Proper by Into It. Over It.
Hey y'all - We finally own our album Proper! Now you can buy it directly from us and all of the money goes to IIOI.
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A lesser known fact about the songs on Proper was that this, the Stay Ahead Of The Weather 7" and the songs on IIOI/KOJI were all written in the same block of time.
Myself and Nick Wakim, the drummer on all of those songs, were on a writing tear from the moment we wrote Augusta, GA together through the writing process for this record. Pure, unbridled inspiration. Creativity was flowing, non-stop. I had finally found my footing in Chicago and Nick was a prime ambassador for me. A very fortunate connection.
Full disclosure -- For a long time I considered this The Progress LP that had never been made -- Now I think this record likely SHOULD have been the SAOTW full length. I had never done a proper full length (hence the namesake) for IIOI and the time had some in my career that I needed to knock one out. The lifespan for SAOTW was already seeming finite and to release this record as an IIOI LP was the most prudent move.
We bashed these 12 songs out in about 25-30 days over the winter. Nick was in medical school at the time and we would find any moment to rehearse / write -- Whether early in the morning or overnight depending on his shift rotation.
In the summertime of 2011, we piled in my Dodge Intrepid and drove down to Eudora, KS to make this record with Ed Rose. A dream come true for me. Maybe not so much for Ed. We had a ton to do in 14 days and I absolutely wasn't as prepared as I could have been. All of the bass, second guitar and overdubs were written on the spot. Lyrics to some of these songs were written the night before I sang them.
Nick could only spend 2-3 days in KS before flying back to Chicago. I forget the reason exactly, but it was school related. He crushed through his drum takes and then took off a few days in. He had no idea what to expect for the finished product as so much hadn't been written yet.
To Ed's credit he fucking WORKED on this record. Full days tracking into editing retreats at night. He also organized the intro to Nathan who sang on Write It Right -- A dream come true for me. Nate showed up prepared. Wrote his own lyrics and nailed it. So sick.
The studio was on it's last legs -- Ed was trying to sell the building during the process -- The living quarters were cozy but it was beetle season.. They'd click and hiss and fall out of the windows. We woke up in the middle of the night a few times to bugs in the bed. Truly wild shit.
When all was said and done we packed up and drove home with the mixes. A whirlwind process. Kate and I listened to it a dozen or so times on the nine hour drive home.
When it finally came out it was a month or two after Twelve Towns came out. People were confused -- Just like every other new IIOI record. Months later it started to click. I had no idea how important some of these songs would become to other people. We just dug writing tricky shit with each other.
Looking back, it's probably my least favorite IIOI record -- I would have done so much differently now -- But it's a moment in time and a culmination of some of the best years of my life.
Tracklist
| 1. | Embracing Facts | 1:55 |
| 2. | Discretion & Depressing People | 2:53 |
| 3. | Fortunate Friends | 3:20 |
| 4. | No Good Before Noon | 1:20 |
| 5. | Write It Right | 2:57 |
| 6. | Midnight: Carroll Street | 4:17 |
| 7. | Connecticut Steps | 3:32 |
| 8. | Staring At The Ceiling | 1:52 |
| 9. | An Evening With Ramsey Beyer | 2:58 |
| 10. | Where Your Nights Often End | 3:05 |
| 11. | PROPER | 3:57 |
| 12. | The Frames That Used To Greet Me | 2:10 |
