My track, Only Look Into My Eyes, is a contemporary pop song that combines some R&B influence with a more commercial synth-pop arrangement. The main emotional idea of the song is about possessiveness, insecurity and the pain of being kept in an unclear relationship.
The track was influenced by both Japanese R&B/pop and late-2010s commercial pop. From Japanese R&B and pop, I was mainly interested in the use of colourful harmony, warm keyboard sounds and smooth chord movement. I used extended chords, ii–V movement and borrowed colours such as the flattened VII chord to make the harmony feel more emotional and less predictable. This is especially clear in the intro
Another reference point was The Chainsmokers’ “Paris”. I was interested in how that type of late-2010s pop uses atmosphere, synth layers and a clear vocal hook to create a polished but still emotional sound. I did not try to copy the song directly, but it helped me think about how a track can move from a more intimate verse into a more open chorus.
Composition and Arrangement
The song starts around B major, then gradually moves towards E major from the verse into the pre-chorus. The move towards E major helps the chorus feel brighter and more open, which suits the more direct pop direction of that section.
The arrangement is built through contrast. The intro and verse are more restrained, with electric piano, bass, drums and the telephone dialogue sample creating the main atmosphere. This gives the vocal more space and more personal at the start. From the pre-chorus, the energy begins to build. I added organ and synth layers to make the section feel like it is moving forward. In the chorus, the production becomes much fuller, with pads, guitars, bass layers, drums and phone-based percussion. This makes the chorus feel more commercial and memorable compared with the earlier sections.
Sampling Process
Sampling is a very important part of this production. I used dialogue from GowlerMusic’s Movie Dialogue Sample Pack – Film Noir [Crime Mystery] #GM0142. I used it as a spoken dialogue sample, not as a melodic or lyrical hook. This is important because the main sung vocal was recorded separately by my friend. The dialogue sample is there to create story and atmosphere, rather than to replace the original vocal performance.
The dialogue is used like a phone conversation. At the beginning of the song, it introduces the idea that two people are speaking to each other. This connects to the lyrics, which are about wanting someone’s attention but also feeling unsure and hurt. Later, in the pre-chorus, the second part of the phone dialogue comes back and increases the tension before the chorus. Just before the chorus, there is a line saying “you forgot”. I automated more reverb onto this phrase so it echoes out, and then the phone call cuts off. The sudden quiet moment before the chorus helps the chorus feel more explosive. It also reflects the feeling of being emotionally rejected or ignored.
I also made a drum-sample layer from phone-related sounds. I used hanging-up sounds, dialling sounds, phone-pickup noises and clock-like sounds. I did not use them as a ready-made loop. I edited them myself and processed them with gain, EQ and some tuning. The kick was tuned lower so it had more weight. These phone sounds were layered with the electronic drums in the chorus, so the sampling became part of the rhythm of the track, not just a background effect.
Production and Mixing
The lead vocal was recorded by my friend using an AKG C414. In the mix, I wanted the vocal to stay at the centre of the song, because the track depends a lot on the emotional delivery. I used EQ to cut low-frequency rumble, compression to control the dynamics, and a de-esser to reduce harsh sibilance. I also used a plate reverb to give the vocal a more polished pop space, but I tried not to make it too distant.
The telephone dialogue was processed differently from the main vocal. I kept mainly the mid-range frequencies to create a narrow, lo-fi telephone sound. I also used RC-20 to add warm noise and compression. I did not add strong distortion or saturation because I still wanted the words to be understandable. A small-room reverb helped the sample feel older and more enclosed, which suited the phone concept.
For the instruments, the electric piano is used through most of the song and gives the track its warm harmonic body. When I wanted more movement, I layered grand piano in a higher register. I treated them differently in the mix: the electric piano keeps more of the mid-range warmth, while the grand piano adds more brightness and attack. This also helped stop them from fighting too much with the vocal.
The synths are more important from the pre-chorus onwards. The organ helps push the build-up and later becomes part of the chorus harmony. The left and right pad parts create a flickering stereo effect, while the pan pad adds width by moving across the stereo field. I also added a square pad because I felt the chorus needed a slightly rougher synthetic colour.
The bass has two layers. The key bass supports the low end, while the wah bass gives more funk-style movement in the mid-range. The acoustic and electric guitars are panned to create width. The strings were placed further back because they sounded more classical and could easily become too dominant. I cut some low frequencies, compressed them and used small-room reverb so they supported the emotion without covering the vocal.
Because the arrangement became quite dense, I used sidechain compression from the drums and bass to duck the piano and guitar parts slightly. I did not sidechain the synths in the same way because I wanted them to stay wide and stable. This helped the kick, snare and bass feel clearer in the chorus.
I think the strongest part of the track is the way the phone samples connect with the story of the song. The chorus is quite direct and easy to remember, which gives the song some commercial potential in contemporary pop, alternative R&B or synth-pop contexts. The main thing I would improve is the mix separation. Because there are many synth, guitar and keyboard layers, some parts could still be clearer, especially around the lead vocal in the final chorus.
