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American Neon

by Protextor and Brother Bear

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mini This album is great from start to finish, I have listened to it at least once a day for the past week, I am so glad I found it! Favorite track: Not Tonight!.
Shawn Schray
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Shawn Schray This album is truly amazing. I just stumbled across it trolling BC. The production is great. The arrangements are interesting. The lyrics seem to be honest. Parts of the narrative can be mentally distressing, but the overall narrative is relatable. Truly an accomplishment. Not a bad song on the album.
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1.
Intro: They want you to fail they want you to fight they want you to lie they want you to riot they want you up nailed they want you to die they want you to be nothing altogether nothing inside they want to build walls they want to isolate behind crumbling heights and keep numbness a prize for the ones who will be fine no cousins in jail no money on the line don’t got brothers in sights keep your country in mind and go hunting at night Vs 1: I keep on loving what I want to despise I never wanted a gun but feel like a gun by my side might be helpful to run and I’m stuttering while I’m writin’ this while they want me to say it’s gonna be alright alright maybe alt-right an alt-J Delta sign SHIFT sign o' the times I been kissing my heroes since they all died better late than never to say I been missing you guys Not an inch of surprise for what is taken away sacrifice is a word I didn’t say til today pray for the sake of every corpse you that don’t meet killer not honey and be swarmin’ the streets and I swore I could see the most extraordinary feats the force of a formidably scorned storm against a boat in the sea so if you fall over port to the ocean and go deep just remember it’s important to breathe Pre-Chorus: And I don’t know No I don’t know just how bad it (gets) Hook: You can save yourself you can save yourself the trouble We could be the ones But I’m feelin’ that I don’t love you No I don’t love you Wish I could cuz history will judge you but fuck you now get the hell out my way Vs 2: You a shell of a man I’m a credit card damager never go low in my past but if standin’ up to a clown means punchin’ down then goddammit bruh so be it cash me ousside now how bout dah huh? Cowardly lion be spookin’ the wizard he feel suicidal he lookin’ like Hitler we stay in the shadow and lay to the ground play Illmatic on vinyl and shoot at your picture you losin’ to hipsters you crude but we sicker no no you don’t get words your privilege ends sir we are the bigger the most tired of winning and we are the biggest party in the whole system bruh you don’t get in you get it you finished we indie we humble you drink take a big sip and wrinkle to dust and I still got this big whip yeah See that boot take a big lick and you can call that big dick shit Thin prick Down with the sickness a clown in the woods with a Mounds bar for the rich kids No nuts and a limp dick blew a dog whistle at an attack dog got doggy treats we call ‘em weed and we gon’ snack on ‘em woof I’ll see you in court pleading the 4th with a brand new tax audit film backup porn of you wackin’ off get back and call Rasputin tell him the class doofus has been caught again Record that convo mail it back to my Congressman and the fact is all of it ain’t gonna bother them that’s how I’m outta shits to give so shit you give is comin’ back in opposite it’s been a long time since I’ve called a bitch a bitch but bitch I’m back watch your goddamn back and often, bitch Vs 3: They just goin’ thru the motions like they wanna be a demon in the chorus I’m just screaming for the coroner like Please don’t take no more of us! I got a feelin’ that we’re in for a lot more darkness in store yuh before the mornin’ comes But fuck it cuz there’s more of us stay sharp in the day sunset we still holdin’ cups You can drink the 5th of Goldschlager and make shit with a golden dust or you can melt it down and pour it up Fuck busy work but I’ll be up at 5 AM sharp clear eyed full hearted for the important stuff underestimated and looked over once Shoulda read the fine print on the deal before you tore it up consider this a warnin’ shot across the bow to slow down before you go too far and blow us up We showin’ up now Thank you for showin’ us ourselves in the mirror signed sincere yours dear Pro and Puck
2.
Vs 1: I’m feelin’ fucked up I can’t stop my head from spinnin’ around round round round round round Y’all got me choked up so if ya got it come get the rope and don’t let me down down down down down down Hook: I don’t even really wanna think about that tonight Just close your eyes It’ll be alright I don’t even really wanna deal with your shit tonight Just get me high Turn off the lights and close the blinds and we can... Vs 2: Everybody lookin’ at ya sideways times ain’t the same when you come around round round round round round Everything it don’t stop No! Everybody gonna change and many gonna let you down down down down down down I keep on wastin’ my time I keep on changing my mind I keep on layin’ in bed awake in the night afraid of my life But I keep ‘em naked all night I ain’t ashamed of my pride cuz pain cannot lie one day I’ll stop by this rage is not fake and this cage is not mine Bridge 1: Got an ex I’m still in love with got a test I’m still not done with got a mess in the kitchen and bedroom in debt for a couple hundred bucks every month to the electric company invest in my own company stress for the cess, cess for the stress and let’s not forget this pressure in my chest but Bridge 2: I just want to fade away I just want to know I’m OK OK? but they keep on whisperin' and I keep on listenin’ and they never go away I take their venom I push it against them and I throw back my drink and say hey… Yo, fuck you but -- Vs 3 (Rap): Everybody wanna be up on the top now things look different when you see ‘em from the top down King Frog but you livin’ in a swamp now Get a bigger lilypad and watch it how they hop out they got a beat but never heard how a heart sound let ‘em learn it gone I’m better to do my heart proud stack of dead presidents Ledger it burn it all down head up in the dark clouds forever call me Charlie Brown ah! I been down for minute Caved up dirty kitchen man Dishes drippin’ dirty water like they live in Flint, Michigan and I wish that I could flick ya cuz i hate bein’ the bigger man but I’ma keep it 100 10 times til I hit a grand Businessman gonna run it cuz he gunnin’ the show what you think? do you want it or no? cuz ain’t nobody gonna give ya nothin’ under the door so if you want it come and get it take a little control sayin’ oh no! baby gonna go broke oh no! it ain’t nothin’ but some promo everyone is sellin’ what they can’t afford to get ya can’t afford a peace of mind when there’s a war outside your crib you never go home
