Claustrophobia was conceived after a spell of writer’s block, and was written during a period of discomfort in my own skin. It opens with the line “You can’t become a new person every day,” and goes on to express that “I am imprisoned in this vessel, I can’t flee” which is about the terrible feeling of being trapped in my own body.
I have never put as much time into writing a song as I did with this one. When I am inspired to write, it usually comes together in a matter of hours or days, but the song structure and melody of Claustrophobia had to be reworked multiple times over a period of weeks before it felt complete. This inspires me to be open to revisiting old song ideas to try to shape them into something new.
lyrics
You can’t become a new person every day
I can’t accept it
I’m so sick of being me
Out of my control
Every little thing
Tantalizing
The relentless strife has brought me down
No longer can I synthesize it into sound
I am imprisoned in this vessel
I can’t flee
So help me
Sever my arms and give me a new name
Think a renewal might just numb the pain
So very long since I’ve felt a sense of peace
And so I plead
The relentless strife has brought me down
No longer can I synthesize it into sound
I am imprisoned in this vessel
I can’t flee
So help me
The relentless strife has brought me down
No longer can I synthesize it into sound
I am imprisoned in this vessel
I can’t flee
So help me
credits
from Devoid,
track released September 9, 2022
Music and Lyrics: Annapurna Knox Tobler
Performance: AP Tobler
Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by Ryan Perras at District Recording San Jose, CA
Two major players from Japan's alt-rock scene team up for a grunge-pop EP that explores noisy highs and melancholy lows. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 5, 2022