Some songs are so visceral that they transport you to a specific moment suspended in time. Indie duo 229’s latest release, RESTLESS, sounds a lot like a rainy afternoon — 4.45pm, to be exact, as rain splatters on a window, complete with soft rumbles of thunder. Even upon first listen, the track demonstrates power in restraint: softer, controlled vocals reveal a sense of healing underway. “This song feels like a voicemail from myself to myself, sent from an emotional state where I’m finally able to breathe, but still bracing from the past,” says one half of 229, Haneri. The other half of the sonic duo, B.LEO, hopes that the alt R&B track inspires listeners to identify their underlying stresses and tend to them. “Dedicated to the quiet stress of the good season, as I like to call it, I hope this song helps people know that they are not alone.”
According to 229, the inception of this song is best described as a product of a long, continuous flow state. “It started as a late-night idea before I was headed home. B had finished up his verse, and the bridge sounded totally different for the longest time. We added these vocal beds, and his mix brought it all together.” B.LEO recalls the ups and downs of creating RESTLESS. “The initial whirlwind of creation was a breeze — production elements, lyrics, and vocal melodies all fell into place rather quickly. However, something felt lacking,” recalls B.LEO. He tried everything from synth pads, guitars, and samples to bring more movement into the track, but this led to decision fatigue. Ultimately, Tim De Cotta, a dear friend of the duo, helped lay down a smooth, slinky bass that materialised the track.
Early renditions of RESTLESS were started a year ago, as Haneri and B.LEO created new demos each session as a way to capture ideas naturally. While Haneri was figuring out the melody and lyrics for her verse, B.LEO was piecing together the instrumental elements of the track. “During this time, I was running Logic Pro on my M1 MacBook Pro — doing my darndest to keep the project as lean as possible to prevent system overloads. Once I switched to the M4 MacBook Pro, everything changed.” The new device beefed up production and mixing processes, giving him the creative freedom and speed without thinking too much about conserving CPU. “The feeling of being able to chase a great idea only to be restricted by technological limitations is a frustration I wish on nobody. To strike while the iron is hot is a marvellous feeling.” Describing Haneri as a master vocalist and lyricist who only needed a few takes, the track was recorded with a TLM 103 microphone through a UAD Apollo Interface.
Although representing different ends of the production spectrum, both Haneri and B.LEO find the MacBook Pro and Logic Pro to be substantial tools that advance their musical artistry. “Being able to make music anywhere and everywhere is such a hack. I’m still learning a lot when it comes to producing music, but I’m definitely well-versed in tracking vocals. I love the Logic Pro stock plug-ins, like the compressor and EQ,” shares Haneri. As someone who has used these tools since the dawn of his music career, having picked up shortcuts along the way made navigating his digital audio workstation feel like second nature. “Logic Pro allows me to quickly search for a specific plug-in rather than having to memorise the save pathways to manually retrieve it. Through an Instagram Reel, I also learned that Control + X allows me to trim the silence that is below a threshold in any given audio, making the clean-up of background vocals way less tedious,” B.LEO explains.
Compared to a conventional recording studio setup, the MacBook Pro and Logic Pro make an approachable yet reliable combination for independent artists, especially because of how unobtrusive they are. “Independent artists need to hone in on their sound, and these tools are designed not to get in the way. I could just plug into any studio setup, really,” he shares. As part of their creative workflow, the Apple ecosystem has empowered the duo with plenty of access to nurture ideas. “I get ideas for melodies on Voice Memos and then AirDrop to my MacBook, which I could later turn into a project on Logic. So much of my work is on my iCloud, which I can access from any device as long as I’m connected,” says Haneri.
Given the current state of AI that has fully dominated the attention economy with low-quality content, 229 considers the ways to still create something meaningful. “My very unromantic answer is faith and money management. This is the only way art can still have the time to breathe and become,” she shares. Constantly on a mission to strike a balance between making music that both audiences and she love, she too ponders if she will buckle to the pressure of taking the fast route. “AI is a tool. Most artists must find a way to implement these tools in a way that can augment their artistry, rather than steering them towards a generic direction. Anyone can prompt a ‘banger’, but intentionality, taste, and meaning will ultimately be discernible factors that differentiate between what is real and not,” B.LEO shares.
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Just as restless in their creative process, 229 is already cooking up new releases — fans who visited THE RESTLESS ROOM would have gotten to hear a few unreleased songs. As solo artists, both Haneri and B.LEO are slated to release singles and an EP respectively. Safe to say, their Apple devices have definitely played a role in bringing these new project to life.
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