MapleStory, A Cabin on a Hill, & Voice Memos: How Endless Strafford used loss and comradery to craft their latest album.
I spoke with Endless Strafford lyricist and singer, Nino Koot, about the process and inspirations that led to the band's latest release, (i hope that) things just get better.
Nino Koot was in the middle of a boss run in Maplestory when I called, the free to play MMO which he plays on a private server.
"Level 151, baby," he said.
"I mean, it sounds high. I don't know enough about the game," I replied.
"Max level is 200 so it's pretty high," he reassured me. "It's very nostalgic for me... I actually met someone in real life over this game."
"Wow. You're making friends all over the internet," I said, remembering how we met on Twitch in 2017.
Koot, along with bandmate Max Wensveen had just released their sophomore record as Endless Strafford. (i hope that) things just get better follows up their 2022 debut i got you, which garnered over 300,000 plays on Spotify alone. The recording process for the first album was a dream scenario for a debut.
"We rented a cabin in Germany. For four days straight we just made the first album. It was amazing," Koot said of the process and the secluded Airbnb they used to write and record. "The only thing that was really close was the house of the Airbnb owner, but they just let us do our thing. We barely saw them until the last night when we sent them a message through the Airbnb app, 'Hey the album is finished, do you want to listen to it?' He brought some beers and he just came over. He was very enthusiastic as well because we were the first ones to actually record music there."
The process for their follow up was comparatively methodical. Having a better idea of who they were as a band, and goals for how they wanted to push themselves, Koot and Wensveen followed their inspirations and wrote the album over time. The result is a thoughtful, cohesive piece of art that builds and loops on itself to create a melancholic sense of movement, like walking in place. At just under 13 minutes in total, (i hope that) things just get better demands to be listened to in full to feel the entirety of its message. By the end, you'll likely be inclined to start the loop again. Koot reflects with me on the journey to creating the new record, the heartache that inspired it, and learning to process the pain and move forward. The answer, often, was with the help of others.
(i hope that) things just get better Review
An intimate conversation underscores the melancholy acoustic guitar. It’s nearly indecipherable, but the energy is unmistakable as collaborative creativity, which at its core is the act of support. These are the opening seconds of (i hope that) things just get better, a constantly forward-moving dash through the aches and pains of love lost, as well as the hopeful, even funny pieces that make up the complex emotions of the end of one thing, and the creation of the next.
The low guitar riff that marches through “i might have anxiety” serves as the musical through line throughout the album, beginning a rhythmic charge as if at any moment the tempo could speed up and out of control. The pace remains, however, and that sense of forward motion continues into “marie” as we step onto trains and ride away, leaving the past behind.
This road forward comes with realizations and even funny scenarios as “lose it” triumphantly celebrates a relationship ending before having to explain that the cologne she liked was a gift from an ex. The silver lining thinking continues into the chorus, “I’m only finding myself for me to lose it, like I’m doing fine but I’m not.” The album’s title itself reflects this duality, the confident proclamation that things just get better versus the mere hope that they will.
This concept continues along with our musical through line in a broken, distorted loop over “(i know that not) everything seems perfect” and finally into the melody of “ghost.” Everything coalesces here as we are brought from memory to, “now you are just a ghost that’s haunting me.”
(i hope that) things just get better is a quick journey. For 12 minutes you can fall into its loss, it’s uncertainty, and its hopefulness. At the end, you’ll hear it again. It’s just a glimpse, but still abundantly clear. The unmistakable laughter of a conversation between friends which at its core is the act of support that bookends any tough journey.
"The day the album released I had an album release party at my place. I made a video with, like videos and photos with, like memories of Max and I, and with friends," Koot said. "We sat there and just listened to the album together. One of my best friends came over after the album was done and she started hugging me and crying and was like, 'I'm so proud of you.'"
I got the sense during our conversation that Koot, while writing the personal lyrics of his songs from a specific experience, did not consciously include the deep community of support he has surrounding him. That this element of his personal life is so obviously present in the music is a testament then to how ingrained it is in the band’s DNA. The two spoken word tracks on (i hope that) things just get better are clips from real voice memos sent to Koot by a close friend where Koot says they often hold deep, personal conversations. She agreed to lend the clips to the project, injecting their genuine friendship directly into the album. We even had to pause for a moment when Koot received a text from his mother.
"She's in the store right now. She was going to grab something for me so I have to respond for a second," Koot said, laughing.
Comradery peppered our conversation as it does the album. From friends made playing Maplestory, an Airbnb host excited for the young musicians, an emotional album release party, and of course the friendship that is Endless Strafford, Max and Nino.
"I don't have anyone else in my life where I'm so comfortable with making music. With Max I can give him everything and he's always so enthusiastic about my stuff," Koot said. "It really bonded us... The writing process was very emotional for me. It just created another level of bromance."
(i hope that) things just get better by Endless Strafford is streaming now on all digital platforms. Nino Koot is the band’s lead vocalist and lyricist alongside guitarist and composer Max Wensveen.
I wasn't familiar with Endless Strafford until I read this, but listening and loving them now. Great interview and album review. I always love finding new music, so thank you!
Woke up extra early today and got your email with your latest writing. 5 minutes to read and 13 minutes to listen to (I hope that) things just get better. It was a great way to start a Monday morning and the week!