Ryan DeRobertis Pens New Single, Hopes for More Inspiration for First Full-Length Album

As a teen, there's nothing more powerful than creating a project, finishing the task and reaping the benefits of its completion.

Sachem East incoming senior Ryan DeRobertis has ridden this process of creativity throughout his journey of producing his new single, which he wrote and recorded himself.

Now the 17-year-old Farmingville native is taking the next step of marketing his product. The alternative/Indie-style sound is reminiscent of bands like MGMT and Empire of the Sun. Couple that with similar sequences from Daft Punk and Ra Ra Riot and you have "I Took Too Long," DeRobertis' new single, which is available on iTunes and can be heard on YouTube.

His band, The Cold Napoleans, took first place at the Sachem Public Library Battle of the Bands in 2008. It was the first show he had ever performed in, adding to his arsenal of early musical accomplishments.

DeRobertis plans on majoring in music, and with an eye toward attending Boston College or the University of California at Berkeley, he has his sights set high.

As for his single, "It's a dance song with an interesting lyrical point of view," he said. "It's about all of those times in life where we find out what the right thing to do was, two minutes too late. Life doesn't wait up for us and opportunities slip away. It's not necessarily asking for another shot at things, it's more of a coming to terms song."

He's currently recording his first full-length album and has been scribing lyrics for nearly three years.

"The album doesn't have a name yet but I have 12 songs written for it," he said, "and I'm hoping to have it out by the end of September. I'm really excited for it."

DeRobertis is a bit old school in where he draws inspiration. It's not from current bands or from musicians at all.

"Believe it or not, it's F. Scott Fitzgerald," he said. "The Great Gatsby is my favorite book of all time. I love how he wrote the story, how the characters are beautiful and charming on the outside, but on the inside they're kind of upset, kind of dark. The album that I'm writing explores that side of pop music. It's sort of like a concept album, where the production and songwriting are really poppy but the lyrics are about things that we all feel inside."

And while DeRobertis may not be seeking high society just yet like Jay Gatsby, his excursion to being a self-made success starts now.