Somewhere in Highland Park, Los Angeles, in a dim bedroom cluttered with half-tuned guitars and a dusty USB keyboard, Finneas O'Connell sat hunched over his laptop, sleeves rolled up, researching.
He hadn't heard of Echo Chamber Records until the message came through SoundCloud. "Echo Chamber" sounded almost... pretentious? But the message was thoughtful, not generic. Not copy-paste. And whoever this Alex Vance guy was, he wasn't just throwing praise—he had clearly listened. That caught Finneas's attention.
So he did what any cautious, semi-sceptical older brother would do: he googled.
Echo Chamber Records. Small footprint. No Wikipedia page. No interviews. Just a few scattered mentions on music blogs, and one YouTube link with real momentum:
SHAPE OF YOU – Official Video | Alex Vance
"The club isn't the best place to find a lover
So the bar is where I go
Me and my friends at the table doing shots
Drinking fast and then we talk slow
Come over and start up a conversation with just me
And trust me I'll give it a chance now
Take my hand, stop, put Van the Man on the jukebox
And then we start to dance, and now I'm singing like
Girl, you know I want your love
Your love was handmade for somebody like me
Come on now, follow my lead
I may be crazy, don't mind me
Say, boy, let's not talk too much
Grab on my waist and put that body on me
Come on now, follow my lead
Come, come on now, follow my lead
I'm in love with the shape of you
We push and pull like a magnet do
Although my heart is falling too
I'm in love with your body
And last night you were in my room
And now my bedsheets smell like you
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with your body
(Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I)
I'm in love with your body
(Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I)
I'm in love with your body
(Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I)
I'm in love with your body
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with the shape of you
One week in we let the story begin
We're going out on our first date
You and me are thrifty, so go all you can eat
Fill up your bag and I fill up a plate
We talk for hours and hours about the sweet and the sour
And how your family is doing okay
And leave and get in a taxi, then kiss in the backseat
Tell the driver make the radio play, and I'm singing like
Girl, you know I want your love
Your love was handmade for somebody like me
Come on now, follow my lead
I may be crazy, don't mind me
Say, boy, let's not talk too much
Grab on my waist and put that body on me
Come on now, follow my lead
Come, come on now, follow my lead
I'm in love with the shape of you
We push and pull like a magnet do
Although my heart is falling too
I'm in love with your body
And last night you were in my room
And now my bedsheets smell like you
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with your body
(Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I)
I'm in love with your body
(Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I)
I'm in love with your body
(Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I)
I'm in love with your body
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with the shape of you
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
I'm in love with the shape of you
We push and pull like a magnet do
Although my heart is falling too
I'm in love with your body
And last night you were in my room
And now my bedsheets smell like you
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with your body
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on (I'm in love with your body), be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on (I'm in love with your body), be my baby, come on
Come on, be my baby, come on
Come on (I'm in love with your body), be my baby, come on
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with the shape of you"
He clicked.
The song hit instantly. That hypnotic guitar riff, looped but never tiring. The percussion—raw, clean, unpretentious. And the voice—earnest, melodic, slightly husky. Finneas leaned forward. This wasn't some major-label puppet polished to death. This was crafted. Precise and self-aware, but not try-hard.
And the video… it wasn't expensive, but it was smart. Each frame felt intentional. Human. Even the goofy dance bit in the empty warehouse felt like a wink, not a gimmick.
By the second chorus, Finneas had opened Logic Pro on his laptop. Not to work—just reflex. Inspiration moved his fingers before he could stop them.
When the video ended, he didn't hit replay. He sat back, quietly impressed.
He clicked through Echo Chamber's SoundCloud again. Still small. Still raw. But now it didn't feel random.
He turned to his sister, who had just walked in, earbuds still in, hoodie sleeves tugged over her palms.
"Hey, Billie," he said, tone casual but loaded with subtext. "I think we should email them back."
-----
One afternoon, David called Alex into his office, a printout in his hand. It was an article from a fairly influential music industry news site. The headline read: "The Vance Enigma: Is Teen Phenom Alex Vance the Real Deal, or an Industry Plant?"
The article itself was speculative, acknowledging his talent but questioning the polished quality and rapid rise, hinting that perhaps a bigger, hidden machine was at play.
"Industry plant?" Alex read, a small, humourless laugh escaping him. If only they knew the "plant" was a displaced 25-year-old with a trans-dimensional music encyclopaedia in his head.
"Don't worry about it," David said, though his brow was furrowed. "Any kind of buzz, even sceptical, is still buzz. But it does mean the bigger fish are noticing. Other labels will start sniffing around."
The Codex offered a notification: [Competitive Analysis: Expect increased scrutiny from established A&R departments. Potential for 'sound-alike' artists to emerge if core appeal of ECR tracks is not diversified.]
This was a new wrinkle. Rivalry. In his old timeline, Alex was used to friendly competition, the creative push and pull between artists. But this felt different – the potential for his unique advantage to be copied or undermined before he'd even fully established his roster.
He needed to move faster, not just with his own releases but with signing unique talent. Securing Billie, and other talented singers, became even more critical. They weren't just artists; they were keystones in the arch of the new musical world he envisioned.
A few days later, just as he was finishing the final mix of "Perfect," a new message landed in the Echo Chamber Records SoundCloud inbox.
From: FinneasO (a new account, linked to BillieE's)
Subject: Re: Your Message
Alex Vance / Echo Chamber Records,
Billie showed me your message. Thanks for the kind words. Our parents (Maggie and Patrick) handle most of our 'music business' stuff right now. They said they'd be open to a call to hear more about what you do. Billie's mostly just focused on writing.
Let us know a good time.
Finneas.
Alex read the message, a slow smile spreading across his face. The door was open. The first crucial connection was being forged. The contours of his new world were rapidly taking shape, and they were filled with both incredible opportunity and emerging challenges. The game was truly on.