Alejandro Explains The "Thump" In Dare To Believe

One of my favorite things to do is relax at the end of a long day listening to Boyce Avenue on a good pair of headphones. It's my happy place. I have spent entire evenings laying on my couch, snuggling with my dog and listening to my favorite Boyce Avenue songs. I love getting lost in their music....I listen to the songs over and over again, each time focusing on a different instrument. I especially love doing this with their acoustic stuff.

The first time I listened to the piano acoustic version of Dare To Believe on All We Have Left, I noticed a "thump" at about the :22 mark. At first I thought maybe I was hearing things, so I started the song over and listened again, and sure enough, there was a definite "thump." For some reason, I really liked it. I didn't know why, exactly, but I just thought it sounded cool. I asked my sister-in-law if it could possibly be the foot pedal on the piano (she's a piano teacher) and she said, "Hmmm....it kinda sounds like it...." I told her, "Maybe it was accidental, and he decided to leave it in the song because it sounded cool."

I decided to ask Alejandro about the thump and end the mystery.

Me: I have a most curious question....in Dare To Believe, what is the THUMP (for lack of a better description or the correct musical term) at around the :22 mark? Is it a drum? The foot pedal on the piano? Or something else entirely?

Alejandro: While recording it in the studio, I accidentally lifted the sustain pedal on the grand piano too loud and it made that sound and I really liked it! So I made sure to exaggerate it even more and make it sound like a percussive hit, but it's just the sustain pedal. ;) Good question.

Needless to say, I was really excited to know that my theory about the thump was correct. Dare To Believe is by far my favorite Boyce Avenue original song, and I especially love this version of it. And I gotta say, I love the thump. I think it gives the recording a very intimate feel....it breaks the silence, and then the music starts back up again, and the emotion of the song comes through so beautifully in the notes that follow.