I wrote this song from the perspective of the books main antagonist, Leopold Karpus. Karpus is a somewhat ruthless CEO, and the lyrics reflect a meeting between him and the brother of our protagonist, who happens to have just been promoted to a high level executive position.
Karpus give a long monologue that ends with him yelling at the new executive, telling him that the only reason he’s been promoted is because Karpus has allowed it.
Karpus has a lot of contempt for those he feels are beneath him, and that includes most people. This contempt I think reflects how much of the elite and our leaders view the rest of us: unworthy of them.
As far as the sound, the song was recorded, performed, and mixed by me. It began as me experimenting with a baritone guitar and a Moog bass line. It’s a slower tempo song, so I wanted a big chorus since it’s an important part of the book. I knew I wanted a big climax to the bridge, to represent the climax of Karpus’s monologue, and it was just a matter of arranging an appropriate build up. The solo is cathartic. I thought it would be nice to have a section to help relieve the tension.
I’m please with how it came out and I hope everyone enjoys it.
Listen to the song here and read the new Ascension’s Constraint chapter on Kindle Vella.