Aaron Taos is back once again with a new jam – and once again I’ve been rocking it heavy in my headphones.
His new single, “Alone”, featuring Shane Stokes is reminiscent of the sound that made Blink 182 so massive… except mixed with some Lexapro, 808’s, swag. While the track may have a bounce and great vibe, the underlying story goes much deeper. I could elaborate, but I’ll just let Aaron break it down for you.
About the release he says:
“Alone is a song I wrote during a dark couple of weeks I had at the beginning of this year. The lyrics are probably the most honest and direct I’ve ever gotten about things going on in my life, which was a new and cathartic experience for me. I was dealing with some pretty serious anxiety and elements of depression (plus new meds), coupled with a rough patch with my girlfriend, and what felt like some stagnation in my career. All of this was building up and I felt like I had to put it out in a creative way. I consciously did not want the music around it to sound slow or dreary, so I produced the track in bright upbeat tone that I felt was an interesting difference in context with the lyrics the song. It was a time I just needed to be by myself and figure my life out, sometimes to the dismay of people around me who care about me.”
After hearing the tune… and the story, I figured a Q&A was in order. Check it out below.
RDFO: How old were you when you first started making music?
AT: I was 16 when I started making music with my first band in high school. It was a couple of my friends and I just jamming around in the basement.
RDFO: Do you have any professional training or are you self taught?
AT: Self taught! I had a couple guitar lessons as a kid but mostly everything was from trial and error during the period I was active with my band. Besides that, I learned to produce myself in my dorm room in college using GarageBand, Logic, and now finally Ableton.
RDFO: The new tune has a big Blink 182 sound. What is your favorite track from them?
AT: All the small things! Def a classic.
RDFO: Where are you from and where do you live now?
AT: I’m from a suburb of New Haven, CT called Guilford. Right now I live in Brooklyn, NY.
RDFO: You have a nice cross over appeal. Do you create music with the intention of blending genres or does it come organically?
AT: It definitely comes organically. When I first started making music, I was doing it more like my favorite bands at the time like Arctic Monkeys and Strokes. Since then Ive been experimenting adding more Pop and Hip Hop elements since that’s mostly what I’m listening to these days.
RDFO: Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations?
AT: Arctic Monkeys, Strokes, 50 Cent, Drake, Bloc Party, Neutral Milk Hotel, Dr. Dre
RDFO: What is up next for you?
AT: I’m releasing a couple new singles leading into an EP release in January or February, keep an eye out!
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