Faded Grey 2

Scenario 1: The summer is upon us. The water is still a bit chilly, but the sun is strikingly hot. That’s the perfect combo in my opinion to spend some time at the beach. It’s simple—you dip yourself into the water and swim for a bit, then you go out and tan in the sun. You get hot again, so you go for another swim, and then go back to tanning. Swim, tan, repeat. While tanning, you sip your favorite beverage and listen to some music. Which songs? Faded Grey.

Scenario 2: You’re at a rooftop bar, watching the sunset with your partner and a group of close friends. The sky is clear with a few white clouds resembling faces. There is a light afternoon breeze trying to wrestle against the hot air. The sun is blood orange, slowly sinking into the sea. You’re again sipping your favorite beverage and laughing with your friends, and there is sweet and gentle guitar-driven music in the background. Which songs? Faded Grey.

Scenario 3: You wake up in the morning. You’re sitting on your porch or balcony, listening to the humming birds and breathing in the clean air. You're contemplating what to do with your day, or you’re reading a book, or you’re scrolling on your phone sipping your favorite morning beverage. You’re listening to some chillout guitar-driven tracks. Which songs? Faded Grey.

Scenario 4 (promise, last one): You’re cruising in your car on a corniche or boulevard with your sunglasses on, and NOT sipping your favorite beverage (don’t drink and drive!) There are palm trees to your left and right, and people are either working out on the sidewalk or walking their pets. You’re alone or with your best friend. It’s a bit hot, so you roll down the windows and hit the gas pedal a bit more to get in some cool air. You're listening to music in the car. Which songs? I think you get the picture by now.

This is exactly why I like recording Faded Grey. It’s the perfect music companion for the beautiful and fun, yet simple things in life.

While we were recording my latest Greyfade EP “A Vessel” back in January, I asked Hadi, my producer, to come over one afternoon to record some lo-fi, chillout songs. aiming for a summer release. And that’s exactly what happened.

I prepared my trusted tele and strat, restrung them, and tuned them. By 3 pm, Hadi came by. We plugged everything in, and started jamming and recording music. I had nothing prepared. All my solos were improvised—everything you hear on the EP, we came up with on the spot. By 6 pm, we had managed to record three songs. We looked at each other, we smiled, and we said, “Shisha time?”

Shisha is Arabic for hookah. It’s our ritual after a recording session to go to a cafe, smoke shisha, eat something, and hang out.

When Hadi sent me the final mixes, which I approved after the first draft, I jokingly told him that I’m going to kill myself if this record becomes a hit. Why did I say that? Because the process to come up with this stuff was so simple and easygoing. No preparations. No overthinking. Everything seemed to just fall into place. As an artist, I absolutely love that.

So, enjoy this EP in the summer, and send me some more scenarios of when, where, and how you’re listening to these songs.