You're listening to Song Exploder where musicians take apart their songs and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made. I'm Rishikesh, your way.

Slaybells formed in 2008 and in 2016 they released their fourth album, Jessica Rabbit. In this episode, Alexis Kraus and Derek Miller break down their song, I can only stare.

I interviewed the two of them in front of a live audience at the Cosmon Music Center in New York as part of the Extatic Music Festival.

I'm Derek Miller, I'm from Slaybells and I do all the music in lyrics.

I am Alexis Kraus, other half of Slaybells, singer, melodies, harmonies, songwriter with Derek.

The early demo of this song sounded a lot more like Shugazy. I was at home in my apartment in Brooklyn just kind of layering guitar parts.

That immediately reminded me of a Johnny Mara type of chord progression.

That longing, that ache, that a lot of the Smiths records have a lot of the records from that period that I really like.

So I was really just kind of trying to rip him off.

We each write in very private spheres. Derek works at home and then he'll send you material and I'll work at home.

That's actually my favorite part of the process is getting her the instrumental and seeing when I get back first.

I love that challenge of trying to think of a melody.

The second I heard you sing the chorus that I can only stare.

When you hit the A, when she hits that vowel, it's like at the top of her range and with that lyric and with the melody and the delivery immediately it was like one of my favorite things that we had ever done.

We worked on this track for a long time.

The first few demo versions didn't have verses.

The whole town is full of love.

I'll let you know that I'm going to have a baby.

I'll give all you say.

It really wasn't even until later on that somebody brought to our attention.

This needs verses.

The song doesn't have verses.

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