Having just released his debut single 'Breathe', Liam Kohlar (aka Rival Shadows) is an exciting upcoming artist from Morecambe, UK. I caught up with Rival Shadows to discuss the release of his debut single 'Breathe' and current ongoing projects; with a new song in the works hopefully to be released in March.
Hi Rival Shadows, tell us a bit about yourself!
Home is by the coast in the old, seemingly forgotten, seaside town of Morecambe. I’ve been playing various instruments since I was in high school, and with my old band falling apart and the country entering lockdown for the first time, I decided to try producing my own tracks and thus Rival Shadows was born. The name was a really tough one to come up with, I 'ummed and ahhed' for months about what I was going to call myself. For a time I was settled on using my own name, but I did the old fashioned 'write a list of cool words' and started smashing them together in the hope something would work. In the end, Rival Shadows was the one I went with! Good choice, right?
How would you describe your music?
I always hated these define yourself questions, because it feels like if you don’t go over the top with adjectives and have some unique, elevator pitch-type-tagline you won’t stand out, but I must have matured because I’m happy/proud to just leave it at Alt Rock. Muse, The National, Manic Street Preachers have probably been my biggest influences.
What initially inspired you to pursue a career in music?
I don’t function properly without some form of creative outlet and music is just the most satisfying to me. There’s something about the different stages, styles and types of writing you need to rely on that allows me to express myself like nothing else does.
Do you have a particular artist/musician who inspired you to start writing your own music?
Muse was probably the first ‘band’ I really listened to. I pretty much learnt to sing by cranking up their earlier albums and singing along, much to the enjoyment of my neighbours! Probably because of that early obsession, they’ll always have this indelible mark on my songwriting, but more often than not, I tend to listen to Alternative music now. Bands such as The National, Arcade Fire and Bombay Bicycle Club are particular favourites.
You recently released your debut single ‘Breathe’, what can you tell us about the track and the inspiration behind the lyrics?
The track was one of my first efforts at producing a track and it has come a long way since it started! It began as this mess of samples; a weird drum loop from a YouTube tutorial, a snippet from this young, Russian prodigy’s piano solo and a cut of Skylar White from Breaking Bad saying ‘Breathe’, which is where the tracks name originally came from.
For some reason, as I started to work on more tracks and learn more about production in general, I opened it back up after some time away from it and it sounded completely different - so I started again.
Lyrics wise, I had written the first line ‘the light has won, and the darkness has give into the sun’ very early on, so the rest sort of stemmed from there; making sure I hit ‘Breathe’ at some point for continuity.
Did you face any challenges when recording ‘Breathe’?
Yes, I was quite new to mixing when I began the track, and getting various instruments to sound right was something I struggled with a lot at the beginning. Fortunately, 6 or 7 months after starting it, I managed to get it sounding somewhere near what I wanted and was ready to release it out into the wild!
"I decided to start doing my own production and that has opened a new world up for me."
What made you decide to release this song as your debut single?
I wouldn’t say it’s the most catchy song in the world, and by no means did I think it was going to blow up - but it showed intent and for people that had heard my earlier projects, versatility and a different direction.
Are you currently working on any new projects? Will ‘Breathe’ feature as part of a larger project?
Yes, I’m constantly switching between tracks, making tweaks here and there. The next release is almost ready for submission, my finger is on the trigger, so hopefully we’ll see that sometime in March.
How has lockdown affected your creative process when it comes to making new music?
I went into the first lockdown ready to sit back and relax on the tracks I’d written with my old band, but after that fell apart, I decided to start doing my own production and that has opened a new world up for me.
What are you most looking forward to doing once restrictions are fully lifted?
Playing live without a doubt.
Could you recommend three songs you are loving at the moment?
● Conversation 16 - The National
● Fortune - Wye Oak
● Wide Eyes - Local Natives
What advice would you give to someone who may want to start writing/recording their own music?
Don’t limit yourself - learn whatever instrument/technique/genre gets you most excited to start, cause that’s the most important thing you can do, start!
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Effort = Reward
Check out Rival Shadows' recent single 'Breathe' in the link down below!
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