Anthropocene

by Evan Schafer

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1.
At Dawn (Theme) 01:30
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Instrumental
2.
Glacier 11:22
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A dark turn Catching passion with a string Ballot box on fire at the call of the loon It’s true—we all fall down we all fall down we all fall down A chaplain’s glacier Melts in suburban homes All those dreams retired at the last light of the sun It’s true—we’ve seen the world suspended in cosmic tears Running at flags on the moon Sitting in diners on the moon Little frustrations on the moon Wishing you knew better on the moon Giving away possessions with no thought They mean nothing to you anymore Here I am freezing on the moon No lounge chairs here, so sorry— Giving away recessions with no money They are a pissing contest of the highest order Here you are slamming on the moon No needles here, so fucking sorry Did a little bit of . . . Don’t wanna tell mommy (well, isn’t that cute?) Don’t wanna tell daddy He’ll take you out with one shot (goddamn it!) Floating Seizing all those men Stopping all those men don’t enter in don’t enter in “I’m gonna tell mommy, daddy” Giving away lifetimes with no more chances They’ve taken all our friends all our hard work gone to some corporation built to let us die A stark stern Catching fire with a ring Tiny box of ashes worn like a stupid medal It’s true—they went underground (2x) A melted glacier Water sopping wet All those lives expired at the last slice of the dawn It’s true—we’re all gonna fail (2x).
3.
Span 03:30
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How can you wake me up in the night and scream It’s an amalgam of messes I cannot contain It’s not that I don’t want to see your face or wake up in your arms It’s just too hard to think someday you’ll just dissipate If I could break shit in this room, I would If I could break your heart in pieces, I should If I could make all the right moves in all the right places in all the right ways in this world and others through space and through time Maybe you’d want to be mine again If I ever see your figure pressing onto the trigger it will grasp with echoing grandeur A leveled out boon racing for the trap door I’m bound to drop down forever And somewhere a span of lingering sands will wash on the blistering wound A truncated dune across all the lands.
4.
Fallout 04:41
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Gutters bled out water, leaves City traffic fills my head with ash Scatters over grass like a greyscape Hallucinogens are all that feel good anymore Are all that let me see anymore There’s a chill in the summer on a screen that’s hoping for more Promise me some time alone that’s just us in a field with burnt roses It’ll be the last time we’ll hear each other’s voices I’m what you hoped for, right? There’s a dead deer on the road and its child weeps over the bones We are what you hoped for, right? There’s a star burnt out in the sky and it can’t find its galaxy My dreams aren’t what I’d hoped for I’m in love with danger and I can’t feel my hands to sense what’s coming next I’m in love with fear and I can’t feel my head to know what’s gone down I’m in love with the tremors and I can’t feel the quakes under my feet I only need me to save me God can’t help anyone now I only need me to save me There is only me to save me.
5.
Epochal 06:30
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I’m sorry I’ve been distant Can’t even find me on a map anymore I’m sorry it’s uncomfortable The elephant in the room is me But if you need me go in the bubble and spell it out Don’t blindly bifurcate Don’t shout at the ether as one would down static halls Adjuvant kids in their incubators I’m sorry if it’s unbelievable The elephant in the bathtub is me But if you need somebody go in your bubble and sleep sound.
6.
At Midday 02:21
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Instrumental
7.
Humanity 04:56
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Simple as the highest peak on the whirlwind back of a whale Chirp of a starling withering, wholesome as a fairy tale I wish sometimes I were as fucked up as you and other times I bury the truth Simple as the highest peak on a mountain too high to climb But that, my dear, is humanity Wish it was easier to see it through And that, my dear, is the long and short of this story with eons to go Simple as the world’s raging fire in the forests that once stood tall Whistle of a lost, stale version of you that wandered these paths before Simple as the questions that a child will ask his mom Later, a life will come to its end and that child will understand I wish sometimes you were as strong as me and other times you bury yourself Simple as the highest ledge you could just as much jump further down.
8.
Anthropocene 03:10
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It’s those later days that really get me The days we didn’t fight to save what’s ours The days the era took over and spread the last of us so thin When it rained down monsters we all went indoors Can’t make inferences from silence or take drivel from stores It’s given me quite a lot to think about and ponder The flesh we didn’t press and the fluids not spilled over We asked the gods “when did this happen?” When the clouds spat out androids we all went outside Can’t make lovers out of paper or the things we’d love to hide.
9.
Strata 04:46
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“Maybe I’m okay with there being nothing left, maybe I’m okay as the world falls apart” Danny looked in his eyes and knew there was nothing left It sat as crumpled paper at the stoop Love, that is We are just fleeting We are only fleeting All the memories stuck in the strata It’s all so fleeting Can’t you recall what you did when I was 16 You can’t even refrain from saying it all so loudly It cracked my heart in three and one piece went missing My god, I need a friend right now My god, I need something to drown it out My god, I need a friend right now My god, I want to hear the silence I’m gonna beg for the silence I’m gonna hope for resilience Now that you’re gone I’m gonna pray to stand upright Gonna pray when things are not right My god, I need a friend Could really use what I’ve never had and I don't know where to start.
10.
Walk 05:11
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If only you couldn’t remember If only you would just forget If only I could just reverse, retry Maybe it could have been something See you on the other side, he said See you where I wonder now I don’t want to walk away but how can I stay when you make it so hard to want to? I don’t want to waste your time but how can I not when you’re dying on the table? If only you took the time to see If only you went down another road If only I could make those old things right again, I would see what you had said to me all those times I can’t imagine what it feels like to be stuck like that Please god tell me how the fuck do I get out of this place?
11.
Stillness 04:05
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Terror in nine words “Don’t hit me up unless you truly want me” I’m certain there’s no one behind the curtain but we can test that out we can test that out I am living in vain to what I want to be I am so locked down from what I used to be I am turning the tables of the things I see nurturing stillborn dreams I’m tired of the world refusing to spin I’m tired of the masses spitting at me I’m tired of confusion I’m tired of the shame I’m tired of the answers that all seem the same I’m tired of incubation I’m tired of dull sensation I’m tired of the stillness that wraps itself in me I know you tried to change the ending but it was the ending that changed us.
12.
At Sunset 02:00
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Instrumental

