Lostwave August 2019, (also known as "Nah Nah Nah", "Letdown", "Back Garden", or "Summer Evening") is a heavily distorted blues-rock song uploaded to Reddit on August 11th, 2019, by IntelligentBread5. Although the original claim was that the distortions are a result of tape damage, some claim that they were artificially made in a digital sound editing software such as Audacity.
Search History
On August 11th, 2019, a Reddit user named "u/IntelligentBread5" posted a heavily distorted song to the r/lostwave subreddit. The name "Lostwave August 2019" comes from the time and subreddit the song was first posted at.
His story was that several years before the post, he bought a box of cassette tapes at an unknown location while traveling abroad in Europe (most likely specifically Northern England, Western Europe or maybe Eastern Europe) at a yard sale. He was excited about these tapes because they had his favorite artists (Nirvana, AC/DC, Michael Jackson). However, most of the tapes were in bad shape. He then found one cassette that looked sun-bleached, and the only label he could make out said "4." He played it and was interested, but this tape was damaged as well. The first track of this tape is LWA19. The audio in this original post is actually mostly lost, except for a 30-second snippet file called nah_nah_nah.mp3.
Not too long later, the OP came back with a second "remastered" digitalization of the tape by a friend who digitized the tape with better pitch management. This remaster is the most known version of LWA19, as the original audio is mostly missing.
In September of 2019 and March of 2020, YouTuber C. W. Schultz featured LWA19 in his installments of Mysterious Music, a show documenting searches for mysterious songs. Because of these videos, by the summer of 2020, interest in the song had taken off again.
Because of the renewed interest in the song, some have asked u/IntelligentBread5 for a photo of the cassette and a digitalization of the rest of the tape. u/IntelligentBread5 claimed had other songs by the band but were in worse quality than LWA19. He then said he would release the rest of the tape after he pays a friend to digitalize it for him. After this, he deleted his Reddit account.
After this, search efforts exploded. Efforts were hindered by a troll who claimed to be the returned u/IntelligentBread5. This troll released the "rest of the tape," the songs were church songs, which LWA19 band likely didn't play (as the rest of the tape had other songs from the LWA19 band). They were also in different quality than LWA19 and the "low quality" in the church songs were easily spotted as fake. In one instance, the troll actually ate chips at the mic in an attempt to recreate the distortions in LWA19.
Authenticity of the Original Story
The fact that one troll tried to throw people off with fake tape damage made people rethink the story behind LWA19 itself. Many began to even question if the distortions are even a result of true tape damage or of digital audio manipulation. The suspicions were compounded by u/IntelligentBread5's disappearance: he had vanished once people asked for evidence of there truly being a cassette 4 and other songs by the band. After some further investigation, it was determined that the distortions in the song are actually from a digital audio manipulation software, likely Audacity. The search channel in The Mysterious Song Discord server was then removed as it was seen by the mods as not worth their time. It is still thought that there is a true song (i.e., not made by u/IntelligentBread5 himself and its only online presence is from his Reddit posts) that could be found under the distortions. However, with most of the lyrics that could reveal the title distorted, there is little hope.
Methods to Find the Song
Despite the seemingly impossible task to find the song, The Lost Search Discord server continues to investigate it. One method is to try to remaster the song enough to reveal as many lyrics as possible. This is currently being worked on by Discord user antonio113#0576. Despite his remaster efforts, interpretations of the lyrics by server users remain completely different, showing that it is near impossible to get any clear lyrics by straight up remastering.
Another project The Lost Search Discord server has taken on is recreating the song. Despite the hard-to-understand lyrics in LWA19, the song's structure and many of its instruments can be heard clearly at most times in the song. Syllables in the lyrics can also be heard by a good ear. This means that a good recreation of the song can be shared around instead of the current distorted mess. A good recreation of the song may help it spread to an ear that may recognize it. As of February 2021, YouTuber DefyJoe, who has covered many other mysterious songs including Kenya Dance, decided to cover it. The cover was completed on February 28, 2021, and is available here.
Theories
On December 31st, 2023, a user named Dr. Dajjal entered The Lost Search Discord server. He claimed to be IntelligentBread5 and while he was unable to provide the undistorted version of the song, he gave lyrics and a backstory. He claimed to make the song in 2017 on his own despite being in a band, but now claims it was from early 2018. Furthermore, he claimed the song was part of an ARG suicide note, and that the initial Reddit post should have led to a Facebook page via searching something on Google along the lines of "unknown blues rock 2009". The Facebook was claimed to have a similar name to iplay4fubs, but there is no account with this name or similar name. He also stated that the undistorted song is somewhere on YouTube in an unlisted video but slowed down. He claimed to have posted his ARG to other platforms such as Bit Chute, 4chan, and maybe Twitter/X. Likewise, he provided the supposed lyrics, and initially stated the name was "Summer Morning", but now recalls that it is "Summer Evening" (sometimes "Summer Evening Blues"). He claimed to delete the undistorted song after converting to Christianity, because he wanted to leave his past behind. Also, as part of this same conversion, he went to confession and confessed lying to the Lostwave community about the origin of LWA19. He claims to have only come back to the community because his priest told him to as part of confession. After initially stating that he had no evidence, he made LWA19. He found supposed undistorted clips on his computer in a Garry's mod animation folder, however it is thought that the clips were just remasters of IntelligentBread's low quality sample. However, due to the fact that he never gave any definitive proof, his legitimacy is left for debate but it’s very, most certainly, not the artist nor the op of the song.
