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Origin of The Shins
- James Mercer started The Shins as a side project when songs he introduced to his other band felt too different.
- He learned recording to express his new songwriting style independently.
The Birth of "New Slang"
- James created the chord progression for "New Slang" around 1998 and showed it to his drummer without lyrics, using scat vocals.
- The song floated around for over a year as James was frustrated and figuring out what to do with it.
From Home Demo to Label Single
- James started home recording using a modest computer and Cool Edit Pro, with an affordable SM57 microphone shaping the demo's sound.
- Subpop released that demo, but the label encouraged re-recording for better clarity on the album.