Q&A: thenheturnedaround Talks Navigating Hardships in “homes, yellow”
RAW AND INHIBITED, “HOMES, YELLOW” — is the latest from singer and producer thenheturnedaround. Over the past couple of years, the 24-year-old artist, born and raised in Canada, has worked with an impressive roster of artists. Among them are Pardyalone, producing for his track “not a home,” which is currently sitting at 20M streams, and RIZ LA VIE, producing for “Nitelite (Casino Royale),” which sits at 400K streams. After producing for others for a while, thenheturnedaround decided to take a year off school to work on his own project, you look just like someone i knew in a past life, which released on April 5. He graduated with a pre-med degree with a minor in electroacoustic music, founded a music production collective, QWave, and started a band.
Within his many talents lies the soundtrack of you look just like someone i knew in a past life. In “homes, yellow,” thenheturnedaround somehow shouts his lonely demeanor with a melancholic, unique sound. His electroacoustic talents reveal a progression of sadness and reflection, synthesizing echos, reverb, and tranquilizing vocals.
The song opens with a slow descent of acoustic fingerstyle, harmonizing with reverberating sounds that evoke the sound of howling wind. Once the lyrics begin, his emotions swiftly unravel through the distorted vocals and autotune to show moments of distress. Although not said in many words, it is unnecessary for this type of track. Thenheturnedaround has mastered his skills of electroacoustic music within this song. While the track largely reveals pain, the last 30 seconds of music become hopeful, like a reflection on times that the artist will miss, as he’s come up from them. He comes to accept where he is in life, even if not favorable.
The time stamp of “homes, yellow” is 3:30, an angel number believed to reveal a message, in this case telling you to embrace new beginnings and that focusing on yourself will help you grow and achieve greater success. Whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, moving forward in life is important to embrace without fear. Whether he had special intent on this time stamp or not, the meaning tethers to angel number 330, moving on when dealing with loss.
Continue reading below to hear from thenheturnedaround on “homes, yellow.”
LUNA: Tell me about “homes, yellow.”
THENHETURNEDAROUND: “Homes, yellow” was the second single off my debut album, you look just like someone i knew in a past life, and is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to the rest of the album; it’s really stripped back, raw, and creates a pretty intimate setting. My goal is to help push the boundaries of pop music by widening the scope — and although “homes, yellow” is one of the more straightforward, accessible songs on the project, I think that mission seeps through into the way the track is framed and the sounds that resonate within.
The song is an ode to the more folky inspirations of mine, like Bon Iver and Pinegrove, which I think you can detect from the guitar aesthetics, whether it be the slide, pedal steel, or acoustic guitars. In the greater context of things, though, the song still has a lot of electronic and interesting sounds that put the song in the greater context of the technological/electronica style of the album. It's almost like this weird electronic-tinged folk music.
LUNA: What was your inspiration behind the song?
THENHETURNEDAROUND: The song was written during a really difficult time for me, as I was going through a period in which many of my relationships (both romantic and platonic) were falling apart and changing.
LUNA: What music style genre do you resonate most with?
THENHETURNEDAROUND: Folk-style music has always felt like such a genuine, authentic way to approach music.
LUNA: Who are your biggest music idols/inspirations?
THENHETURNEDAROUND: I've been influenced a lot by people who have successfully blended experimental music with pop/accessible aesthetics, people like Yves Tumor, Aphex Twin, Saya Gray, Thom Yorke.
LUNA: How did you configure the track?
THENHETURNEDAROUND: After playing around on the guitar, I improvised some lyrics that came to me really effortlessly and fleshed out the bulk of the song over the course of a couple of days. After I had most of it done, I sent it to this guy on YouTube that I’ve been a fan of for a long time, Magnus Taekker. He did this pedal steel guitar cover of Bon Iver’s “Beach Baby” and I wanted him to do some work on this song too. He ended up sending me clarinet work, too, so that was really fun.
LUNA: How should “homes, yellow” influence your audience?
THENHETURNEDAROUND: If the song can serve as a testament to the fact that you shouldn't be afraid to take what you love and find a way make it your own, even more special then I think “homes, yellow” is doing its job.
LUNA: How is this album going to influence your musical career?
THENHETURNEDAROUND: I have a feeling whatever the effects are, they won't be evident for some time. I don't have much of a following, nor am I really craving one. I think this project will probably serve as a reference that people come back to as I grow as an artist and release more work. That being said, I'd love it if people resonated with it in the coming weeks and months — but considering I'm miraculously shit at marketing my stuff (and that I'm fully independent), I don't know if that'll happen anytime soon. For that reason I think it might serve as a sort of testament to what I'm currently creatively capable of, and that I'm only growing from here both artistically and experimentally.
LUNA: If you had one piece of advice that you wish you knew when making your first album, what would it be?
THENHETURNEDAROUND: Nothing. The album is a perfect representation of who I was and where I was at in that point of time. I was hyper-aware of my desire to be entirely authentic and I think I lived up to that, mostly. But even in any shortcomings there, that struggle is forever enshrined in the project, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
