Their polished album took a team and years. Your demo took a Tuesday. Judge it like a Tuesday.

Comparisons go wrong when the two things had different amounts of time and help. A finished record has producers, engineers, a mixing stage and rounds of second opinions baked into every second. What you made after school has none of that, so measuring one against the other tells you only which had more hands on it. The honest comparison is your Tuesday against your last Tuesday.

When you play something back, say out loud how long it took and what you had. Then ask whether it beats the one before it. Save the finished-record standard for the day you have that much time.