3.
Hook: Oh you're here to cause trouble I'm here to get in it Vs 1: Yo first off, fuck an old head Fuck ----- And his whole clique Put a clothespin On both lips Or you gon get it But you won't get it Cuz you so thick Like my old chick She control dick You an old dick Lookin' old dick I look young for my age  Fuck what you say Go on cluck in a cage Like an old hen Protextor – keep my name outcha mouth I thought I told ya bro you're not my homie, hombre! Vs 2: The shackles are off I’m attacking you all No holdin’ back for some politics and givin’ passes out for a pass through the hall Y’all on Twitter with this junior high school shit Cuz you call 'em fans when they really just your high school friends Lay off the member berries Wishin' you was 18 when ya felt amazing Unsubscribe fuckin’ die Post a status get 100 likes I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re the plug or not you ain’t been sayin’ nothing that I ain’t done heard a hundred times Bridge (Mélat): Pretend we don't know better Pretend that we're absolved Pretend that things just happen It's nobody's fault Nobody's fault
4.
Big Bad 02:52
Pre-Verse: You been mad at the world for awhile now Big bad lookin’ at ya straight steady with a smile now Vs 1: It’s been a long time since I wanted to defend God cuz I been agnostic for a bit and Dear God, I’m not religious and hardly French but aw they got me pissed off Viva La Resistance I’m off my meds hoppin’ off this wobbly fence Used to talk that big talk how we’d all be friends But all this shit talk’s got me convinced y’all that there’s a big stop to the convo when the party ends y’all probably got into hip hop in the first place cuz I could shit talk but if this audience don’t listen I’ma end up talkin’ my chick’s ear off We all need someone to lean on but a rock gon’ start to fall eventually y’all so better be a branch and bend when the wind come get a flexible income get a check while they clearin’ get you prepped for the end but you better have friends that’s well-equipped as we are cuz we are hidin’ in the trees with like Viet Cong pop songs in the key of recon greatest mistake the Devil made was showing us where he was So I need God cuz I need context for where we are let the beat come back til they see stars behind these bars but (Shhhhh) They won’t see us Hook: I know you’re into me but y’all will never know my name When I’m gone it’s gonna be the same Stuck again in an old good memory I know my enemy He showed me how to hide my face I’m gone again now lookin’ out for my better me Call me when you need safety Pre-Verse: I been mad at the world for awhile now Big bad lookin' at me straight steady with a smile now Vs 2: I need you close to me for the ending Third act in a birdtrap but they can’t stop you singin’ when I put my hand on her and feel her shake I feel what Atlas feels with an Earthquake in his palms And I shake back We vibrate You’re my world, baby! Livin’ in hate but we in love They ain’t never been in love Don’t get greedy it’s unbecoming and vicious Don’t get needy Stand on two feet each we don’t get crutched we get crushed and push the rubble off each other’s bodies and we get up (and I can do this all day)
5.
I Don't Mind 05:02
Vs 1: Every little bit helps Every little bit hurts See I can tell that ya feelin’ ya'self but all them feelings come to nothin’ but words and I just keep on runnin’ through they just never did anything that I wanna do lookin’ out at all these little boys yeah lookin’ down on all these little boys yeah Don’t wanna share it witchu Open up their mouth and nothin’ matters to you you’re past all the moves you’re past bein’ cool and that can be bad for the room when you see all these patterns they move in and you havin’ to choose one but don’t feel bad if you lose this game just ain’t meant for you if it ain’t fun fuck walkin’ in heels get back in those shoes and run if that’s how you lose just imagine if you won Hook: Girl, you take it slow Well I hope you know I don't mind No Said girl you lookin' good on the outside if you ain't ready to go inside well I don't mind no Vs 2: We all pretend we want what’s best for you heard it from a friend things ain’t gettin’ much better for you letters move and bodies dance and bodies dance I saw her in the corner she was talkin’ to someone I don’t really know but I wanna I saw ‘em in the back playin’ like everything was OK and that’s an act and I just know the way to go shove you up against the wall shove you up against the door shove is such an awful word it pushes all the buttons see I know we all just say the words that’s written in the scripts we get and I’m supposed to take you on and you’re supposed to let me in and we’re supposed to reminisce cuz love is a privilege the only question is if you can live with it Bridge (Spoken): See, I know the difference between a boy and a man See, I know the difference between a woman and a girl See, I know the difference between fantasy and reality See, I know the difference between sex and an orgasm Outro: Tell me what you want me to do to you and I'll do it to you
6.
