Features Track By Track: Child Actor - Victory

It’s probably for the best that we have Sedgie Ogilvy and Max Heath tell us exactly what components and ideas make up their debut ‘Victory’ LP. One listen to this inaugural release and chances are you’ll be found lying face-down in a corner of a dark room, flummoxed by a sound that defies genre convention and merely requires the adoring listener to play along and stop thinking about the ifs, buts and gritty details. A love of R&B rests at the core of this album; a romantic centre all soft and beaming. If there are any peers, the sample-heavy instant-pop of Phantogram could be a calling point; or the frenetic immediacy of Purity Ring’s recent full-length. But this Connecticut duo continue to defy as the album develops, so in order to prevent any confusion, the band gave DIY a track-by-track guide to their all-encompassing beast of a debut.

‘Victory’ is out today in the U.S. through Fake Four. Stream below Sedgie and Max’s guide.

1. This Is It
MH: This was the last song we finished. The original version of this was one of the quietest and the final ended up being one of the loudest and most intense. I really get a kick out of hearing Sedgie’s voice over trap drums.

2. Reasons
SO: ‘Reasons’ captures that part of life when you’re having so much trouble with somebody else, feeling your own heart break, yet you emerge stronger in the end. Epic and cathartic to write, it felt like a breakthrough for our songwriting in general. Definitely one of my favorites on the album and definitely straight from the (broken) heart!

3. If You Loved Me
MH: Don’t want to speak for Sedgie but I like how the lyrics can be read as either lonely and heartbroken or flirtatious. Musically this is one ofthose reggae/Motown/psych/hip-hop jams.

4. Forgiven
SO: ‘Forgiven’ is about letting your mistakes go, and the upbeat quality of the song drives home the idea that life goes on no matter what! It is a song about rising above and moving forward through all of life’s storms. This jam rides well in cars, especially in the summertime!

5. New Life
MH: This one ended up being really unstable and explosive. I was as surprised as anyone when that dancehall part started to come together. This may be our favorite to play live.

6. I Will Be
SO: This song has the power to really grow on you with its 80s-inspired tones and celestial hook. It’s a song that runs deep as it talks about changing yourself in order to make your partner love you more. The idea of going back to something trying to make it work, not feeling good enough as you are is kind of a dark theme, but the light and refreshing sounds and melody bring a nice new perspective to the lyrics. Love this one in the morning!

7. Change
MH: I wanted this to be really lush and comforting and I think it is.

8. Wait
SO: This is definitely one that you can dance to! When first writing this song I went to a very dark place, thinking about moving forward after a big breakup and how you can sometimes feel trapped in your solitude, wishing your partner could have waited for you a little bit longer. However, this song takes that feeling and brings new light to it—such a fun one and good for shaking off your blues.

9. Almost Never
MH: This song is pretty direct. It’s the easiest one for me to hear the beat and vocals as separate elements so I guess in a way that makes it the most like a hip-hop/R&B track. Really sloppy drums!

10. Release Me
SO: This is probably the most stripped-down that we get on the album in terms of vulnerable vocals and tons of instrumental space left for reflection. It’s a marching, meditative piece that begs of someone to let you go and to free you from your current pain. Truly heartfelt; both melancholy and uplifting all at once. This one is good for your headphones if you feel like gettin’ emo with it!

11. Clear
MH: I love this song. The hook is a sample of a Japanese children’s choir that I chopped up. I spent a pretty long time coming up with English words that both sounded like what the choir was singing syllable-for-syllable and formed meaningful ideas. I felt I had so few options with this “translation” that, when I finished, the feeling was more one of discovering something than of creating something. And then for a second I actually feared I was somehow ripping off Joan Jett. It would be awesome if that was how she made her music.

12. Secret
SO: We knew that this one was going to be the last one on the album from the minute we wrote it, even though it was only the fourth song we ever wrote! It just has that feeling that this is the end, with the slow-jam beat and the melodies that make you feel like you’re going off into the sunset to continue your journey. This song is a gentle confrontation to someone who has somehow betrayed your trust, with final lyrics ‘you need a longer road to find me’ implying that you’re already miles away. This song just feels good to put on when you get home at the end of the day. It’s relaxing and gives you that nice beat that you’ve been craving all day!