Anything for "Angeline": An Inside Look at Taylor John Williams' Latest EP
Words by Adrienne Joelle
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
“Angeline was inspired by the un-holy trinity of seclusion, self-doubt, and copious amounts of brown liquor.”
Taylor John Williams is no stranger to storytelling through his songs. Hailing from Eugene, OR and now based in Los Angeles, CA, Williams has been making music that is sure to make you stop and listen, all with solemn undertones and brutal honesty. Long were the days the singer-songwriter was known as a contestant on The Voice Season 7, for he has now stepped into his true artistry: storytelling with a glimpse of morose introspection through his powerful voice and pining lyrics. His latest EP release, Angeline, is drenched with stark decadence and nothing short of subtle or vulnerable. Angeline shines light on parts of Williams’ life pre-pandemic and worked out to be one of the best and most cathartic things creatively, despite the worst of times. Six songs and the patience of prying eyes and open ears will take you along a journey that is Williams’ latest body of work, produced by Thomas Greene. While Williams has always specialized in great songwriting, Angeline just might be the best material he has released thus far, managing to flow cohesively from start to finish. I had the chance to speak with both Williams and Greene about the whole process.
“Ironically, just as I was finishing writing this isolation themed collection of songs, Covid struck,” Williams began. “Hearing that Hollywood would likely be a dangerous place to be, I gave up my apartment, and my producer Thomas Greene and his family offered to let me temporarily live with them in their home just outside the city. Thomas and I would go on to spend the next four months recording the six songs that make up Angeline in his home studio.”
“Each song is very distinctive sonically, but there is a cohesive theme. Even though we understood the thread, there was concern that the opening song sonically has nothing to do with the rest of the record. You’re concerned if your message is going to be received, so we hope that it translates. This record came together because Taylor was living with us, but it was really about the chapter before he was living with us. Taylor is always Taylor. His identity comes through,” Greene said about the intentional placing of each song on the record.
With emotional highs and lows running rampant throughout the EP, listeners are given an in-depth and intimate look into the mind of the artist Williams is and continues to be. “I love the feeling of genuine inspiration and acting on it, not being like is it too this, or is it too country, whatever,” Williams said about having a distinct sound or theme to his music. “Not having to think about it is cool, and I think having the mentality that Thomas and I have has allowed us to continue to progress. We always say we never want to make the same record twice, and we look for whatever’s next in the bag. Let’s just go for it.”
A testament to the creative process, Greene added: “A lot of the times, Taylor will bring in a guitar melody and words form. Sometimes he’ll build a demo and it might be 75% of what it may be when you hear the song [because] I just help him flesh out that vision. He wrote ‘Vice’ on my piano. From the outside, it was fascinating [and] felt very personal and intimate. That song is linear, it doesn’t repeat. Taylor had never done a song like that before. The birds that you hear at the start of ‘Evergreen’ were birds in my backyard because we had this freedom of time.”
With freedom of time, Williams has been able to shape and hone his craft in a way that makes sense with Greene alongside for the ride. “When I first started writing songs, I just really wanted people to like my songs. But I went from that to The Voice, so it was an odd leap. There weren’t a whole lot of steps from playing to no one at a bar to being in front of millions of people on TV. When that ended, nothing came of it that you could really stick a flag in. I gained fans from that that stuck around. Since I’ve been on the show, I’ve been able to make music as a living. I don’t want that to change. Time is malleable and there are places for different things and different parts of your life and it doesn’t mean you have to do away with the past,” Williams said about his musical endeavors that have got him to this point, The Voice included.
Angeline is about a heavy chapter of his life: “I hope that there’s some camaraderie that they feel through their listening,” Williams said about what listeners can take away from this record.
“You need to give it time. Listen to it more than once,” Greene noted.
Below is track-by-track commentary for each song by Williams himself. “Angeline” is available on https://www.taylorjohnwilliams.com and will be available for streaming soon.
“Angeline”
The opening track (“Angeline”) is an on-the-nose account of a time that I offered my number to a beautiful woman who worked at a lounge I frequented, and whom would come to be the catalyst for this EP, though the EP actually has nearly nothing to do with her. On the walk home I had the dismal realization that I was in a lose-lose scenario. At the time I was living in a roach infested, shit box apartment on Sunset Blvd.; a place that became a pillar of personal insecurity.
“On The Floor”
It would be an obvious loss if she didn’t call, but it also felt like a loss if we were to possibly start seeing each other, as I would inevitably have to reveal my living situation. I’ve never been one to put much weight on material things, but this apartment felt like something evil. I chose to include on the EP a cover of Brandon Flowers’ “On The Floor,” as I felt the tone and message of that track perfectly captured my feelings toward living there.
“Evergreen”
The apartment made me feel unworthy of someone like Angeline, and that specific feeling of unworthiness is the focus of my personal favorite track from the EP, “Evergreen.” The impact of this realization caused me to essentially shut myself inside for months with a guitar, a laptop and an endless supply of Knob Creek in order to translate my agitation into music.
“Phantom”
The endless hours spent alone writing songs in my evil cave started to make me feel like some sort of musical troll. I felt like Eric from The Phantom Of The Opera, and I adopted the spirit of that character in writing and performing “Phantom.”
“Vice”
The drinking started to become excessive, and I caught a glimpse of my future self in the proverbial mirror, should I not make an effort to curb my habits. “Vice” is essentially me sending a warning to the person in that mirror.
“One Of Us”
“One Of Us” is also a warning to myself; that to stay shut in (both physically and mentally) and remain unwilling to search for the good outside of my walls would equate to endless and needless suffering. However, this track comes from a place of genuine hope and optimism, which is why I used it to bookend the EP.