INSIDE (the songs) is a 2021 comedy album written, produced, and performed by Bo Burnham. This album is a collection of all of the songs featured in Burnham’s Netflix comedy special. The special was filled during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and Burnham primarily filmed the special and music in his guest shed. The album consists of 20 songs, ranging from less than a minute to over five minutes long.
The first song I want to talk about is Bezos I
The song starts with a quick repetitive beat that might be a piano with filters applied. A drum beat was also layered in the background. Burnham uses a classic cardioid microphone to record his vocals however in post production he added on another filter to his vocals to create his desired echoey effect. This beat is fast-paced, poppy, and retro feeling which is juxtaposed with the messaging of the song. Towards the end of the song the beat becomes faster and portrays the feeling of dizziness. Finally, at the end of the song Burnham screams and the song abruptly cuts off.
The next song is That Funny Feeling
The song begins with a few sound effects, some insect chirping, an owl hoot, and a crackling fire. Obviously, since this was recorded inside Burnham had to either record these sounds separately or use found sounds online. The sounds were then overlapped to create the ambiance of the song, similar to our own soundscape project. The ambiance starts to fade into the background once Burnham starts to sing. Burnham gives a brief introduction that is reminiscent of camping with friends. Once again Burnham uses a cardioid microphone for a more intimate feeling that captures both his vocals and the guitar he plays. Burnham plays the acoustic guitar and the song is fairly slow and simple. At the end, the same lyrics repeat over and over and fade in silence. Overall the slowness, single instrument, and ambient soundscape make this song feel intimate and sincere even though the song ranges for silly to mundane to pessimistic.