Faded Grey 5

The fifth installment of my lo-fi/chill-out/guitar driven side project Faded Grey is here.

I’m not going to retell the story of how this project started and how much fun it has been creating and playing these songs because I’ve spoken extensively about this matter in previous blogs. As a recap though, it's mainly improvised guitar playing on top of some chill-out  soundscapes that’s created on the go. No overthinking; just being in the moment and playing music.

One thing that’s a bit different from previous releases with this one though is that for this time around, Hadi, my producer, came up with the soundscapes before the recording sessions, and I just came up with my guitar parts on the spot. The main reason this happened was that we were short on time, so Hadi and I agreed that he would prepare the soundscapes beforehand.

In doing so, this turned out to be the first time that I’d listened to a release of mine as a listener and not as a creator. Because I didn’t initiate the songs per se, I didn’t “know” the songs like I normally would know songs that I’d created. I felt more like a lead guitarist showing up to do his solos and then leaving.

We recorded the songs in April 2025. In less than two hours we managed to complete three songs, and that was the last time that I’d heard the songs until a week ago (November 2025) when Hadi shared with me the final mixes for approval. 

I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but listening to these songs for the first time made me hear myself in a different manner. This was probably the first time I just truly listened to what was “being” played versus what “could” have been played, if that makes sense. And that’s just so liberating. I’d always wished that I could listen to my stuff as a normal listener versus a judgmental creator. My wish was finally granted.

Faded Grey 5 is composed of three songs: 1) Just Chill. 2) Melancholy. 3) Family.

“Just Chill” is basically the feeling I got when I was recording the song—that easygoing feeling of a guitar player chilling around with his guitar and improvising some licks on an April afternoon.

“Melancholy” is, again, about the vibes that I got while recording the song. To me, it has some sadness to it. The good type. I absolutely love jamming in the minor key.

And the last song, “Family.” As we were wrapping up recording for the song, Hadi and I were having a conversation about how long we had been recording together (ten years so far!), and we were reminiscing about our early recording sessions. He mentioned how close we’d become after all this time; close, like family. Then I said to him, “‘Family’—that’s the title of the song.”

I hope you will enjoy listening to this release as much as I did. With all of us as “listeners” this time.