“I Found a Monster” is a song that couldn’t have been made except by a filmmaker. Composed by Seth Schaeffer, a Nashville-based composer and filmmaker, “I Found a Monster” is a highly experimental song that is genre-fluid in the precise way that not only cinematic music, but indie cinema itself can be. Released on the 18th of July 2025, the single is Schaeffer’s first move into the world of music beyond the compositions he made for his own films.
In his own words, Schaeffer approaches music-making the same way he approaches filmmaking, which is perhaps what leads to the unique landscape of the song. It’s music from elsewhere. This particular approach has to do with movement. From the broken acoustic bass to the low piano strings, the harmonies drift in and out of the expected notes, with the melody coming and going into focus, all wrapped around the main male haunted, low vocals, the song is both fluid and gritty in its movements.
It shows even a hint of struggle that perfectly fits the “dialogue” between the speaker and the monster inside his head, who represents his true-self. The collaborations only add more life to the music, with Emily Hatch adding the backing vocals, Judah Schaeffer for vocal effects, Vigilance Brandon with the trumpet lines, and Marco Pescosolido and Nikos Mavridis for the most striking aspect of the song: the string solo and sections. Overall, it is a song that is easy to resonate with, with its exploration of what it takes to accept the most undesirable parts of ourselves.
Learn more about his project through his official website here.