Vs 1: Let’s get back to the basics Classic and A-list Masochist/Sadist Relationship status is mad complicated The last place imaginable in the race is last place for ya boy last two days been a great bender they try to smash and rage 'bout the news cycle they lie to you and I just wanna see some smash faces write mad fables, attach cables, and cry for you and put it on colored wax in plastic wrap for the vinyl goons Hook: My cartoons are new to you Your cartoons are old to me I done seen this movie already come on and retune the telly cuz I got one two too too many new much news to read And you can tell me I’m wrong (la la la la) And you can tell me I’m gone (la la la la) and you can play me this song but I won’t listen Vs 2: Back to the basics Smackin’ a racist with a baseball bat in a Patriot’s cap with a back pat from Tom Brady (yeah) see ain’t nothin’ sacred so go on tell me it’s hatred to wanna attack back when a fascist gets in your face with it face it – I’m deflated I’m back and forth every day with it I’m pacin’ the floor stainin’ the boards up on the stage with this I’m takin’ no more human waste on board this spaceship by the time you hear this maybe the Lord will have shined his face on you but... Bridge: And you can tell me what you know I wanna hear I never really saw the point of gettin' in by the window You know I feel so guilty just for being human See me though this I just wanted to be a good person wanted to be a good person wanted to be a good person uh and if you wanna come see me workin' well come on and see me workin’ come on with me and we’ll work it out Hook: My cartoons are new to you Your cartoons are old to me I done seen this movie already come on and retune the telly cuz I got one two too too many new much news to read And you can tell me I’m wrong (la la la la) And you can tell me I’m gone (la la la la) and you can play me this song but I won’t listen I don't like the lyrics
7.
These Drugs 04:02
Vs 1: Alright I took a strange trip down the path tonight Out of range 'til the colors faded on the traffic lights I felt deranged as I passed the lights but at the same time I feel ashamed in the black of night (alone) I need a hit for the sake of me Gimme your best shot and make it bleed Gimme the ways to make me seem like a ghost ’n’ escape this dream Don’t be afraid of me You the same 2 children lost in the woods who smelled a bakery Hook: I take another and you take another and we both go numb so we don’t feel each other These drugs they love us and they’ll never let us die It’s where we go after life Vs 2: Fog was always so romantic in the movies but I can’t see what I’m doing Am I awake now? Am I on stage now? Is it OK now? If I came down back to you and took another day off for recovery stayin’ up til 3 that don’t mean nothin’ to me fumbling with sticky fingers with the crumbs of the weed the crumbs in the couch and resin fingertips find myself dumbin’ it down for a bigger hit what a fuckin’ hypocrite I gotta gun it I gotta love it too and lately feel like givin’ all my love to you and you don’t really want me you just wanna hold me under you just wanna see me drown and tell everyone that you found me while my lungs fill up with — Vs 3: I like to think I’m a character in a movie a chronicle of a time in music This is how we do it It’s a messy life where the carpet deposit is never coming back the couch smells like beer but we look rich as fuck when we rap It’s not a hard addiction Doctor won’t tell me that but a withdrawal from anxiety pills’ll give you zaps to cure that take a shot with a Xanax Write your lyrics faded Call it authentic Gets hard to rely on facts when you fakin’ plus the risk of heart attack skips a generation fuck it I’d rather get lame and live forever than be Kurt Cobain A broken heart’s the best gift that you’ll ever get I’ve been arrested by a lifestyle that ain’t been givin’ back
8.
Vs 1: I just can’t wait to get you alone So wet so sweet so out of control You cross the lines that’s cut in your dress And I just need to see that hair in a mess Hook: I don’t wanna spend the night alone Take me in your undertow Treat me like a true love would it feels so good to know Vs 2: I’ll hold you down give you what you deserve Deep breath and hold til you come back to Earth You cross the heart that you’ve sworn to protect (and hope to die) But I can feel your blood pump with my hand on your neck Hook: I don’t wanna spend the night alone Take me in your undertow Close my eyes and hold me down I’m ready now to go Vs 3 (CupcakKe): Love me love me love me love me love me That's all I ask for is you to love me and then night get dirty little muddy and when I'm down push me harder than a buggy and to keep it real make sure we solid that real trust when I'm around you leave ya wallet and when we argue baby let's stay on topic cuz I can be a smartass no college I'm trippin' and trippin' with no destination I dress for the dick it's a special occasion Come work on this pussy like you in the maintenance The room smell like sex I might make it a fragrance (oh yeah) Ball in your court, take a shot Don't miss Tongue out, high heels Now I'm feelin' like KISS I'm prepared when I see that front door lock We fuckin' til my body stiffer than a robot
9.
Intro: A broken heart is the best gift you'll ever get Hook: I know they wanna break ya down I know they wanna break ya down but they can't touch yr love they can't touch yr love no no Vs 1: They comin’ at ya – fast Both sides like a raptor attack Clever girl you react in a flash Throw a middle finger up and shake that ass They ain’t nothing but some scared old men You ain’t afraid of the dark cuz you ain’t no kid and you ain’t on Nick this is real life and real monsters pose much bigger threats Let's rent a bad movie and talk through it Let's have a baby and call him Judas Let’s get tattoos that we’ll wanna remove someday but won’t cuz they’ll remind us we really were that stupid See you can find a whole diamond in the coal mine No matter what the cosign And you’re fine if you stay you stay true Don’t let them sway, make, gaslight, or change you just hold tight Vs 2: I’ll never know what you go through but I know I never seen no one control you I know you never been the type to run away I know I never been the type who would approach you TV gave me bad news again and I’m mad too but we cried at the same movie in the back row seats were full we got the last two drinkin’ wine at the matinee from a glass shoe if it fits there’s a dance gonna ask you cuz if a man has a chance then he has to Picture us gettin’ outta bed at 2 Picture us takin’ action if we have to You come like an act of war and I am cuz I am in you This is damage done this is a plan in movement you can’t stop us and you love so good make the planet move uh!

