The following commentary is properly placed on this track's main release, Jailbreak Vol. 1.

7/23/2017with respect to this album —
about 5 years, 9 months later LizaWithAZed ✑ Bowmantown Discord

do you remember Mechanic Panic and did RJ ever get permission to stick that on Jailbreak vol I? Or did he just cram it on as a bonus track and never tell you?

7/24/2017with respect to this album —
about 5 years, 9 months later Michael Guy Bowman ✑ Bowmantown Discord

I let him use Mechanic Panic, it was maybe the first thing I wrote for hs. I really wish I hadn't ok'd it, Jailbreak was a nail in the coffin for us.

I was never clear on the status of the Homestuck for the Holidays album or any of those related projects. I spent comparatively little time on Skype and was out of the loop on a lot of stuff. I'm amazed I got as much music done as I did before 2011, I was still busy with other stuff.

8/17/2017with respect to this album —
about 5 years, 10 months later LizaWithAZed ✑ Bowmantown Discord

I love mechanic panic tbh

He didn't make it for the album, it was an unused homestuck track that the slipped on as a bonus track because it was chiptune

8/17/2017with respect to this album —
about 5 years, 10 months later Michael Guy Bowman ✑ Bowmantown Discord

this was something i wrote using a couple of 3xosc channels in FL Studio right when i joined the project, back in the "loops only" phase

not really super fond of it, but i like the beat at 0:26
it should have just been all that with a melody or something

9/30/2024with respect to this album —
about 12 years, 11 months later Michael Guy Bowman ✑ Bowmantown Discord

(Excerpt from album commentary)

The long, long list on hsmusic.wiki reminds me that around this time I submitted something to the Homestuck Gaiden fan album for Jailbreak (Jailbreak Vol. 1) - this piece called "Mechanic Panic" is one of the first things I wrote for Homestuck and I submitted it as a last minute inclusion to the Jailbreak album which was helmed by RJ Lake

In retrospect I wish I had never, ever touched that album. I was not exactly dying to have this one released in any official capacity and it was basically just a leftover.