[Classics #3] Shy Shy Shy - Do Not Ask
This was a fun one to do. I produced and mixed Shy Shy Shy's debut EP back in 2014 and this was the first song that we did and the lead single. It went on to be their biggest hit to date with 1+ million streams on Spotify.
Before doing the full EP we agreed that we should do a single to get started, so we booked a studio for one day. Everything on the track was done that day with an additional day for mixing at my studio.
Composition
It's a relatively simple song, and although I felt that it lacked a chorus when listening to the demo, that feeling quickly subsided when heard in the studio. Peter, Björn and John was a obvious reference in terms of feel because of the whistling and like "Young Folks", I felt it was important to match the cuteness of the track with some more gritty production choices.
Production
Everything was recorded directly to tape and then recorded into Pro Tools later, and we used Space Echo, BX20 and EMT 140 verbs to add a little retro smudge. There's a lot of reverb but I feel it fits the vibe and works when the arrangement is so sparse.
Everything was recorded in the same room except the drums that were placed in a booth: drums, bass, 1 guitar and Juno 106. Vocals were dubbed on later in the evening. We also did a lot of small overdubs that weren't included in the demo like all the small guitar licks, self-oscillating feedback and the percussion (the percussion in second verse is a beer bottle + reverb). We also used a Korg Trident for additional synth.
To get that detuned guitar sound for the guitar parts we used a vintage Eventide H910 Harmonizer. Just a lot of hardware effects going on in general to add complexity to the simplistic arrangement.
Mix
Because so many effects were printed in the production stage and I had used compressors and eq on the inputs it left little to be done in the mix stage. The most difficult thing probably was to separate the unison male and female voice. It had a tendency of sounding dubbed and not being clear. The way around this was to do some heavy handed EQing - cutting frequencies in one voice and boosting them in the other to carve out some space for them. This and some subtle panning off-center did the trick.
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