Girlwork | Thoughts Like Tides

Inspiration

This was the first song I penned under Girlwork and was going for a chillout vibe, and it morphed into a pop ballad, going on to become track 8 of the album Sandglass. It is about time slipping away.

What it does

It shows a woman morphing in and out of a sandglass, cuddling with an octopus in a heartfelt, slightly odd music video, atmosphere and piano carry the vibe, making love feel like it's passing.

How we built it

I dug into the 20,000+ AI images of the girl; storyboarded her shift into sandglass and octopus snuggle, keyframing it to match the song's soulful swells for a smooth, quirky flow.

Challenges we ran into

Turning her into sandglass got messy; video renders kept spitting out blurry grains and artifacts, but no video clip took longer than simple act of her riding on two similar surf boards for whatever reason. On the other hand, making the octopus's arms wrap around her was effortless.

Accomplishments that we’re proud of

Nailing the sandglass shift and realistic wildlife felt like a W, like it was always meant to be. When I finished the song I decided to record 7 more, before eventually moving on and settling on 50 tracks that would comprise the entire record.

What we learned

Writing lyrics in another language cracked open new sonic worlds; vocal textures I’d never dreamed of weaving. It taught me to lean into the unknown, letting foreign phrases shape stories and leave context to the imagination.

What’s next for Girlwork | Thoughts Like Tides

Sandglass's massive 50-track scope was a gamble, poured out because I’m unsure if I’ll record again. If its tides resonate with listeners, I’ll keep riding the wave; more songs, more surreal stories. Follow Girlwork to see if the current carries on.

Built With

• logicpro
• pika
• promeai
• udio
• vegaspro