After the release of his EP places to disappear earlier this year, it’s obvious that Chance Rein has a beautiful gift that is bursting at the seams. places to disappear is an Alternative-Folk EP that came from the west coast and took the world by storm. Rein used experiences from his life, and his creative vision to create an atmosphere for all of us to enjoy, all while staying true to who he is. Below is the exclusive and inspiring conversation we had with Rein about his journey as an artist.
Hello, Chance! Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Hi! My name is Chance Reiniesch. I’m an artist, tree hugger, rock climber, originally from the Midwest, currently based in the Bay Area, and soon to be based in Brooklyn.
I’m glad to hear that. I’m stoked to have you in New York soon! So your EP dropped a few months ago. How has the response been so far? And like, what surprised you the most about how people are receiving it?
CHANCE:
It’s been sweet. And something a little surprising and also really affirming is the vulnerability that people have brought to me with their responses, and how people have engaged with this so openly and introspectively. I think that the EP is a vulnerable project… and it touches on a lot of personal topics. And the fact that people have talked to me so much about the different ways they’ve related to it and connected to me, and with each other about it, has been really sweet and affirming. And to know that people are connecting with these things that sometimes feel so specific to my experience.
I want to bounce off that and ask: Being so vulnerable in your EP, were you nervous about how it was going to be taken in the first place?
There were times when I took things out, where I was like, that’s maybe a little too much. But I think overall, I don’t see myself watering down my work because it doesn’t feel genuine. So I think I just had to get to a point where I’m like, if I’m gonna release music, it’s gonna be this, or it’s gonna be something that does feel like it speaks to who I am as an artist and my perspective and my experience. At the end of the day, I also acknowledge that it is art. I don’t think people should take it as entirely true to my character or who I am. It’s just a reflection of my experience.
Is there a track on the EP that you feel most connected to personally?
I would say less about the subject matter, but more about just kind of the timing. I think, “buddy there’s no cure.” I feel grateful for that song because it helps me get over my writer’s block. Before I wrote most of the EP in mass. I had written “Chicago,” but that was a long time ago, and then I just wasn’t really writing anything I felt super inspired by. I had all these feelings and emotions I just really couldn’t articulate them in the way that I wanted to. And one day I just sat down and was crashing out in some way, and I just wrote, buddy, there’s no cure. And I felt moved and inspired by it. And it just kind of kicked off like this, like a frenzy of writing for the entire summer. I was writing every single day, every night, and “buddy there’s no cure” was really the start of that.
That’s sick! I love how it cured your writer’s block; that’s interesting. So what was the most challenging part about putting the EP together? Were there any moments where you almost scrapped it and changed direction?
I do think that collaboration can be hard sometimes, especially whenever you have such a distinct vision for something and it feels like a passionate, personal project of yours. I made this EP with only one other person, my friend Roan. And I think there were times where our creative vision didn’t align entirely, and we had to take some time working it out and how we wanted to get to the end result. It all worked out in the end. I’m so grateful to have worked on the project with Roan. I don’t think there was ever a time that we were gonna scrap the whole thing, but there definitely were times where we took space from working on it, for sure.
Okay, yeah, I feel like that’s with any type of art, you have to take a step back sometimes and regather yourself. Now, let’s talk about your next single dropping in July. What can people expect from this compared to the EP?
It’s a bit lighter in nature. I think the EP is very cerebral. It’s intellectual in ways, it’s very deep, and it has layers of meaning. Not that the next single isn’t meaningful, personal, and in some ways political. It’s just a bit lighter. I think it’s a little easier to digest.
Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind the story of the upcoming single?
I grew up on a farm in a poor, working-class community, and as a teenager, I was starting to form some of these identities that I carry now. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could, and I wanted to be with people who I felt more seen by. I just felt ostracized in that community. But as I’ve gotten older, as I’ve lived in California, as I’ve spent time in lots of places around the world, I do think that growing up, both in a rural community and in a very poor community, has framed my worldview and shaped my perspective, and for better or for worse. And I think this song, in many ways, is kind of like an homage to that experience. A sense of solidarity with poor working-class Americans.
How do you go about staying grounded or authentic in a space that’s often fast-moving and commercial?
I’m pretty offline. It’s refreshing, and I think it helps me stay true to my art because I’m not concerned with what’s trendy or how to become relevant, or climb the social hierarchy. I just care about making art that feels meaningful and relevant. I want my music to be contemporary and fresh, but I also want it to feel true to the things that I want to create for myself.
So if someone’s just discovering your music today, what’s something you want them to take away from your sound, or you as a person?
I want them to touch grass. I don’t mean to just go for a hike. I mean that I want them to, like, experience the world and love and feel and connect and hurt. When people hear my music or take in any of the art that I’m working on, I really want it to be a catalyst for them to go experience each other, and the planet, and go fall in love, go call like your problematic ex. Just do something that you can feel.
Are there any artists that you feel inspire your music or creative vision?
I’m a huge Florence The Machine fan. I think her music has been so pivotal for me. Ever since I was in high school, I’ve been like, die hard, and I hang on her every single word. I just think of her as such a visionary and almost like a prophet. Honestly, it’s like heresy to say, but—. I love so many songwriters. I mean, Katie Gavin, Jensen, McRae, Charlie Hickey, these are all like, really incredible songwriters, I would say. But I do want to mention, because recently I’m really into her, is Ethel Cain. I do think, as far as somebody who really commits herself to her art, like her entire being, to her art, and takes it so seriously, and people take her so seriously for that, it’s just so admirable.
Speaking of songwriters, what inspires you to write?
Mostly, I think my experience and the way I interact with the world. I think I’ve been using songwriting to process my life since I was like 14. Whenever I started songwriting a lot, it became my main, therapeutic method. I’m very much someone to romanticize every interaction I have. I think things can carry so much meaning, and it’s not to be taken lightly, and yeah. I think it’s just the way I make meaning of the world. So it can be a lot of different things.
What would you tell your past self, a year ago today, and why?
I think we’re living in a world where so many insane things are happening all the time. And… so many of these things that people hold dear are under attack and are being threatened. I think at the end of the day, art kind of saves lives in different ways, and artists are important, especially in times like these. And I think I could have used those words for myself, like a year ago. That being an artist matters. Continuing to make meaning of this moment matters. And being able to provide a space for the connection and escape is important.
Is there anything else you want to tell the world or other aspiring artists?
Yeah, take care of the planet and each other. And I think it’s really important right now for artists to be promoting justice and love and just upholding human dignity, and like creating spaces for people to connect. And to see people, really, and see each other in all the ways they show up. I really think that moving forward with love and justice and advocating for immigrants and trans people.
If you haven’t already, be sure to listen to places to disappear, Rein’s recent EP, and follow him on Instagram @chance_rein to keep up with his upcoming releases!
