Taranaki’s soul folk singer-songwriter Renee Millner unwraps a new single on February 24 inspired by a very different world.
“It feels like we’re at a bit of a crossroads at the moment,” says Sam Johnson, sound engineer and producer of “Out Their Windows”. He worries that mainstream music has strayed away from authenticity and distinctiveness and, as a result, holds less interest.
“But artists like Renée are going back to taking care at both the song writing and the recording stage. Making music that’s from the heart, that can have a chance to mean something to other listeners, and that places value back on the idea that humans need nourishment from the music they hear.”
It’s just over two years since the release of Renée’s last EP, “In The World”, and “Out Their Windows” reflects the vastly different world we inhabited in 2020. An observation of life in a time of pandemic, the song explores the conflict between keeping ourselves safe from the threats of the outside world and maintaining the connectedness we crave in order to thrive.
The song focuses in particular on the plight of some of society’s most vulnerable: the elderly who have been kept safe, but carefully isolated, in residential care facilities.
“Seeing my grandmother spend such an extended period of time in a rest home, I began contemplating what went through her mind during those last years,” says Renée. “I wondered what thoughts she and others were having.
“Were they remembering times when they could interact freely with the world? And if so, were they satisfied that they’d made the most of the opportunities they’d had?”
Despite the sombre setting, the song’s message is hopeful: that if we lose something we hold dear, we’ll look back with pride at what we did with it, rather than regret for the things we didn’t.
As an artist Renée knows what it is to face choices in which it seems there’s no winning – how do we make room for growth, while at the same time keeping ourselves, and in this case others, safe? “Out Their Windows” encourages us to recognise that, while the world could – literally at any moment – deliver events that restrict our choices, we always retain the power to break free from the fears we create inside our own heads.
An ardent admirer of Renée’s smoky soul-folk vocal style, Sam recorded the majority of the tracks live in his Oakura studio, Rhythm Ace, with Renée at the guitar and the upright piano.
“Working with Renee has been such a treat. Engineering and producing for artists who are as fully authentic and respectful of their craft as she is creates a great flow. Just singing and playing,” he enthuses. “No click, no obsession with making everything perfect, just giving the songs the best possible chance to breathe. I love it!”
“As a camera operator I found it a great opportunity for flexibility and movement. I get to dance along with Sophie, riffing off her expressive energy.”
“Out Their Windows” is the first of three singles Renée is set to release this summer, setting the tone for her current musical direction.