Kyle Haze’s Reflective New Single ‘My Shadows’ Captures the Essence of the Pandemic Experience
“My mind’s a mess but my heart is wise,” a line from Kyle Haze’s newest single “My Shadows,” captures how most of the world felt during the COVID pandemic lockdown.
But it was during these slow days and long nights confined within the walls of his Toronto apartment that the emerging guitarist and songwriter was able to channel those emotions into the song available now.
The Canadian musician says the song is about introspection and explores themes of post-hardbreak denial, solitude, and melancholia.
“My Shadows is a glimpse into a personal journey, an exploration of emotions during a time of solitude and reflection; feelings that should resonate with anyone who’s experienced the complex facets of love and loss amidst the unique circumstances of a pandemic lockdown,” Haze says.
The Torontonian – influenced by music bigwigs Radiohead, Tame Impala, Iron Maiden, and Porcupine Tree – has previously released songs within the progressive genre, but My Shadows takes on the essence of a more indie ballad.
Haze collaborates with Sunny U in his latest release, the Toronto-based singer-songwriter whose delicate vocals add a nostalgic touch to the introspective song.
The talented duo practiced the melody on a ledge near the Bloor and Yonge railway station and recorded at MH Studios with recording engineer Lukas Guyader. The bass was played and recorded by Montreal’s Hayden Farrar and the song was mixed and mastered by Luke Fair.
Kyle Haze hails from Toronto’s vibrant music scene and is only just getting started.
He looks forward to sharing his music and connecting with listeners on both local and broader musical landscapes and will soon be able to release other collaborations featuring vocalists Tammy Whetham and Brendan Marr.
Care to introduce yourself?
My name is Kyle Haze. I am a musician from Toronto. My main instrument is the Muguitar and I see myself as a “music director”.
Tell us about the process of writing and recording “My Shadows?”
Well! Musically, it was my first attempt at making the guitar sound subtle. I had the intro riff of the song which is really a collection of thirds and I had the arpeggios in the chorus which, if you can manage to hear it in isolation, has an 80s RnB/Soul vibe to it. I wrote a verse between these two on a progression with 7th chords. Lyrically, this song is about the loss of love and not being able to accept it. Emo stuff!
As a process, I make demos of my songs before sharing them with any other musician.
So I did the same for this song too. I recorded the guitars & keyboards, programmed the drums, and also a guide for the bass and vocals at my home. I then found Sunny who, according to me, has the best voice to sing this song. I sent him the song along with an isolated track of the melody in my voice. He then sent back to me the melody recorded in his voice which I was able to use to create the harmonies for his vocals and then we were ready to hit the studio. Lukas Guyader was our engineer at MH Studios and he is always great. After this, I blackmailed (only emotionally of course) Hayden Farrar into playing this bass for the song; he obliged and also gave me a bagel made with love from a nearby convenience store after 3 months of the recording. With everything recorded, I sent it all to Luke Fair and psychologically manipulated him to create this “master” piece.
What’s it like being a musician in Toronto?
I am still discovering this. I like that there are very talented musicians in the city who are very approachable. Given that I am a big fan of making music videos, this is probably one of the best cities to be in for a musician. Jason Han who is the cinematographer for My Shadows’ music video is a great friend of mine and I know it would have been very hard to find the opportunity to work with such an amazing person had I not been in Toronto.
<communicating with Jason telepathically.>Jason, pay me some money for saying this.
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
The first Canadian artist that blew me away! Nelly Furtado. She is the best. My favourite song by her is Try. I actually like the minimal version of the song that she performed at the Roxy in 2016 with just a piano in the background. The first song I heard by her was Powerless; it was so different from anything I was hearing at the time. That reminds me, Where is my Boombox?
The most recent Canadian artist that is blowing me away right now is The Weeknd. Ugh, he is amazing, one of my favourites, and really inspiring
You’ve been making music for a short bit of time now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
The last thing people need from a musician is “advice” that they haven’t asked for. Now Advice is a heavy word, it implies in itself some “certainty” that I can tell people something that will probably work for them. I have seen a lot of young people who are extremely talented and are already able to navigate their path to success in 2023. I don’t think I have any amazing advice for them but I am around Toronto/ Montreal for the next few years and if anybody is a great singer, irrespective of whether they are starting out of if they are experienced, and likes the vibe of my music, they can totally message me on instagram @kylehaze.music with some links. I am always on the lookout for singers for studio sessions for my upcoming songs so hit me up. Let’s collaborate and change the world together.
That was the best advice ever.