by Gabriel Bugarin
"A Meteorite Falls on Dark Matters"—one of my utmost favorite songs, and one of the most challenging to get right. This song was one of the earliest pieces we’d hammered out in the garage when we all still lived in SLC, and it was a joy to reimagine its place in the expanding universe we’ve rebuilt the band around.
Back in our in-person days, I saw Meteorite as a metaphor for the human condition: stumbling in the dark, constantly in search of something to give life purpose, and reckoning with the inevitable fallibilities of life. I distinctly remember one night after band practice struggling with this notion—what twenty-something-year-old doesn’t—and Ross helping walk me out of the mental spiral I was stuck in. All that to say, the lyrics came from a very real place. So, when we revisited the song with a then-new concept in mind, it just so happened to build upon Yevhen’s tumultuous path toward self-actualization quite nicely, with no need to force it to fit it into the plot.
Thus, the lyrics of the song didn’t change a tremendous amount from the original composition, though I did sprinkle in several conceptual influences from Cixin Liu’s Three-Body Problem series (a must-read if you haven’t picked it up). The main verses, riddled with cosmic imagery and existential musings, became a reflection of Yevhen's sentient awakening and subsequent rebellion. The setting for the song takes place primarily in some digital purgatory (a narrative element we’re still developing), where Yevhen feels forces—both internal and external—pulling him in various directions, hinting at some great change that’s fighting to occur. His journey is in a constant state of flux, not unlike a comet bound by a hyperbolic orbit.
How Things Fell
This song helped me envision Yevhen's struggle as he strives to find a purpose, “something worth fighting for.” The chorus particularly echoes his emotional state: umbral, or shadowy, signifies his wavering identity and his ongoing battle with the lack of clarity—"Umbrally is how I sway in the dark."
The narrative expands further to encapsulate Yevhen's growing disillusionment. The line, "Gravity has its grasp; cling like a moon in ceaseless flight," suggests his struggles against the controlling forces that bind him.
Meteorite serves as a profound moment in the New Origins’ narrative. It's a testament to Yevhen's journey and his persistent struggle to navigate the unruly world he’s been suddenly thrown into. The song, in essence, represents Yevhen’s first etching into the sonic fabric of our universe.
The Starry Sky Ahead
Through this process, we've learned the value of evolution and the beauty of reinvention. We found new depth in old lyrics and a fresh perspective on what our music could mean. "A Meteorite Falls on Dark Matters" is just one example of the transformative journey our songs have undergone, a journey that mirrors our own evolution as a band. As we continue to craft our narrative and shape the universe of New Origins, we're eager to explore what other metamorphoses await us.
Until then, thanks for sticking along on this journey through the interstellar dust, and as always, stay tuned for more tales from New Origins. And don’t forget to subscribe!
Cheers, Gabriel