B-Side Guys

Some recordings capture lightning in a bottle precisely because they don’t try. Tim Krauss, recording under the moniker ttypes, demonstrates this paradox with “Still in Love,” a bedroom pop confession that proves sometimes the demo is the masterpiece.

Originally written in 2013 following a breakup, this track’s path to release speaks volumes about artistic intuition. Krauss attempted to polish and refine the recording but ultimately recognized that its power lay in its raw immediacy. The result is what he calls a “glorified demo,” though that modest description undersells the song’s emotional sophistication.

The production, handled entirely by Krauss himself, creates an intimate atmosphere through layered vocals that wrap around simple piano figures like ivy on stone. Each overdubbed voice adds to the sense of internal dialogue, perfectly serving lyrics that wrestle with memory’s persistent grip: “I’m still in love with the love that I had / No I don’t miss ya babe, yeah I just miss the dream.”

This distinction between missing a person and missing an idealized version of love forms the song’s thematic core. Krauss explores this territory with striking imagery, particularly in lines like “love of such a reckless kind like falling up” and “stones I’ll eat like birds tryin’ make my heart forget the words.” The mythological undertones of these metaphors suggest influences beyond typical breakup fare, fitting for an artist known to draw inspiration from speculative fiction.

The lo-fi recording quality, mastered by Matt Murman, serves as more than aesthetic choice – it creates a sense of distance that mirrors the song’s exploration of memory and myth-making. When Krauss sings “I made a myth of her – love inferred,” the slightly muffled quality of the vocals emphasizes the gap between reality and romanticized past.

“Still in Love” succeeds precisely because it embraces its limitations. Rather than trying to polish away its rough edges, ttypes allows the imperfections to serve the story, creating something honest about both heartbreak and the creative process. Sometimes, as Krauss discovered, the first attempt captures something that no amount of refinement can improve.