Silk Screens is a behind the scenes look at the making of a track.

In this edition, Asheville, North Carolina’s Alligator Indian discuss the making-of “Corpsing,” the lead-off single from their forthcoming EP, More Songs About Animals and TV.

Christian Church: When I bought an iPad last year, one of the first things I did was get the GarageBand app, and one of the most interesting aspects of it was the sampler. I spent a while arpeggiating different vocal samples I recorded and the foundation for “Corpsing” was laid atop some of the earliest ones. When Ian Stanley (of Portals/Cactus-Mouth/Chill Mega Chill) asked us to contribute a track to the Chill Mega Chill Halloween compilation, we decided to work the demo into our submission both for it’s creepy vibe but also because I’d already titled it “Corpsing” (which I’d read somewhere was a British expression for breaking character during a comedy routine [that it looks like “corpse sings” was a bonus]). What followed was the arduous task of constructing the weird vocal samples into a song and coming up with a melody that fit over something that existed between keys.

Alisha Torrealba: This song almost drove me insane. Christian had come up with these amazing samples and I could not find a melody within them. The lack of a clear tonality didn’t help either, even though it was my favorite part about the sound. It was ultimately a good thing because I try to steer clear of creating obvious pop melodies. Placing an additional synth line also seemed like overkill, so I really needed the vocals to drive the piece.

I began by experimenting with the most ridiculous voices/noises I could conjure up over the chorus section on eternal repeat. Finally, I started working with some whistle tones. The effect of singing a (sort of) Eb6 truly hit home at that point. Singing it live on a tour or something would definitely be crazy, but it was so satisfying. The verse melodies came pretty easily after overcoming that block. The screamy high notes kinda reminded me of Imhotep rising in The Mummy (don’t hate!) and more concrete themes of the song started to develop from that visualization—Egyptian ideas of the afterlife, religious hypocrisy, and being heard over loud injustices.

Christian: With the deadline approaching, we were happy with the song but felt it wasn’t finished so we submitted the demo and called it “Corpsing (Demonstration)” (listen above) and continued fleshing it out for our eventual EP. By then it was mostly just fine-tuning things, strengthening the mix, and figuring out how to perform it live. I added some last minute percussion and solidified my vocal line during the chorus. Building off the title, I developed a sort of mantra about taking personal responsibility for defeat as a means of empowerment.

After listening to all the songs on the EP, we knew this had to be the first one people heard. It not only encapsulated everything we stood for as artists, but also fulfilled our sonic vision of Alligator Indian unlike anything else we’d ever done. Plus, if people were into this track, we knew they’d like the other three songs on the EP. It’s hardly the catchiest song on More Songs About Animals and TV, and that’s kind of the point.

More Songs About Animals and TV will be out September 17th via Bleeding Gold Records—download “Corpsing” here.