Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Shane Rennison
THE RELEASE
Shane Rennison, a singer-songwriter in New York, is ready to release his debut album, “IRRATIONAL.” Shane’s unique blend of indie pop rock and soulful energy is captivating, especially in live performances. His music is inspired by artists like Vampire Weekend, Harry Styles, and Passion Pit. Rennison’s electric and acoustic guitar, synth piano, and distinct drum patterns make him stand out from the crowd, which is exactly what “IRRATIONAL” is set to prove.
With an assortment of musical influences, “IRRATIONAL” takes listeners on a journey. Rennison finds a way to bring out nostalgic feelings while keeping things fresh, creating an immersive tapestry in each track. Shane puts his talents on display throughout the album, weaving his beautiful harmonies and intricate songwriting with instrumental builds. Acoustic twinklings collide with synths and punchy drum rhythms, with occasional brass infusions. At the core of the release is Shane’s emotional writing, drawing listeners closer with his raw honesty. Produced by Julian Giaimo, the album flows with engaging soundscapes. In reflecting on the album, Shane said, "I wanted to create seamless transitions from one track to the next to craft a cohesive project that satisfied us as a whole." Satisfying is exactly the feeling listeners will get when they get a hold of “IRRATIONAL.”
THE INTERVIEW
"IRRATIONAL" is your debut album. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the album and its title?
So ‘IRRATIONAL’ is my first full-length project. At the start, it was really just a question of whether or not I could put a full project together and have it satisfy as a whole. But then when Julian Giaimo and I started working on the title track, Irrational, the rest of the songs seemed to fit the same narrative and so we decided to use it as a cornerstone and build the album around it.
It’s extremely difficult to think about the long-term effects of the decisions we make and so the songs on the album reflect back to moments in my life where my actions, or the actions of those around me, were very short-sighted. Take the title track, Irrational, for example. This song is about a partner of mine who left behind a life we had built in one very abrupt departure. They weren’t thinking about the long-term effects that the departure would have on themselves and others but instead acted irrationally in that moment. We are all guilty of this so I wanted the album to capture these moments in my life so that others could see themselves in the experience and know that they’re not alone.
You’ve mentioned that "IRRATIONAL" includes seamless transitions between tracks. What was your approach to creating this flow, and why was it important for this project?
I’m a big fan of vinyl records and one thing I feel is lost in music today is the desire to create full projects that tell a cohesive story from start to finish. In the streaming era, you can start an album anywhere you choose and so the order to which the artist created the album becomes less important.
For me and my team, we really wanted to hark back to the older generations where you had to listen to song 1, to get to song 2, to get to song 3, and so on and so forth. So that’s what inspired us to make each transition from song to song as smooth as possible so it really felt like one story being told. My idea was that the listener could hit play on All the Scars and listen all the way through to Where I’m At.
Your lyrics are known for their emotional honesty. Can you share any personal experiences or stories that particularly influenced the songs on "IRRATIONAL"
Absolutely! So Too Beautiful for example is about a girl I met and while we did have a deep, meaningful connection there was also an emotional wall between us. I am a very spiritual person and work tirelessly to develop my own emotional stability. I do what I can to help others heal but sometimes you meet people that are so caught up in the distractions of their physical existence that they just can’t seem to understand the deeper meaning behind life, love and the universe.
I find when people are blessed with good looks it becomes even more challenging to be grounded because they almost experience a warped sense of reality. Life seems easier for them because society rewards those with desirable physical attributes. And so it becomes very hard for them to grow emotionally because they are being handed opportunities and experiences left and right. This girl at the time was really going through some serious life changes but she didn’t seem to understand the gravity of her situation and chose instead to believe that things would work out for her because they always did before. So I wrote Too Beautiful as a reminder to myself and others to look past the ups and downs of our physical existence and instead value peace, love and harmony. You can try to help people see this for themselves but sometimes they’re just too beautiful to understand.
You’ve been performing live for a while now. How do you translate the energy of your live performances into your recordings?
Honestly when I first started playing live I really just saw it as a way to sharpen my skills. I never really knew where it would go. But then when I got into the studio and I was able to sing better than ever because I had been doing cover gigs for so long, I knew I was in a good position to really capture the emotion in my music. For a while I would write a song but just wasn’t able to sing or play it well so playing live honestly developed my ability to perform my own music over time and I’m grateful for that.
As you release "IRRATIONAL," what do you hope listeners will take away from this album? What impact do you hope it will have on your audience?
I just hope listeners can heal through my music. That’s all my intention is. I’m grateful for the opportunity to express the unconditional love of the universe through sound and song and I pray every day to be used as an instrument of love to help heal the world.
This album represents moments in the human experience and I hope others can see themselves in them and gain clarity and understanding through them.
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