I Blew It / Roller Derby

by Pretoria

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1.	I Blew It 03:25	lyrics	buy track
We lived a lifetime in a day You took my hand and lead the way It’s a moment in time It’s a second of moving pictures It’s a gust of evening wind Carrying away the paper lanterns Ah-ah It ended like we knew it would We used to have it so good But as I was hanging on the edge of my seat Trying to form the sentences My synapses were firing off A wild shot of electricity I Blew it Oh-oh I Blew it Oh-oh
2.	Roller Derby 02:24	lyrics	buy track
I first met you at the roller derby You were with your old boyfriend You were on a date Throwing elbows, you were playing dirty And you nearly knocked me Out of my skates The clock is always ticking down (What a rush falling in love in the city) Ticking down, it’s ticking down (What a rush falling in love) Down in the belly of the ocean blue Way down at the bottom of the hotel pool You’re the queen of kicking off your shoes Diving in head first got nothing to lose The clock is always ticking down (What a rush falling in love in the city) Ticking down, it’s ticking down (What a rush falling in love) You know where I am You’ve been there before We’re just thawing out under the neon sun I’m new to love And you are the same And I can’t imagine anything Standing in our way ‘Cause we were dancing, touching Bumping into each other And it stayed that way ‘Til the end of the summer I said I don’t wanna get to know you later I wanna get to know you now

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“I Blew It/Roller Derby” tells the tale of a brief and intense relationship in reverse-order, focusing on the two most impactful events in any affair of the heart: The moment it begins and the moment it ends.

The nostalgic and surreal groove of “I Blew It” drops us straight into this doomed romance at the moment it all falls apart. Sparse lyrics paint an abstract portrait of a fling like a hazy dream you try so hard to remember before it all fades away mere moments after waking. Where words fail, a wistful guitar melody takes over to convey a bittersweet heartbreak that lyrics alone cannot capture. “I Blew It” is an anthem for every youthful memory where conversation wasn’t enough to save a lost love. All that’s left to do is face the music.

On the other hand, counterpart “Roller Derby” is an upbeat burst of naive excitement. Though it retains a surreal atmosphere, this tune is the manic fever-dream to the previous track’s foggy delirium. A Latin-inspired instrumental provides the backdrop for the frantic sense of anticipation that arrives with a new crush, while contrasting lyrics represent how the right person can transform a bleak cityscape into a tropical paradise, making hotel pools feel like the deep blue Pacific. This excitement bubbles over into a harmonized guitar finale to end the song in a blaze of glory, and a choice to live in the moment.

While “Roller Derby” seems full of juvenile optimism, the added context of “I Blew It” turns this saga into a tragedy. Stars that burn bright burn the fastest, and the subtle signs of disaster foreshadowed in track 2 are the very causes of the heartbreak in track 1. Under the neon lights of the roller rink, it’s all too easy to skate right past red flags, and even a day that feels like a lifetime must end eventually.

“I Blew It” was conceived during a collaborative writing session between Ben DeWitt and Josh Bilisko. While working on a different song, DeWitt accidentally wrote what eventually became the main riff for “I Blew It.” “Roller Derby” was originally written as an independent song. However, after realizing the perfect contrast of the two tracks, the band began to play them live back-to-back. Eventually, the two songs became inseparable. Artists like Her’s, Gorillaz, Vampire Weekend, and Mac DeMarco served as inspiration points for this release.

credits

released September 2, 2022

Written by Benjamin Thomas Dewitt
Performed by Pretoria

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about

Pretoria Grand Rapids, Michigan

Pretoria is a five piece guitar-driven indie-rock band from Grand Rapids, MI. Rob Gullett (singer, bass), Josh Bilisko (guitar), and Ben Dewitt (drums) started the band in 2018, later adding Matt Burdick (guitar) and Matt Pavlock (guitar) to create the band you love today. ... more

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