Otto Tunes releases “Other Lover” EP about love and heartbreak

Love, loss and heartbreak are all major themes on Otto Tunes’ latest EP, “Other Lover.” The student-run a cappella group adds the collection of songs to their discography on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

“Other Lover” consists of three songs: “New York,” “Haze” and “Stupid Deep.” Otto Tunes performed these songs at the 2019 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Collaborating with SU alumna Patricia Magliaro, the group released these same songs in the form of an EP at the beginning of 2020.

Nicholas Peta, the music director of Otto Tunes, collaborated with Magliaro on the project. Otto Tunes recorded the EP in the spring semester of last year, and the recording process took about two months, Peta said. Magliaro said she recorded the group singing together and then some clips of each singer individually for each of the three songs. Magliaro then mixed and edited the tracks from Otto Tunes and made adjustments to multiple drafts based on feedback from Peta.

The production process also involved collaboration among Otto Tunes members during rehearsals, said Brendan Mortensen, the president of the group. The a cappella group chose to cover these songs and create a story with each one’s narratives.

“We talked a lot about the songs and what they meant to the group,” Mortensen said. “How are we creating a thing that can tell a story and can portray those emotions in an accurate way?”

The collection of songs has a narrative component and tells a story, which was a requirement on the ICCA scoring rubric. Peta described the narrative as “a retelling of the relationship between two individuals.”

One song, “Haze,” describes when one’s relationship with another person is becoming cloudy, and the song centers around a period of questioning the trajectory of the relationship. Another song, “New York,” portrays the sudden realization that an individual is on their own after coming out of the haze of the relationship.

The final song, “Stupid Deep,” is about coming to a place of acceptance regarding the heartbreak and becoming capable of loving another person again, Peta said.

Peta said that the songs reflect the group well in a musical manner while also allowing group members to connect to a piece about humanity and vulnerability. Mortensen said that group members’ connections to the songs helped them accurately portray the emotions behind the lyrics.

The “Other Lover” EP includes songs from Otto Tunes’ performance at the 2019 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Courtesy of Otto Tunes

“You can have a super emotional song, and if it doesn’t resonate with the people singing it, it’s really not going to come across very well,” Mortensen said. “So, a lot of it is trying to find songs that felt like they could really connect with the members of the group.”

Peta reached out to Otto Tunes alumnus Dylan Brunett, who works at a music distributor named TuneCore, and asked for help getting the EP onto streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Brunett had previously helped Otto Tunes’ 2017 EP “Welcome to Otto Tunes” get on streaming services.

Otto Tunes sent Brunett the tracks, soloists, cover artwork and information about the tracks, such as who arranged each piece. Brunett set the release date and ensured that the EP would come out at the desired time on streaming platforms.

Since their music is on streaming services, it has provided Otto Tunes the ability to have a connection with fans and give fans the means to listen to Otto Tunes’ music at any time, Brunett said.

“It’s just another way to spread their talent to anyone who wants to listen,” he said.

Last week, Otto Tunes went on tour in Long Island, where they performed at locations including high schools, middle schools, nursing homes and a bookstore. The group is not performing at the ICCAs this year and instead plans to focus on a possible album and visual aspects, similar to music videos, Peta said.

Peta said that having music on streaming services also records the history of the organization, which was created in 2011.

“When we’re putting out things like this, it’s adding to the developing narrative of the group and allowing members of the future, past [and] present to know what the group was experiencing musically and as human beings at the time they produced the product,” Peta said.