At the end of July, Ericdoa announced he would be hosting a 24/7 stream on the platform Twitch titled ‘LOCKED IN’. His goal was to create a 15-track album live for his listeners to tune into and he would continue streaming until the album was complete. On August 1st, Eric started what was soon to become a 321-hour never-before-done livestream that spanned roughly 15 days. During this time, he raised 7k for Palestinian relief, invited 30+ guests into the studio, created 11 original tracks, and in the end, gave us his new EP why suffer for us?
why suffer for us?, once completed, it ended up being a 6 song EP that was released on November 29th, 2024. This was Eric’s second project of the year, with the first being DOA which was released back in January. He was also incredibly active with touring this year, embarking on not only his 'Dead On Arrival' tour from late January to March and opening for Porter Robinson on his ‘Smile’ tour in the fall. It seems as if Ericdoa has been on a non-stop grind this year, with why suffer for us? being the cherry on top.
However, fans were disappointed with the EP not containing all 11 tracks promised from the livestream. With the fact Eric was doing something unheard of, both with his stream and the ambitious 3-month album rollout, the timeframe in which he envisioned was stifled by the music industry. Between the delay in the release from September to November, to majority of the collaborative tracks being cut from the final tracklist, the odds were not in Eric’s favour. Unfortunately, due to the course of life, not everything can be controlled, and in the words of Eric himself, “but hey i like those songs :)” (referring of course to the 6 songs that did release).
Ericdoa and His Producer Zetra Photographed by @maxamillionpolo
TRACKLIST:
song for when the bar closes
do ya?
search and destroy
throw it up
one for the troops
point blank
The first four tracks off the EP were created within the first 121 hours of the stream, with three being released as singles throughout the short album rollout. ‘song for when the bar closes', the third single, was written and produced entirely by Eric himself, with the track having a prominent warping drum track throughout the intro and verses that are swiftly over-run by the heavy bass within the chorus. The catchy lyrics within the second chorus is what truly makes 'song for when the bar closes'. Listeners are blended into 'do ya?', the second single and track, which focuses more towards synths and choosing a funkier bassline to accompany them. The inclusion of the sound effects, level up the track, with Eric creating this fun atmosphere with the help of producers Synthetic and Spaceman.
'search and destroy', the first single and the only track with a music video thus far, leans back into Eric’s hyperpop days. Being born from a scrapped Pluko demo, 'search and destroy' got flipped on its head by producers Zetra, Glasear, and Mochila, who were each assistants in the creation of the Call of Duty-inspired track. The amount of digital layers sonically generates this familiar yet unique soundscape for Eric’s vocals to exist on. 'search and destroy' could easily have existed on an older body of work, like things with wings or even COA, as it comes across as a matured version of a track from those eras.
ericdoa - search & destroy (Official Video)
'throw it up' marks the first non-production collaboration track to be featured on why suffer for us?. Eric’s long-term friend and former collaborative partner Glaive lends his vocals, and production style, to the track. Opening with a soft piano and Glaives equally as serene vocals, the track sets the expectations of a ballad but quickly devolves into a strong synth-based track paired with Eric’s vocals. The two spend the chorus chanting 'throw it up!' together, a reference to slowsliver03, a small collective of hyperpop creators. Lyrically, the track is vulnerable for both artists as they reflect on their struggles both within and outside of the music industry, alongside the eventual growth of the two as artists, and as people. 'throw it up' is the duo’s first released collaborative work since their 2021 ep then i’ll be happy, and comes about 8 months after Eric said on his 'Real Spill Stream' that he would like to make music with Glaive again. This track truly emphasizes the passing of time for the two artists as friends and stands as an important addition to the two’s joint discography.
Initially, 'throw it up' contained a now scrapped verse from artist d4vd, who was one of the many lost features on the EP. Other notable names who entered the studio were bixby, who opened for Ericdoa earlier in the year, The Kid Laroi, aldn, underscores, and tsubi club. They made up just a small portion of all the 30+ guests present within the 321 hours of the 'LOCKED IN' live stream.
Whiteboard in Ericdoa’s Studio, references to 'slowsliver03' and collaborator 'cybertrash' can be seen (via @ericdoa on Instagram)
The last two tracks off the EP, 'one for the troops' and 'point blank', have laid-back production, allowing Eric’s vocals to become the focal point. 'one for the troops' follows the EP's earlier theme of deeper sounding drums, guitar, and bass, but in a subdued way, forcing listeners to pay attention to the lyrical elements, which tap into the raw emotion of 'throw it up'. At the end of a track, a beautiful violin is included, perfectly transitioning the EP’s vibe from what we’d been expecting, to the final track 'point blank'. Upon hearing 'point blank' for the first time, it proved itself to be a moving track. Between the atmospheric bird chirping, to the acoustic guitar paired perfectly with Eric’s open and unguarded lyrics, getting lost in the pure feeling of the song is inevitable. Both tracks perfectly sum up the end of the EP, combining all of the elements from the other four songs to tie a nice bow on why suffer for us?
why suffer for us? is truly a special body of work, not just for Ericdoa, but for the fans who got to experience its creation process. Though it's unclear if we will receive a deluxe version of the EP with the missing tracks, the livestream versions can be found unofficially on Soundcloud and YouTube for those who’s favourite tracks did not make the cut. With this year coming to a close, it's undeniable that Ericdoa has been breaking boundaries in what it means to be an artist, and he is keeping his schedule well and busy with a European tour kicking off in February. For other news and updates about Ericdoa, you can check out his links below.
TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / YOUTUBE / WEBSITE
Ericdoa on his 'LOCKED IN' Live Stream (via @ericdoa on Twitter)
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