Pale Jay & Okonski - By The Lake - New 7" Single Record 2023 Colemine Lake Blue Vinyl - Soul

This 45 features two new artists from the ever-expanding Colemine universe: Pale Jay, a budding artist, and Steve Okonksi (as Okonski) of Durand Jones and the Indications.  The A-side is a collaboration between the two artists. By The Lake is a Neo Soul flip of the Okonski piano tune that's poignant and upbeat at the same time. The lyrics come from a conversation that Pale Jay had recently with a close friend who was pondering moving to a new city to pursue a budding love affair, but ultimately chose to stay put because they had not overcome an old heart break. When he heard Okinski's song, Runner Up, from his upcoming album, he immediately latched onto the lingering feeling of speaking to his friend and wrote By The Lake in the next thirty minutes after chopping up Okonski's piano samples.  The B-side, Runner Up, features the original track by Okonski. Recorded at the Colemine HQ in Loveland, OH, Runner Up exhibits a triumphant yet melancholic melody in the piano that leads to a more reserved B-section driven by the drums and bass of Aaron Frazer and Michael Isvara "Ish" Montgomery.