about

The origin for Anthropocene, I believe, was long before the first song was even written. From an artistic point of view, I think it goes back just over a decade for myself as a songwriter, when I ventured off to start a solo career. The songs I crafted from 2008 to 2019 all have special individual meanings and stories associated with them, and while they basically define my growth as a writer and producer, I knew in the back of my mind that something more impactful was brewing, bound to come out eventually.

It started with the lines of the chorus in “Walk,” scribbled in my lyric book—not sure if a poem or a song would come of it. That was just prior to COVID shutting the world down, but perhaps very telling of where things would lead. As I, like many others, was forced into confinement, that unusual solitude left me very reverential to the state of the world—how we treat one another, how relationships of all kinds come and go, how death and life can be celebrated and mourned in almost equal capacity, how violence can lead to hatred, how silence can lead to indifference, among other things.

As the next few songs took shape, I recognized myself working differently than previously—everything was coming at a natural, almost normal pace that felt comfortable for the things I found myself pondering on lyrically. These nine songs with words and three instrumentals reflect back a world that is very fractured but has somehow learned how to continue moving forward, and if there is any lesson to be learned from these songs, it is more so in the very real and alive spirit that we as humans hold uniquely among us.

Anthropocene tells that story—join me in this intensely moving journey.

—E.S.

credits

released January 8, 2021

Produced by Evan Schafer

Engineered, mixed + mastered by Evan Schafer
except electric guitar on Strata and Epochal + acoustic guitar on Humanity engineered by Aiden Ellsworth

Recorded February-December 2020 in
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Williamstown, New Jersey
Bellingham, Washington

Vocals recorded with Samson C02 microphones

Instruments performed by
Evan Schafer
William Schafer
Aiden Ellsworth
John Joseph Madden

All songs written + composed by Evan Schafer
©2021 Cherry Blossom Records ℗2020 Evan A. Schafer
All rights reserved. Lyrics reprinted with permission.

Album photography by John Joseph Madden + Evan Schafer


Thank you to everybody who participated in, knew about, had something to say about, read lyrics before they were lyrics, took photos, and ultimately contributed to this album’s coming about. It has been a labor of absolute, pure love and I hope this is heard and felt in every note so painstakingly put down. Blast it.

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Evan Schafer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My name is Evan Schafer. I am an indie musician with a strong grounding in traditional composition, but the material always has a unique flair. I guarantee not being bored out of your gourd when turning on one of the records. I produce, mix, and engineer everything myself, and have done so since late 2005. ... more

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