PREMIERE | Wayne Mills, "Alone (Outside)"
Introducing the candid cool and sentimental suave of Wayne Mills; press photo courtesy of the artist / Text Me Records.
Songs of separation, isolation and solace can be expressed in many ways. The curious craft of exploring the inner emotional landscape of the self and the soul is a delicate, sublime, sacred and intuitive art. The reflective processes delves beneath the surface of the symptoms, externalities and everything else for a focus set on the causalities of loneliness and everything pertaining to its corresponding epistemologies. Surveying the inward experiences correlating to trials, tribulations and points of disconnect; songs of solitude move past the points of miscommunication and conflicts to present subtle symphonies of emotive poems dedicated to the solitary stations of the individual (and the associated rites of personal reckoning).
Musing over these pangs of melancholy and more is Bay Area by way of LA artist Wayne Mills with the debut of “Alone (Outside)”. Having recently collaborated with Text Me Records labelmates Ricky Lake, Tia Nomore, Derek Ted, Brea and more; Mills’ new single sports production from GrandBankss in an evocative track that distills the stillness of waiting in vain for an unrequited significant other. The mix curates the ambience of being alone with one’s thoughts and feelings, mulling over all the conversations to be had with someone that is not present to share it all with. Wayne Mills grapples with the mixed feelings, hard truths and the desire for a greater love with smoky synth swathes of sadness imbued with the relentless desire for a reciprocated love and care that never arrives.
Wayne x GrandBankss deliver an aching anthem to being left on read. “Alone (Outside)” is the feeling of being left in the dark. The feeling of longing for a substantial connection that might never have been there to begin with. The emotive and mental exhaustion and anguish of trying to work it all out and having it all fall apart in the deafening silence of a quiet late night reverberates throughout the mix. Mills marks the moments of standing at the crossroads of a relationship that is not working, left wondering where the other person stands, the desire for a greater conversation that is woefully unavailable. “Alone (Outside)” basks in the noted absence of a loved one, crooning with respect the desires for something more that is not compatibly tangible. Wayne Mills shares the sentiment of being left out in the cold, coming to terms with the reality of a situation that is past the point of a prodigious return. Featured on the artist’s upcoming EP arriving this August, Mills immerses the audience in the lingering questions of love and longing in a world of blue.
Wayne Mills shared some exclusive and insightful perspectives on the upcoming release, collaborations, the new single “alone (outside)” and more:
My new album came to be as both a response to a big change that was currently manifesting in my life and a series of opportunities to free-write songs with people at my label. Tim (GrandBankss) and I have a deep music history and have been working on various projects together for the last ten years; from touring in an indie rock band [Owl Paws], to countless sessions on multiple songs with our label Text Me Records. We’ve been close friends for a while — and when I broke down where I wanted to go with this record and how I wanted it to feel, there was no question we were on the same page.
A lot of the creation for this album actually happened either via FaceTime, or remote postal service style collaboration — where we would both work remotely from home and send each other stuff — which was very different and new for us. Ironically though, this project is the most real body of work I’ve written. I think we were both just willing to do whatever it took to get it done.
From left, Wayne Mills and GrandBankss kicking it at Different Fur Studios; press photo courtesy of the artists / Text Me Records.
One of the things I love most about Tim as a producer is his ability to become one with the project. A lot of producers are diverse and really great in multiple scenarios, but one thing I see in Tim is the way he can invest in your art — and a lot of the way this record sounds and feels is credited to him for sure. He has an organic way of bringing the best out of an artist. Throughout the next few months, after the songs were arranged and in a good place, Tim and I took the scratch recordings to Different Fur Studios (SF) to re-record everything and really dial in the sound.
Another amazing friend of mine that should 100% be mentioned as well is Maxwell Stark. We met a few years ago in San Francisco and worked together with Tim back in 2018, on my single “Keepin Me Up” and the chemistry the three of us have, both in the studio and out, made him an obvious choice to master this record.
I feel like life is kind of crazy at times and we’ve all been through a lot, especially these last few years. This first single — “Alone (Outside)” — was written after a period of self-doubt and hardship that led to a foundational change in my life. The song is about experiencing the culminating feeling of loss and personal trauma and its overwhelming grasp on one’s sense of self. I find writing music about my own life is cathartic, helps with my coping and I hope that it helps open the door for others so that more of these things can be discussed.
Wayne Mills’ anticipated new single “Alone (Outside)” will be available everywhere June 22. Pre-save here.