How We Chose the Singles for Our Album
Choosing singles is less about declaring which songs are “the best” and more about deciding how listeners should enter an album. Dee and I wanted each release to reveal a different part of the record without making the album feel like a playlist assembled from unrelated moments.
Our songs grew through rehearsals, live performances, conversations and experiments with sound. The final selection had to represent that creative journey while still working in the everyday world: on headphones, through a car stereo, during a late train ride across Melbourne, or in a small room where the audience is close enough to hear every breath.
Starting With The Album’s Shape
Before choosing a lead track, we listened to the album from beginning to end. We marked the points where the mood changed, where a lyric opened a new door and where the arrangements became more spacious or more intense. This showed us that the record had several possible entry points rather than one obvious centre.
The first single needed to establish trust. It did not have to explain every theme, but it had to sound unmistakably like us. We looked for a song with a clear emotional gesture, an arrangement that could survive outside the album sequence and enough unanswered space to make people curious about the tracks that followed.
Finding Songs That Travel
A strong album track can depend on the songs around it. A single has to travel alone. We tested rough mixes in different settings and at different volumes, paying attention to whether the vocal remained present, whether the rhythm carried the song and whether the central image stayed memorable after the track ended.
This mattered when thinking about Australian listeners. A song heard in a Sydney café, on a Brisbane walk or through earbuds during a packed Melbourne commute may be competing with traffic, conversation and short attention spans. We wanted the production to reward close listening without requiring perfect silence.
Listening For A First Impression
We made several playlists with different opening tracks and left them alone for a few days. Returning with fresh ears helped us notice which songs still had an immediate pull. Sometimes the most technically polished mix felt less inviting than a rougher performance with a distinctive pulse or an unexpected vocal detail.
The lead single became clearer when we asked what a new listener might remember after one play. That question was more useful than asking which song had the biggest chorus. A memorable texture, a line with emotional weight or a rhythm that shifts at exactly the right moment can create a stronger first impression than volume or ornament.
Balancing Art And Audience
We also considered the practical life of a release. A single needs artwork, a short description, a live version, a performance video and a story that can be shared without reducing the song to a slogan. We compared our candidates across those areas rather than treating streaming numbers as the only measure of connection.
| Consideration | What We Looked For | Why It Mattered |
|---|---|---|
| Emotional entry point | A feeling that arrived quickly | New listeners need a reason to stay |
| Live potential | A part the room could respond to | The song should grow beyond the recording |
| Sonic identity | A recognisable rhythm, voice or texture | The single should stand apart |
| Album connection | Clues leading towards other tracks | Each release should serve the full record |
| Practical release fit | Strong artwork and a clear story | Promotion should feel natural rather than forced |
Australian release planning adds its own details. We checked writer splits and registrations with APRA AMCOS, then reviewed recording permissions and neighbouring-rights matters, including PPCA requirements where relevant. If we sell music or merchandise directly, Australian GST and delivery costs also affect the final price, so the release plan cannot be separated entirely from administration.
Testing Songs In Real Rooms
Studio listening gave us precision, but live rooms showed us character. We played early versions for trusted collaborators and noticed where people leaned in, moved with the beat or became unusually quiet. Those reactions were not a substitute for judgement, yet they revealed which moments had physical presence.
The best test was often a modest performance rather than a polished showcase. At Monkeytown live sessions, the relationship between performer and audience reflects the kind of setting where a new song can reveal its strengths. A track that holds attention without excessive production usually has a durable core.
Thinking Beyond The Release Date
We chose the second single differently from the first. Once listeners had heard the opening statement, we wanted to show contrast: a different tempo, a less predictable structure or a more vulnerable side of the writing. The aim was to widen the picture of the album, not repeat the first release with new packaging.
We also considered how the song might exist after its release week. Could it support an interview, a radio performance or a stripped-back arrangement? Could it connect with the creative education work around VAGABOOM, where young performers explore collaboration and confidence? A song with several possible lives felt more valuable than one designed only for an initial burst of attention.
Our live and media planning benefits from spaces such as the Think13 live archive, where performance, conversation and ongoing project updates can sit alongside the recorded work. That broader context matters for listeners in Australia, where audiences often discover artists through community radio, intimate venues and festival line-ups as much as through major streaming playlists.
Letting The Songs Settle
After choosing the singles, we waited before finalising every detail. Time exposed small problems: a vocal that needed more space, a cover image that felt too literal or a release description that promised something the song did not actually deliver. Distance made the decisions calmer and more honest.
The process taught us that a single should be a doorway, not a summary. It needs enough shape to stand independently and enough connection to lead somewhere else. The songs we selected were the ones that stayed alive through repeated listening, rehearsal, conversation and silence.
The next step is to play the chosen lead single once in album order, then write down the one feeling it leaves behind before making any final mix or artwork decision.
