Everything that Rhye touches is informed by an incredible sense of discipline.
The LA based songwriter is fastidious in his approach, melding together exquisite songwriting with an in-depth sense of mood.
New album 'Home' is out now, a nuanced, layered, intricate return, one that pushes the Rhye project to new heights.
Songwriter Michael Milosh adds some fine contouring, with his definitions of light and shade multiplying the emotional core of the music.
Clash caught up with the LA based artist to dissect his Influences…
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Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime
'Once In A Lifetime' by Talking Heads definitely hits a nostalgic chord for me because I was young when it came out, but I’ve loved it ever since then.
Listening back to that track with producer ears is amazing because there is such a well-crafted essence of simplicity in creating a song from a simple bass line and then building an incredible song around that through production. I had the chance to see David Byrne live because we played before him at a show in Hong Kong.
I didn’t know what to expect because I had never seen him live before, but his show absolutely blew me away. I could hear all of the natural tones of his voice un-amplified from the side of the stage and I was shook by how good his voice was when I heard it not exclusively through the speakers.
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Loverboy – 'Turn Me Lose'
This one is a bit out of left field, but I love this song 'Turn Me Lose' by Loverboy.
They’re a Canadian band, and again it’s a song with a really simple bass line. They constructed the track with this 80s rock jam feel with tons of personality. The song feels so unabashed and unapologetic – it’s incredible and walks that line of cheesy, but that’s what I love about it.
I love the idea of songs that inspire happiness and joy and can dip slightly into cheese but do it so unapologetically and there’s a lot of fun in that brazenness.
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Prince – 'Erotic City'
'Erotic City' by Prince has been an all-time favorite song of mine since I was a little kid. It was the first record I ever bought, and it had 'Let’s Go Crazy' on the other side. It’s a very bold song with racy lyrics and I had to convince my mother I was mature enough to appreciate it so I could buy it.
As I got older, I was amazed by the production and what an amazing song it is. It feels truly timeless – you can hear it in the club, wherever really, and it just works.
What Prince was doing, the idea that you can write a song that fits any emotion, can be listened to anywhere, and feels like a song for anyone is something that really inspired me when writing this record. I wanted these songs to have that same feeling.
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Frank Ocean – 'Nikes'
I think 'Nikes' by Frank Ocean is such a clever tune because the entire song he’s altered his voice where there is this incredible feeling of nostalgia even though it’s new. I felt nostalgia for the song the first time I heard it.
I love the production, the minimalism and the non-classic pop format, it all works beautifully together. I love the lyrics on the track as well. It’s really cool to flip the formula of the construction of a song on its head so it’s not A B A B and somehow it still feels like it works logically and makes total sense.
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Tame Impala – 'One More Year'
What I love about this song, and I’m not sure if I’m right, but it feels like when Tame Impala wrote it he was listening to 'Beats, Rhymes, And Life' by A Tribe Called Quest and this was his interpretation of it. The vocals, samples, sound of the snare drum – it feels like he’s abandoning his older records in the production of the drums. It feels like he embraced a completely different genre, toyed with it and made it his own and I love that.
This song opens up and creates a whole atmosphere and then you dive into this world he’s created because this is the first track on his recent album 'The Slow Rush'.
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'Home is out now.
Photo Credit: Emma Marie Jenkinson
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