Several users on Reddit have pointed out the fact that the song sounded vaguely similar to Old Town Road by Lil Nas X. Because of this, some have speculated LWA19 to be an edited version of Old Town Road, with some speculating other songs were mixed in as well.
Another theory is that the song is inspired by "Love Song" by 311, a cover of The Cure's song of the same name. This is due to the instrumental similarities some people have heard between the two.
Presumed lyrics
Intro/Verse 1:
Driving down, another day
Moved into my house, for us
I feel it is the same thing
It's always like I'm on a tightrope
Then I said
I'm ready to go
If you say its over
Well its over now
For now, I know your different with me
Now I've realized, but that was my life
-Pre-Chorus 1:
Nobody knows my pain, no no no
Now you're never sure about me
Well, I know your lonely
So, leave this conversation and throw your things
Now you fall in love, moved on
And one thing that proves its different
Is that I won't take this
Chorus 1:
Stay outta the way,
I don't want to listen right now
I know,
Help me leave you behind
Well, I think thats ideal
Stay outta the way,
I don't want to listen right now
I know,
Why don't you help me out?
And say what you want from me right now
Verse 2
We were meant to be together
You're the one that I thought I'd be with one day
One more last time together
The bottle made me lose somebody
Well, now I'll not be blamed
When we talk, I am leaving
Driving down, back on the road
Going somewhere, where I didn't know
Bridge/Breakdown
Its like I have nothing much more, but I'm on my own, fortunately
You know I let things be, I don't want anything, then back off, leave my life and torture me
You know with everything I knew
I became afraid of love
You're always right there with me to see this
You'd better look at yourself
Pre-Chorus 2:
Nobody knows my pain, no no no
That's why I never left before I knew
Here we go, once again, and I think your gonna step on my heart!
You've done this once before! Regardless of it
I'm no longer waiting.
I feel its time to leave.
Outro/Chorus 2:
Stay outta the way,
I don't want to listen right now
I know
Why don't you help me out?
Why can't I leave you behind, right now-ow-ow
Stay outta the way,
I don't want to listen right now
I know
Why can't you help me out?
What do you want right now-ow-ow
[VERSE 1]
Driving down a different road
Pull into my house, for us
You've always been good to me
No one realised I put the high road beneath me
Like a sound, you were my favourite song
If you say I'm sober, I am sober now
For now. I know they're different with me
No one realised that nobody lies?
We don't really talk about things, no, no, no
Now you're never sure who had me
Well, I know you're lonely
So leave this conversation and throw your name
You know you're doing quite well
Even though you're not with me
The one thing that proves you need me
Is that I will take it
[CHORUS]
Stay outta the way
I don't wanna listen right now
(I know)
Help me leave you behind
Well I think that's ideal
Stay outta the way
I don't wanna listen right now (I know)
Won't you try and help me out
Say what you've been wanting to right now
[VERSE 2]
We are meant to be together
You're the ones that believed I'd be removed one day
One more last time together
The bottle made me choose nobody
Well now, I will not be blamed
When they talk - I hear
Driving down, back a road
Going somewhere, oh well I didn't know
[BREAKDOWN]
I like my back garden much more than I like my front porch
You know I aimlessly, try to walk with meaning
From my back yard, live my life and torture me
You know that everything I knew, I became afraid of love
You're always right here with me, to see my loneliness
You'd better loosen yourself
[VERSE 3]
We don't need to talk about things, no, no, no
That's why you're never standing before I leave
Leave your heart before you leave
Now I know you're gonna step on my heart
You've already done it twice before
But now as I leave
When are you coming with me?
Help me leave you behind.
[CHORUS]
Stay outta the way
I don't wanna listen right now
(I know)
Won't you try and help me out
Say what you've been wanting right now-ow-ow
Stay outta the way
I don't wanna listen right now
(I know)
I'm really sick of telling you now
Just say what you've been wanting right now-ow-ow
(ahhhh)
I can still hear you calling
Can't you hear me calling?
C'mon
[Verse 1] Driving down a different road Going somewhere I know For now I didn't do anything When you realize i have about of the reading Like a sound, you're my favorite song If you say it's over I'm sober For now I didn't do anything When you realize that nobody likes me
[Pre-Chorus] Nobody knows what I mean, no no no At least you have what I need If without before meaning When you dressing all i need No one knows what I have without that When you continuing of the meaning If you want to go
[Chorus] Listen up here, I don't want to listen right now And I know the second time Call out if you want right now now now Listen up here, I don't want to listen right now And I know the second time Call out if you want right now now now
[Verse 2] No one have with that who will that who coming paradise And one on coming paradise without me baby No one know what I have When you talk I hear Driving down back on the road Going somewhere well i didn't know
[Breakdown] And not that like back garden, much more than i like my front porch You know I had, you're gonna walk with me at night In the backyard with my black porch You know I'll be there to let you in I'll be getting afraid of love, for a Place Falling in your heart And I'll open your smile
[Pre-Chorus] Nobody knows what I mean, no no no At least you have what I need If without before meaning I will dress you what I have One more two without the meaning If you go find out with me, when I need to
[Chorus] Listen up here, I don't want to listen right now Why are you always leaving me out? Well say what you've been wanting right now right now Listen up here, I don't want to listen right now And I know, don't you wanna to let you? Well say what you've been waiting right now right now.
[Outro]
Right now...