Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Shane Rennison

THE RELEASE

From the Catskills region, in Upstate New York Shane Rennison is a singer songwriter and recording artist who infuses each musical endeavor with genuine and heartfelt energy. His ranging repertoire, which includes both cover songs and original compositions showcases a level of authenticity and emotional depth. Working alongside the composer and audio engineer Julian Giaimo on his EP titled "Nice To Meet You " Rennison explores a captivating blend of sparkling pop and nostalgic tones as showcased in the lead single "Cold Winter." Giaimos contributions to the EP as its producer and multi excluding Rennisons piano parts) add a nuanced layer to Rennisons storytelling. Reflecting on his journey Rennison expresses enthusiasm for the growth and evolution evident in his music envisioning a path forward in his self taught exploration of music. As he navigates his aspirations, from the ground level Shane Rennison warmly invites listeners to join him on a journey filled with sincerity, maturity and the promise of a bright future.

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Shane Rennisons EP titled "Nice To Meet You." This heartfelt collection of five tracks takes you on an emotional journey revealing the essence of Rennisons open heartedness and his cherished haven nestled in the Catskill Mountains. Each note is infused with memories that come to life as Rennison skillfully blends elements of The 1975s craftsmanship the synth highs akin, to Passion Pit and the effortless pop brilliance reminiscent of Harry Styles. Beyond an album this collection serves as a diary that explores themes of love, home and leaves an enduring impression through its indie pop artistry.

THE INTERVIEW

If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?

It’s hard for me to pick just four individuals so I’d rather just name some people that have helped me along the way. My parents for starters. I mean they’re just such wonderful people but what’s amazing about them is the freedom they allowed me growing up. They told me from a young age I can do whatever I want, so long as I’m willing to work hard at it. So from a young age I was already asking myself what I wanted to do with my life. It took a while to land on music but it’s their loving nature that guided me from day one.

My siblings as well are huge inspirations for me. They’re both older than I am so I’ve been able to look up to them my whole life and to just have them in my corner no matter what is something I am forever grateful for.

Creatively, my partner Julian Giaimo picks me up every time I get down on myself. He just doesn’t accept anything less than 100% from me and that helps fuel my fire and desire in the creation process. He is constantly pushing my limits and challenging me to grow and evolve my skillset and that’s something I am extremely grateful for as well.

Were there any personal experiences or stories that influenced the creation of the EP, and if so, how did they shape the final product?

Absolutely! The EP is basically a collection of 5 stories or chapters from my life. I used each song as a signpost so that in the future I’d be able to look back on them and be brought right back to the experience that influenced each one.

Cold Winter is about returning to my home town after years away and reuniting with a lost love. There’s an emotional struggle because although we both had gone our separate ways and begun new chapters in our lives, here we were back in our home town and back with each other. It was hard not to project what we used to think about each other.

Ghost is about a dying relationship when my partner started to treat me differently out of no where. It was as if she was looking right through me, hence the title GHOST.

Another Chance I wrote after my high school crush got engaged to someone else. While I’m extremely happy for her and wish her nothing but the best, a small part of me wondered if I’d ever get another chance at love.

Drunk is about an experience I had while studying abroad in Paris. I was in a French village at our hotel lounge when a beautiful girl walked by me. At the time, I was dealing with some intense insecurities and wanted so badly to go up to her but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Then, after getting a bit more intoxicated, I suddenly felt this rush of confidence and approached her. My biggest takeaway from this experience wasn’t so much about the alcohol so much as it was that the confidence I seemingly gained from it was there all along. You don’t need alcohol to gain self-confidence. It’s a matter of finding yourself spiritually and understanding your place in the grand scheme of the universe.

Temptations is about an experience I had while visiting Colombia. I met this girl and there was just in an instant connection. We both had been hurt in the past but with each other, we felt only love. The song chronicles our brief encounter and acts as a dialogue as to what happens when you give in to your temptations and desires. When there is a true connection between two individuals, 100 men or more would have to rip them apart.

How did you approach the selection and arrangement of the songs on this project to create a cohesive and impactful listening experience for your audience?

My team and I are very intentional when it comes to the layout, structure and arrangement of each project. I have an affinity for projects from the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc when albums were arranged to be listened from start to finish. I feel as though in the modern, streaming-era, we’ve lost touch with the importance of this element in music. Nowadays, someone can drop a 20 song album and when you go to listen to it maybe you start on song 5 because it’s listed as the most popular. Then you jump to song 3 because you like the name - so on and so forth. With my projects, I want there to be cohesion. I want there to be a thread that connects each song to each other so that it tells one story as a whole. This is evident even in the way we intentionally used minor chords for the first 4 tracks, only to end on a major key (Temptations) so that the project had a positive and satisfying finale.

How do you see this EP representing your artistic evolution or progression, and what new elements or techniques did you experiment with during its production?

This EP was a litmus test for my team and I in putting a major project together. Prior to this release, we’ve only ever worked on singles. This was the first time we had more than one song to work with so it was really just a matter of figuring out our process. Through this project we were able to understand how to work efficiently and effectively as a team. We used what we learned from this EP on our new album that we just finished and honestly we’ve grown even more from that project so I’m really excited to share that. We’re aiming for an April 2024 release for that so stay tuned!‏

Can you share any memorable or profound moments from the recording or writing sessions that had a lasting impact on you personally or creatively?

To be honest I’m just so grateful to be in the position I’m in right now. We’re slowly building a team full of people we can trust in the creation process and I just feel really good about the projects we have lined up. We’re growing and building together, one project at a time and it’s just so gratifying. This EP was the first time I had a vision for a big project and was able to bring it to fruition. Every aspect of it I’m just so proud of. Even the photoshoot for the cover art was just an amazing experience, filled with wonder and awe. I can’t wait to continue pushing forward and continuing to grow and evolve in this world. I’m just so grateful for it all, truly.

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