about

Pop music about resistance and love.

American Neon is the first collaboration between Protextor and Brother Bear, a pop record borne from the indie similarities the two share. Featuring guest appearances from CupcakKe and Mélat and players from indie breakout groups Shearwater, This Will Destroy You, Balmorhea, and Marmalakes, as well as an original piece of album art by Matt Furie, Protextor & Brother Bear have assembled a supergroup of talent to deliver their catchiest material yet.

credits

released September 8, 2017

all songs written by Adam Protextor and Matt Puckett

Adam Protextor: vocals
Matt Puckett: guitars, vocals, keys, horn arrangements
Andrew Stevens: drums (tracks 3, 6, 7, 9)
Josh Halpern: drums (tracks (1, 2, 4, 5, 8)
Sam Pankey: bass

The Wet Horns (tracks 2, 3, 6, 9) are Andrew Fontenot (tenor sax), Roy Thomas (trumpet), Isaac Winburne (alto sax)

produced by Matt Puckett
engineered by Evan Kaspar at Estuary Recording in Austin, TX
mixed by Will Hensley (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 9)
mixed by Dan Weiner (tracks 4, 6, 7, 8)
mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound in New York, NY

album art by Matt Furie
track title design by Vineet Gordhandas

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about

Protextor Los Angeles, California

Pop culture poet.

American hip hop artist known for a mix of technical rap, soulful performance, funk-forward production, and complex lyrics.

Prince superfan, 90s kid, VHS collector.

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