When local band Som'bout is in its home studio, the clock seems to slow down, permitting more time. There are notepads all around the room. The sound of drums, guitars and band members providing feedback bounce from wall to wall, looking for that new spark of ideas towards making a timeless project for their fans.
In an album, each song comes together, displaying an array of emotions throughout, said third-year English student Charlotte Rice. Rice is the lead singer of Som'bout, playing alongside bass player Duncan Baker, drummer Ellery Ballou and guitarist Harry Milvid.
While the band has released two singles, Rice said Som'bout has held off on releasing a full-length project because the band members want to ensure they're putting out quality work.
"It's more than just a project I'm doing, it's like an extension of myself and expressing yourself through a song," Rice said. "And so you want it to be perfect, because it represents you, and people are going to listen to it and see into you a little bit in a very intimate way."
The desire for perfection isn't unique to Som'bout. Second-year music industries student and Greene Street Records signee Katie DeMartini also has hopes for her upcoming, debut album: to present a range of real, relatable emotions.
"I just want people to feel authenticity when it comes to the things that I write, because I really do write them in my bedroom or with one of my friends. I do that, and I do whatever feels right to me," DeMartini said.
Both bands have released singles for their upcoming projects, with Som'bout releasing two singles and DeMartini releasing five.
USC alum Bennett Donovan, part of the duo band known as the Donovan Twins, said the inspiration and process behind each song is different. The band consists of Donovan and his brother, Aidan. The duo has written and performed music around their hometown of Fort Mill before attending USC, and are currently performing around the Columbia area. They are aiming to release their debut project as well, with two singles out on streaming platforms.
"I typically use ideas as my muse more than I do actual people, because I think the songs that I write at least, I try to write them from the perspective of a storyteller," Bennett Donovan said. "And so the things that I talk about, they're real emotions but usually portrayed in a way that doesn't necessarily reflect my life."
Bennett Donovan also said he tends to write from numerous perspectives, and wanted to aim for a perspective different to his own on his and Aidan's song "Teary-Eyed Troubadour."
"I wrote that from the perspective of someone who's had a long life of making decisions and then wanting to try and change," Bennett Donovan said. "The feelings of wanting to change are certainly real feelings that I've felt before, and I think that writing them in that way makes it more accessible for me."
Storytelling through an album makes for a relatable, long-form experience that reminds someone of a time or feeling in their lives, DeMartini said. The originality through an artist's work ultimately is how artists bring in their target audience, she said.
"The best part about an album and a project in general is like I've said before, just being authentic and not thinking about what other people are going to think," DeMartini said. "Just write what you feel is right."
The creative direction for many artists striving towards perfection is shown during performances, showing a variety of emotions for the audience, DeMartini said.
DeMartini performed her single "him, I guess" at the St. Patrick's Day Festival on March 15. She said her vast display of emotions on stages from jumping around to crying on the piano aided in the feeling and relatability for the audience.
The versatility in emotions also translates to recording for Som'bout, comparing to putting a puzzle together, Baker said.
Rice and Baker said each member of the band plays a vital role in the recording process, from each instrument performed to the production, contributing to the overall sound.
But the recording process isn't the only thing that needs fine tuning when putting an album together. The artist must also market themselves towards their listeners, whether they're mainstream artists or debuting for the first time, Rice said.
Rice said the social media aspect can feel like a second job as an artist, differing from when brand management was exclusive to mainstream artists, feeling just as important as the music itself.
For many artists like herself, social media management can be a hassle, as success in music changes over time.
"Everyone's just focused on, 'How can I get people to listen to this for as long as possible without clicking away?'" Rice said. "It's just attention spans, and at that point, it just feels like I'm in advertising and I'm not even in business of making music."
DeMartini said social media promotion is important, bringing a visual aspect to an artist and creating a mental image in the listener's mind prior to releasing new music.
"The artist themselves is just as important as the music, you have to be someone that people want to see or look up to," DeMartini said.
DeMartini said the album her and others should strive for includes an artist displaying a range of emotions, consistently aligning with the listener's real life.
"It's not just one point of view that you get, it's this book of songs that tell a story and show all these different emotions and different parts of their voice and all that," DeMartini said. "You're not only hearing one point of view from a song, you're hearing the person and everything they've ever thought."