"Stress Yeeting is a laid back nu jazz single inspired by the neo-boom bap stylings of Kiefer and the wider lofi jazz scene. The tune’s infectious melody and bassline drive the tune, while production subtleties- adding spliced cuts from session takes of different tempos, sneaking in samples of my cat, and 7 takes of live clap tracks- give much for the heads to catch. Featured saxophonist Nathan-Paul adds poignant jazz vocabulary, without disassociating the track from its sole purpose: to groove."

Stress Yeeting utilizes the 'splice production' approach of Teo Macero (Bitches Brew), as it uses parts of many separate sessions to form a composite piece.

Stress Yeeting was conceived like many of us: in the moment, and perhaps a mistake. In early 2021, during a Mofidelity beat-making session with Thin Thicket, Unc D came up with the tune's distinctive melody/hits. This was quickly made into a beat, called "Lizard."

Following this session, Unc D took the idea home to make the "Stress Yeeting iPad Beat." this version was funky, swinging and filled with sporadic electronic percussion. Bonus points if you could pick out the two moments in which "stress yeeting ipad beat" was spliced into the final version of the song.

During the Spring of 2021, Unc began to focus Stress Yeeting for the context of the live-band. "Stress yeeting (backing track)" was made in order to serve as a backing beat for not only live performances of the song, but also as the backbone for the final version of the Stress Yeeting single. Before taking this to the live band, an overdubbing session was done at Unc's studio apartment in Kent, Ohio in order to fatten her up. Kevin Maxwell Smith added filtered rhodes and some synths, while Unc, Thin Thicket and Cotton Mom recorded a few percussion takes on a USB Guitarhero microphone.

Sometime in April of 2021, Unc assembled a killer live unit to collectively overdub over this backing beat. The session included Unc on bass, Thin Thicket on clavinet, Cotton Mom on percussion and rhodes, Gino West on drums and Steven Fernandez on upright bass, marking the first appearance of upright bass in the Unc D catalog.

The session yielded great results, and from there more overdubbing and splicing was added in order to make Stress Yeeting the banger that it is. Unc reached out to Cleveland jazz heavyweight Nathan-Paul to add some killer sax to the track. Nathan-Paul's sax was treated with some effects (octaves mainly), but was also 'spliced' in the sense that the original file of his sax was manipulated in a few different, un-natural ways. For example, the long sustain note that is heard towards the end of the track was copied and pasted earlier in his solo, albeit not held out as long. Additionally, this sustained note moment was enhanced by pulling a classic move out of the production handbook of Pink Floyd. Nathan Paul's sax sustain note was cross faded with a couple synth tracks playing the same note, giving an unsuspecting tonal twist at a crucial moment of the song.

The last major edit to be done to stress yeeting was in the 'splicing' together of the many versions of Stress Yeeting into the final version. While the backing track forms the basis for most of the tune, the original 'Lizard" version of the tune is included during the two melody sections of the song. Since 'Lizard' is at a slower tempo, listener's may think we are utilizing mixed-meter form here, but instead it is simply splicing. Stress Yeeting "ipad beat" is used during the transitions out of the melody. This version of the tune was at a faster tempo, and the splicing of the electronic percussion from 'ipad beat' in the two major drops of the song adds a level of intensity that doing a drum fill in the same tempo would not allow for.

Perhaps the most fun moment of production for this song was an overdub session towards the end of production which featured not only Nicholas Frank recording guitar and lap steel guitar, but Frank, Thin Thicket and Unc D recording 7 takes of handclaps and other miscellaneous perscussion. This dense clap track, et. all is easily heard in the final version of the song, and gives the track many layers of vibrant life, as the clap tracks were not altered or edited in any way.

Finally, Unc finished off the production in the only way he knows: recording electronic drums over the master. In order to add that super fat and compressed kick and snare, Unc simply tracked those instruments over the master, while adding sound effects and impact percussion as needed.

BONUS TRACKS: "Stress Yeeting (unedited/uncut open trio jam)" and "Stress Yeeting (unedited/uncut open duo jam)" were two jams recorded during the production of Stress Yeeting but not used in the final version of the song. While the trio jam was recorded at the familiar Bearcave Recording, the duo jam was recorded at Mark Uroseva's Youngstown Studio, featuring a rare drumset and bass recording with drummer Jesse DeLorenzo.