Seattle-based singer-songwriter Will Rainier has captivated listeners once again with his latest single, “To Supreme.” Released on May 12, 2023, this mesmerizing track takes listeners on a nocturnal adventure through the bustling city streets. Rainier’s evocative lyrics, combined with his musical prowess and the creative visuals of the accompanying video, make “To Supreme” a captivating and immersive experience.
Rainier’s lyrics in “To Supreme” paint a vivid picture of a protagonist seeking solace amidst the darkness. The opening lines, “There were dark clouds, and I was in no mood, to step outside and face the gloom,” set the introspective tone of the song. Encouraged by others, the protagonist embarks on a journey to a place called Supreme, venturing into the enigmatic allure of the night illuminated by neon lights.
The chorus reveals the yearning for connection and a sense of belonging, as Rainier sings, “We move through the night, looking for something, looking for someone, who will make it alright.” This universal desire to find solace and meaning resonates with listeners, inviting them to join the protagonist in their quest for serenity.
As a multi-talented artist, Rainier showcases his skills as a songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist in “To Supreme.” He expertly blends various elements to create a rich musical landscape. Rainier’s ethereal guitar chords, accompanied by his evocative vocals, set the song’s atmospheric tone. The addition of piano, keyboard, trumpet, and percussion adds depth and texture, creating a sonic tapestry that mirrors the protagonist’s journey.
Rainier enlisted the talents of Raymond Richards for additional recording and mixing, adding layers of sonic nuances to “To Supreme.” The pedal steel contributions from Richards lend an enchanting quality to the track, further enhancing its dreamlike ambiance. The collaboration between Rainier and Richards ensures a polished and cohesive sound that perfectly complements the song’s narrative.
The accompanying video for “To Supreme,” directed by Chad Yenney and filmed in Seattle and Lopez Island, Washington by Jen Garrett and Rainier himself, enhances the song’s narrative. The visuals transport viewers to the very settings that inspired the track, immersing them in the captivating atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest. Rainier’s creative vision, combined with the stunning cinematography, brings the nocturnal essence of the lyrics to life, creating a mesmerizing visual journey.
Will Rainier’s “To Supreme” is an exquisite blend of introspective lyrics, captivating melodies, and atmospheric soundscapes. Through his profound musicality and evocative storytelling, Rainier invites listeners on a nocturnal adventure where they can explore their own desires for connection and belonging. This single, accompanied by the enchanting visuals of the music video, solidifies Rainier’s position as a talented and innovative artist in the contemporary music scene. “To Supreme” is an experience that will leave listeners yearning for more from this talented musician.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Seattle-based singer/songwriter Will Rainier makes music that consistently encourages the listener to dig deeper in order to explore those sounds and sentiments that reside just below the surface. Over the course of his recorded output — one that includes a previous solo album (Enough Blue To Go Around), another with his band, Will Rainier & The Pines (Tethered to the World) and the nine he released with his wife Jen Garrett under the guise of the duo known as Stuporhero — he’s shared both his prolific prowess and an ability to reveal and reflect on tender yet often tangled emotions that practically everyone’s encountered during these recent times of doubt and divide.
“When people ask me about my inspiration for writing songs, there’s no magic to it,” Will insists. “I just plug away at it from day to day. I guess the secret, if there is one, is to show up and do the work.”
Whatever the process, Will has made it happen. His new album, Wobble in the Moon, provides yet another astute example of his immense creativity and dedication to his delivery. Written, produced, and recorded in Seattle by Will himself — with additional recording contributions by Raymond Richards, Kevin Suggs, and Chad Yenney — it was mixed by Raymond Richards, mastered by Rachel Field at Resonant Mastering in Seattle, and given its captivating cover art by Vladimir Verano of Vertvolta Design.
Due for release June 30 on Basement Tape Records, the album features a stellar line-up of musicians —with Will himself tackling the bulk of the instrumentation (drums, bass, guitars, vocals, piano, organ, trumpet, percussion, synth), along with Jen Garrett (vocals on “The Patio,” “Are You Waving Goodbye,” “Dark Secret Heart,” “Endless” and cello on “Dark Secret Heart”), Christine Hager (piano on “The Patio,” Are You Waving Goodbye,” “Your Machine,” “Wobble in the Moon,” “Somewhere Tonight,” “Into the Dark”), Raymond Richards (pedal steel on “Are You Waving Goodbye,” “Dark Secret Heart,” “Wobble in the Moon,” “To Supreme”), Kevin Suggs (pedal steel on “Your Machine” and “Into the Dark”, baritone guitar on “Are You Waving Goodbye”) and Chad Yenney (bass on “The Patio” and “Endless”, synth on “The Patio”).
