Sophomores Ewan Steffen and Connor Emerson solidified their first place in the Wordsmiths of Berlin songwriting contest for their second year in a row, with their heavy metal song, “Hivemind.” The duo was, unfortunately, the only contestants again, though the award was given purely on their talents.
“The lyrics and the reflection of the songwriting process for Ewan and Connor’s song ‘Hivemind’ present a clear, profound message about avoiding mob mentality that promotes thinking for oneself. That is something I appreciate in this song,” English teacher and Wordsmiths adviser Andrew Reise said.
The song lyrics had been crafted months before the competition, the idea being too good to pass up on entering.
“I think it mostly had to do with a general feeling of more viscerality over rationality, like people just like clinging onto ideas based on feelings, and not on actual intelligence or knowledge about whatever they’re thinking about. And I think it’s just the overall frustration with that,” Steffen said.
Upon the contest announcement, the duo had already known they’d be teaming up to create another song.
“I think that last year, I can’t remember when, but we started working together, and then this year it was kind of a no-brainer that we were going to work together. We just decided we’re going to write another song, and maybe make it a little better than last year’s,” Steffen said.
The team made their song on BandLab, a free recording and editing software for upcoming musicians. The lyrics were written by Steffen, and the instrumental was primarily played by Emerson.
“I used mostly guitar, and we did coded drums, so basically we just used the program itself. They have integrated drums, so we just used that to make the beat, and then recorded the guitar via phone and an amp,” Emerson said.
While Steffen and Emerson continue their winning streak, they realize the power in their writing as well-versed songwriters.
“I think it’s (music) a way to connect with people more than writing. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen a decline in people reading and writing, but I think music is still something that a lot of people listen to, and I think it’s still super important for people to understand and to find meaning,” Steffen said.
