of New York City, Steven wrote, produced, engineered, and mixed everything on the record, in addition to playing every instrument except the drums. Mastered by Heba Kadry (Kara Jackson, serpentwithfeet, L'Rain), Steven sounds exposed and immediate, a palpable evolution from S. Raekwon’s 2021 debut album Where I’m at Now and 2022 EP I Like It When You Smile.

To achieve this, Steven packed up a rental car with all his gear and returned to his fiancée’s parents’ home in Southern Illinois, where they rode out the pandemic and where he recorded half of Where I’m at Now. The house, more than 100 years old, proved to be a nontraditional recording space, but one that provided plenty of physical space as well as spiritual room for experimentation.

Steven and drummer Mario Malachi, longtime friends since their college days in Cleveland, Ohio, spent a week in July 2023 transforming the living room into a makeshift studio, rearranging furniture, sitting face-to-face in front of a mic, and tracking songs in single takes. It was a new way of working together; Mario hadn’t heard any music before the sessions, which created a sense of spontaneity and improvisation for the duo.

Even the writing process was a change for Steven. Mostly written between 2022 and 2023, some of the musical ideas date back to 2018. On earlier projects, the writing, recording, and production almost always took place simultaneously. But for Steven, he wanted the songs to be able to stand on their own, independent of the production. He composed on guitar and sat with the music, revisiting chords, lyrics, and melodies until he felt they were complete. Each song carried a weight, a purpose, he says. “I constantly asked myself when writing: ‘What are the stakes?’ Every song needed to tell a story, or to serve the broader story of the record.”

As they were recording, though, Steven realized the songs offered a certain structural organization. At first, it seemed just musical: The first third bobs and sways with rock, blues, and soul influences. Lead track and lead single “Steven’s Smile,” sets the upbeat mood with a sprinkling of keys from an old Baldwin piano, leading into the head-bopping falsetto of “Old Thing,” and the steady groove of “Winners & Losers.” The middle section, featuring the gut-wrenching centerpiece “If There Is No God…” stretches and soars, showcasing Steven’s vocals — at times hushed and at other times heavy — at the forefront of the mix. The final third settles into an oft-acoustic, singer-songwriter quietude, carried by the off-kilter waltz “What Love Makes You Do.”

Sitting with the final songs, Steven realized that they seemed to coalesce thematically as well. “Maybe subliminally or unconsciously, the songs kind of grouped together in a certain way to explore different areas of myself.” He elaborates, “The beginning is rage and angriness in a certain way. The middle is this uncertainty of questioning yourself, who you are, and if you're a good person. And then at the end, I think it comes to a place of resolution. I’m just examining myself and trying to come to a better understanding of who I am.”

Posing in pensive tricolor on the album cover, Steven could be conveying a range of emotions — curious, patient, regretful, insecure, annoyed, tolerant, understanding. Rather, his neutral expression and body language seems to express all of those complexities and nuances of human existence and more.

Taken as a whole, Steven doesn’t just offer snapshots in song. Baring himself in full musical honesty across the album, S. Raekwon attempts to bridge the gap between the art and the artist. It’s a portrait of strengths and weaknesses, flaws, and fulfillments. “Steven is the sound of me holding a mirror up to and critically reflecting on who I am — the good, the bad, the ugly,” he says. “It’s about trying to understand the multitudes within me.”

credits

released May 3, 2024

Written, Produced, Engineered & Mixed by S. Raekwon
Mastered by Heba Kadry, NYC
Art by POND Creative

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S. Raekwon New York, New York

S. Raekwon is a singer/songwriter and producer from New York City by way of Buffalo, NY.

Sophomore album, 'Steven' is out now!

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