Photo Credit: Samer Ghani
Chances are, if you’ve been involved in the Milwaukee music scene for the past decade, you’ve likely experienced Myles Coyne perform in some way, shape or form. Whether that’s as the bass player in the memorable Milwaukee punk band Temple or the indie outfit Animals in Human Attire, or even as an occasional fill-in for the The Fatty Acids, Coyne has made himself comfortable on many a stage. But that musical drive has been bittersweet for Coyne, as he began to feel like he was being stretched thin.
“When I hit 30, I found that I had burned myself out on music and had to take a break,” Coyne says. “To quote Bilbo from “The Lord of the Rings”: ‘I felt thin, sort of stretched—like butter scraped over too much bread.’ But others would just call that depression.”
Over the course of the following three years, Coyne made a subtle return to music, playing in bands like Yum Yum Cult, Vinz Clortho and Moon Rats. But his main focus has been a look inward toward his own identity as a musician, and he has begun releasing music simply under the name Myles Coyne.
A Multi-Lens View
And much like Coyne’s musical resume showcases the versatility of his talents, his latest release, Digital Age Remix, offers a multi-lens view of Coyne’s identity. With Digital Age Remix, Coyne has partnered up with seven different Milwaukee artists to produce remixes of his single “Digital Age,” which released earlier this year.
“A remix EP was just a fun way to shake things up for me while getting to work with musician buddies who are great producers,” Coyne says. “Each producer was free to do whatever they wanted so long as they used some of the vocal take. I was completely surprised by the direction each artist took.”
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Featured artists include Blood, Neon Sweatsuit, This Random Machine, John Praw, Corey Murphy, Big Al and DJ Steve-V. The albums sort of plays like an identity crisis—it starts with a remix by Blood that would fit right in at any night club, but sort of dives into the realm of weird with remixes like This Random Machine’s contribution. With each track taking a completely different route with how it shakes things up from the original song, there’s bound to be at least one track that appeals to any listener—a smart move on Coyne’s part considering he now has eight different chances to win you over.
Poppy Exploration
The original single itself, which was released in March earlier this year, is a poppy exploration of identity and new norms. Coyne laments about rent-related anxieties and “living everyday like (he) was gonna die” before he met his wife. And while at first it might appear that Coyne is contradicting the song’s bouncy keyboard rhythm and happy sing-a-long outward appearance with self-deprecating lyrics, it’s really about how he’s OK with the new norm that the shutdowns have brought about, especially if it means getting to spend more time with someone you love. And that point is driven home in the recurring line “No one really wants to go.../Can we just stay in bed and watch a show?”
And when you consider that as the message behind the tune, the Digital Age Remix EP begins to make sense. We’re already constantly linked to each other through social media, text messages and emails—how about we just start remixing each others’ songs?
To hear the music, visit : https://mylescoyne.bandcamp.com/
