Former Ill Nino frontman Cristian Machado just released a brand new solo single called "Die Alone" and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the track. Here is the story:
I recall I hadn't felt that immediately creative in a very long time. It was around 1pm, the sun was out, it was a beautiful California day, as most California days are. I had been going through a lot of personal struggle due to situations I could not control, situations which, in my opinion, had no justification. Not all songs come to me the same way. Sometimes I write in pieces, sometimes chords first, sometimes a melody. What is true is I very rarely write a song that I don't want to change something in, but "Die Alone" came together in a matter of half a day. It was written once and nothing ever had to change.
I think the lyrics exist out of a lot of personal pain and frustration, but also out of a lot of faith in change and forgiveness. It is about love lost but not about regret. Writing the lyrics felt like a surreal, exhilarating experiences, all while having build the courage to accept the pain was my own. I was not writing about someone else, I was writing about me. And I didn't wake saying "I'm gonna write a song about me today." And it was draining. I remember being exhausted by the time the song was finished even though it had only been 4 or 5 hours or so. "Die Alone" really was a creative reaction to many real life events.
In regards to the chords, those I've always known. It's not like I invited these chords. But I was used to playing them in fours not in threes, and not in these intervals. Once I had chord structure in a particular way, with the 3/4 time signature, I adjusted voicing a little for about 15-20 minutes, tried 2-3 different tempos, and got right to thinking "How does this music make me feel?" Truly, once I had the chords where I liked them, it seemed like the clouds cracked open and handed me the commandments. I know it sounds dumb but it really instinctively occurred. The entire song was written and recorded within 4 hours or so. I think it felt like writing this song was a big realization, a big awakening, a struggle. Nonetheless a struggle which finally got some closure.
Thanks for letting me blab a little about this cool acoustic track!
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about his new album "Hollywood Y Sycamore" here