Photo: Thomas Falcone
Love is an experience most of us can never truly find the words for—so let today’s Inbox Jukebox Presents sing to your heart. shye.’s new EP love, or lack thereof is an intricate exploration of what keeps us all dreaming.
“Holy Ghost” kicks off the EP with a darkly seductive alt-pop beat, synths poised to give you chills. It’ll immediately capture your attention, the guitar solo cutting through to let you know you’re in for one hell of a ride. And follow up “If You Need Someone” is where you’ll really fall in deep—shye.’s fervent vocals sweep you up and take you for a spin around the room, promising the world wrapped up in gentle finger snaps.
“I couldn’t write this record without feeling that love, and I couldn’t have written it without feeling a lack of it at times. I feel this record fully encapsulates that dichotomy in who I was when I made it.”
“I called this record ‘love, or lack thereof’ because those two things were very present in my life while creating this record. I gave all of my love to someone, who gave me a lack of that in return,” shye says. You can feel that love poured into each song—every high, every low, every turbulent and impassioned and raw emotion. shye. credits this time in his life for opening up the writing process. “I became more open to writing about other loves in my life, whether it be the people I hold closest, the place that I’m from, or my refusal to stop chasing the dream.”
“Favorite” feat. Ty Falcoa is an irresistible foot-stomping tune that you’ll wanna send to your crush with an urgency as strong as the song’s heartbeat. Then “Blind” comes in to fill you up in a different way—to make you dig deep into what you want most, using explosive choruses and vulnerable lyrics to ask, “What would I find, if you wouldn’t fight for me?” shye. goes on to recognize how powerful all kinds of emotions can be: “I couldn’t write this record without feeling that love, and I couldn’t have written it without feeling a lack of it at times. I feel this record fully encapsulates that dichotomy in who I was when I made it.”
An excerpt from shye's love, or lack thereof: the book - a collection of poetry, stories, and photos inspired by the creation of the record (pick up your copy here)
“Sleepwalking” brings the EP to a close by remembering what makes love—of yourself, of your art, of others—so worth it. It’s a piano-led ballad laced with inspiration and memories, pulling them together to form a bright future. Dylan Owen comes in to provide some verses full of questions and painful observations about growing up—because growth isn’t achieved by staying still.
“Making this record presented new challenges for me, but created new opportunities in the process. I started fleshing these songs out alone in my apartment, and really brought things back to basics,” shye. says. love, or lack thereof is definitely a labor of love, every note strikes you as thoughtful and sincere. “I worked with almost an entirely new team to bring them to life, starting with 6 weeks of sessions over FaceTime before actually stepping into the studio. I think this process forced me to create my most authentic work yet, and consequently my favorite songs I’ve ever released.”
Settle in for a heart-to-heart with love, or lack thereof—and for the full immersive experience, check out his accompanying book full of poetry, stories, and photos that will give you even more depth to the art shye. creates.
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Fun Fact About love, or lack thereof:
“It’s long been a dream of mine to write a book to accompany each solo record, capturing in time who I was when I made those songs. I wanted to recreate the connection of tearing open the packaging on a CD when I was younger, and deeply dissecting the lyrics, liner notes, and artwork. Getting to create this book to accompany my favorite songs I’ve ever released is something I’m so truly grateful for and proud of!”
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