“I started out thinking this would be a sparse acoustic album,” Will reflects, “but then I just kept adding more parts to it. It’s easy to get carried away, and I try to self-edit the best I can. I’m very lucky to have some great musicians on the album and they all contributed some amazing parts that really helped make the songs come alive.”
That’s evident throughout, from the seductive sounds of “Are You Waving Goodbye” and the shimmer and glide of “The Patio” and “Your Machine,” to the beautiful and beguiling “Mushroom Gnome & Golden Boy,” the mellow yet melodious “Endless” and the evocative “Into the Dark,” the swirling yet reflective title track, and ultimately, the mysterious and enigmatic “Dark Secret Heart.” A magnificent combination of tones and textures, Wobble in the Moon is every bit as supple as it is satisfying.
Will points to various tracks that were gleaned from special inspiration and intent. He describes the somewhat shadowy “To Supreme” as an ode to the dark divey bars where he’s found solace over the years.
The idea for the winsome “Are You Waving Goodbye” came from the frequent visits he makes to Lopez Island in Washington State’s San Juan Islands. “It’s a small, remote island where drivers wave at each other in passing,” Will says of the scene. “I started to wonder, ‘Are people waving hello or waving goodbye?’ It seems we’re all running to or from something these days.”
The idea for the title track came from a news story shared with him by one of his bandmates. It related to the rising sea levels and the higher tides caused by fluctuations in the moon’s orbit and the lunar cycle of tide levels specifically known as moon wobbles. “I thought the story was pretty interesting,” Will recalls. “For me, that term ‘moon wobbles’ evokes an image of ‘a tremor in the Force’ or something to that effect. At any rate, it just stuck with me.”
In a very real way, Will has always been a deep-thinking individual who carefully considers every aspect of the creative process. It’s little wonder that his influences are decidedly diverse. His grandfather was a jazz drummer who introduced him to vintage jazz, Dixieland, and big band music early on. “I starting playing trumpet when I was ten or eleven years old,” Will remembers. “I collected Al Hirt and Herb Alpert records, and then later got into Miles Davis and John Coltrane. At the same time, our house was well stocked with records by Kenny Rogers, Roy Clark, Johnny Cash, and John Denver.”
The musical mix didn’t end there. “My older brother worked at a local radio station when I was in junior high, and he turned me onto a lot of ‘80’s pop and rock,” Will recalls. “He got me into bands like Van Halen, Men at Work, The Clash, Talking Heads, Hall and Oates, and the early MTV type stuff.” That led him to indie rock, punk, and post-punk — specifically, R.E.M., The Smithereens, The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Husker Du, Black Flag, The Meat Puppets, The Replacements, The Minutemen, Guided by Voices, Swervedriver, and Crowded House.
“The list goes on and on, but more recently I’ve found myself drawn to Kurt Vile, Courtney Barnett, Band of Horses, Alabama Shakes, Lucinda Williams, and Nick Cave.”
In addition to playing trumpet and singing in the school choir, Rainier taught himself to play drums on his brother’s kit. From there, he went on to play guitar and contribute vocals for a number of indie bands and punk outfits that gained some local prominence — among them, Slugfest, Tourmaline, and BratForce. That in turn led him to the frenzied punk approach of Tarantulada, the lo-fi alt-country of Chucklin’ Suzy, and the fuzz-pop sounds of the aforementioned Stuporhero.
Stuporhero gained a respectable following courtesy of several tours which found them playing stages at International Pop Overthrow, Toronto’s NXNE Festival, and Vancouver’s New Music West, while also developing a licensing deal for the popular Showtime series “Weeds.” Eventually, Will began splitting his time between playing drums for a folk-rock band known as Vigilante Santos and fronting his own outfit, Will Rainier & The Pines. The latter’s album, Tethered to the World, was released in April of 2020 – just as the pandemic was taking hold.
With Covid in full frenzy, Will eventually opted to go solo. “I always thought I would make music in the context of a band,” he says in retrospect. Nevertheless, forced into isolation by the pandemic, he managed to create a superior set of songs that put equal emphasis on both mood and melody. Recorded in his home studio, Enough Blue To Go Around found him playing the majority of the instruments himself, while occasionally enlisting other players to contribute to the recording remotely. The result was a set of songs that’s both sweeping yet surreal, providing a further example of his ever-expressive output.
Now, with Wobble in the Moon, Will has elevated his efforts with a decidedly demonstrative approach that finds him operating creatively and convincingly all on his own. Will Rainier effectively soars towards an increasingly unique and remarkably profound sonic stratosphere. Even the moon is no limit.
