This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Lost at Ease deconstructs the end of a relationship on “Stupid Human Games.”

The Grand Rapids, Michigan, collective captures the blunt verbal interplay of two people confronting each other on its latest indie-pop single.

“I think it kind of reflects lots of relationships, and I think it could be about friends or family,” said Burton Kroes, a songwriter, producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who formed Lost at Ease in 2024.

“I wouldn’t say it’s autobiographical, but those lyrics are very personal to me. It’s a little bit of how I see the world sometimes … like through a domination-submission [lens].”

Filled with shimmering synth and pounding drums, “Stupid Human Games” features a stellar collaboration with Grand Rapids singer-guitarist Wren Burns, who provides soulful vocals on the track.

Burns sings, “I know you say that you love me so / Reflections of your ego / They’re all you want, and they’re all you need / It’ll cost, you will see.”

“It’s definitely a good venting song,” they said. “I like how it applies to a lot of different relationships … especially when you’re noticing patterns of behavior instead of just continuing to deny those giant red flags because you don’t want to see them.”

Along with Burns, Kroes also collaborated with drummer Adam Hubbell, engineer and percussionist Logan Thierjung, and arranger Kiersten Quilliams on “Stupid Human Games.”

“The whole thing was a puzzle to piece together, and while I wrote and produced it all myself, I was lucky to have some great ears around me for feedback on specific elements, like the guitar solo, the strings, and the drum mix,” Kroes said.

To learn more, I spoke with Kroes and Burns about their backgrounds and the inspiration behind the song.

Q: Burton, how did your musical journey start in Grand Rapids?

Burton Kroes (BK): When I was a kid, I did a country-western band with my uncle and brother, and we did Hank Williams covers and stuff like that. In high school, I got into fingerpicking blues guitar and Mississippi John Hurt, especially playing songs like “Richland Woman Blues.”  Then, I started writing songs when I was 19, took some vocal lessons, and started playing piano.

Q: Wren, how did you develop a love of music?

Wren Burns (WB): I’ve been told that I was always singing. The first music group I got to be part of was Kids Healing Kids, a nonprofit in Holland. We sang and sent videos to children who were experiencing chronic or terminal illnesses. I remember it stuck with me, and it could change people’s lives.

I was in choir [in school], and I decided to study music education. All the music I did—up until very recently—was more academic or with a director. Being in a band now is very different for me, and getting together and jamming with people is pretty new as well.

Q: What artists initially influenced each of you?

BK: I grew up with my grandparents, and I listened to big band music, The Jackson 5, and The Temptations. My uncle was a big influence in my life, and he gave me Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks album when I was in ninth grade. He also gave me another [formative] album, Alive on Arrival, by Steve Forbert.

WB: My mom listened to Sarah McLachlan, The Cranberries, and Sheryl Crow. My dad listened to a lot of country, and I grew up listening to a lot of church music. My grandmother really loved Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé.

Q: Burton, what led to the formation of Lost at Ease in August 2024?

BK: I’m a singer-songwriter, and I met this guy at work who played bass. He came over, and we started playing songs. At the time, he said, “We have to come up with a name,” and he had a name, but it was already taken. Once he left, I thought, “Well, I’m just going to put out music.” I just kept putting it out under the same name, Lost at Ease.

Q: How did you select Lost at Ease as your artist name?

BK: I read this essay, and it was about humanity. These days, I feel like everybody is a little bit lost, and it sounds cliché to say that, but everybody does their best. We’re just trying to figure out this human experience. For the name, I thought, “We’re lost, but we’re at ease at the same time with being lost.” It’s kinda like The Dude from The Big Lebowski.

Q: What did you learn while working on your debut album, Where’s the Drama and How Can I Be Involved?

BK: They’re not super refined songs, but I was really trying to learn how to do production. I was just trying to embrace that, and I really valued working with talented people. I wrote the first song, “The Opener,” when I was 19 and started learning piano. It’s really catchy, and it’s almost like a Train song. I turned it into an instrumental, and it became the album’s opening track. I also did a song, “I Know I Was Mean,” with my brother, [Jason Kroes], and I did another song, “Getting What We Got,” with my wife, Kiersten Quilliams.

Q: Your debut album explores themes of learning from the past, navigating relationships, and longing for connection. What inspired those themes across the album’s eight tracks?

BK: I got really into memoir writing, and at first, when I was in my mid-20s, I wanted to understand myself better. I’m sure that’s filtered into my writing, and then I got into John Irving novels.

With the song, “School Is Out,” I tried to imagine what 12-year-old Burton would have been thinking. I tried to imagine myself as like a character at that age. As a writer, I’ll grab random things I see, or it will be like random memories I have of things. I was trying to make sense of the way I used to be or the way my past used to be.

Q: How did you two meet and start collaborating together?

BK: I was trying to jam with people in my basement, and then Adam Hubbell brought Wren over to my house. I met both Adam and Wren through a mutual friend. Wren is this incredible vocalist, and we didn’t know each other before.

WB: We got to know each other through recording “Stupid Human Games.” And now, we want to make more friends and have them come over and jam.

Q: Wren, what was it like to work with Burton on “Stupid Human Games?”

WB: That was my first time recording [in the studio]. [As a producer], Burton’s very encouraging, and he’d say, “Do more of this, or you can do that!” It’s like having a musical recording coach, and there’s cheering involved.

Q: How did “Stupid Human Games” come together during the writing and recording process?

BK: It started about a year and a half ago, and I wrote it on guitar, but it didn’t take that long to write. But then I sat on it for a long time once I had recorded Wren’s vocals.

For the recording, I did the guitar first, then synths, and then I had Wren’s vocals. Adam [Hubbell] laid the drums down, and  I also shared it with some friends, including Logan [Thierjung], to get their feedback.

Q: How did Adam Hubbell (drums, arranging), Logan Thierjung (engineering, percussion, arranging), and Kiersten Quilliams (arranging) become part of “Stupid Human Games?”

BK: Adam Hubbell is an incredible drummer. He gave me some initial feedback on the drums, and then I asked if he could program some drums for the song. I asked him to make it sound like Phil Collins.

Logan is really talented, and he did the mixing and mastering. I shared it with him, and he gave me some [input] on the drums and the synths for the song. After that, I switched around the synths, and I layered a bunch of different things.

Kiersten gave me some arrangement ideas, including that incredible a cappella part. Wren was riffing, and they just made that part up. It was incredible to watch, but when I was mixing it, Kiersten said, “Why don’t you just drop out all of the instruments and have Wren’s part on there?” She also suggested using one of Wren’s parts as a motif throughout the whole song. Then, I took that sample of Wren’s vocals, pitched it down, and sprinkled it throughout the song.

Q: What’s up next for Lost at Ease?

BK: Wren and I have been spending more time writing and playing with each other. They’ve been giving me some input on melodies and different parts. I think people can expect some great new music in the relatively near future.

WB: As we meet more new people, we’d like to say, “Hey, we’re jamming on Thursday, you should come.” I think jamming and doing a studio project has been a lot of fun.