Bowmanstuck by Michael Guy Bowman

BOWMANSTUCK is the first-ever collection of all my tracks from the various Homestuck compilation albums dating as far back as 2009. This early yet essential chapter of my work as a musician began when I was drafted into the music team for Andrew Hussie’s web comic / visual novel, Homestuck, which exploded in popularity during its original run from 2009 to 2016. Along with a team of dozens of talented musicians, we released a massive catalog of albums that served not only as the soundtrack to Homestuck’s animations and interactive elements but as an expanded listening experience with hours of bonus content.

Included here are all the songs I produced for Homestuck Vol. 1 (2009), Homestuck Vol. 2 (2009), Homestuck Vol. 3 (2009), Midnight Crew: Drawing Dead (2010), Homestuck Vol. 4 (2010), Homestuck Vol. 5 (2010), Squiddles! (2010), Homestuck Vol. 6: Heir Transparent (2011), Homestuck Vol. 7: At the Price of Oblivion (2011), The Wanderers (2011), Homestuck Vol. 8 (2011), Homestuck Vol. 9 (2012), and Cherubim (2013). I have also included my stirring vocal performance on “Hardchorale” which was produced by Alex Rosetti and Toby Fox. All of these tracks were originally released by What Pumpkin, the official Homestuck music label.

For you collectors, I’ve also thrown in a few extras from various fan projects I took part in. “Mechanic Panic” appeared on the Homestuck Gaiden album Jailbreak Vol. 1 (2011), a tribute to Andrew Hussie’s comic Jailbreak. “Waiting for Adventure” appeared on the album Sburb OST (2012) released by The Homestuck Fan Musicians. “Bro Hop” and “We Shall Not Cease From Exploration” were among the many previously unreleased songs meant for Homestuck that appeared on the album P[S] (2018), released by Casual Sunday.

The songs on this album are presented sequentially by release date with a slight exception for “Sburban Jungle”, which was previewed in abridged form as “Sburban Jungle (Brief Mix)” on Homestuck Vol. 1 (2009). I’ve swapped its full version from Homestuck Vol. 4 (2010) to the opening spot and saved the short version for the last track to avoid repetition.

The journey does not stop here, True Bowlievers. My first solo album Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido (2011) was originally released by What Pumpkin and weaves the themes of Homestuck into a psychedelic rock / electronic concept album. I also returned to the “Sburban Jungle” theme on my song “Jungle Boogie”, which was originally meant for Homestuck Vol. 10 (2016) but ultimately released on my own album Archive (2016). And of course, I was only one of many, many other musicians involved in Homestuck whose music you can discover.

While I’ve gone in all kinds of completely different directions since Homestuck, few experiences can compare to the mix of viral success and creative freedom we all had during those extraordinarily unusual years. The songs included here are as often toweringly anthemic as they are incredibly silly, a testament to the wide-eyed millennial whimsy of an era when Internet culture took over real life. Cosplay went mainstream. I was crashing conventions with a guitar and leading hordes of weirdos in gray face paint to sing “How Do I Live” at the top of their lungs. The in-jokes had all finally spilled out.

Michael Guy Bowman's eclectic songwriting has permeated through strange corners of the Internet ever since he began contributing music to the web comic Homestuck. After crossing over into a solo career with the spin-off concept album Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido, he has meticulously crafted his own blend of retro rock and bedroom pop to share with the lost souls of the online generation.

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