Do you have a story behind your artist name?
Mick Coyne: I think we wrote that into the last episode, you know, sort of like the grand reveal at the end of the series.
Tell us a bit about your music journey. How has it shaped you?
My music journey started at like four-years-old with the Muppet Keyboard. Very hot item on Reverb these days, but that thing basically set this fire. My mom heard me pecking out the melody to “Rainbow Connection” that it taught me by lighting up the red button above each key and was like “OK, that boy is going for piano lessons.”
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
I would say we write “song songs” wrapped in clever little wrappers we feel match our mood at that current moment. We’re amorphous like feelings. Sometimes you might get that feeling wrapped in a pop-punk song, maybe you get it in a sad country song. You don’t always feel like watching a funny movie.
What drew you to the genre /instruments you’re playing right now?
There’s something a little unhinged about rock music, and something a little buttoned up about pop music. To balance both is a bit of a highwire act as you have to be able to dial into the raw emotion and precision pop-craft simultaneously, but at the end of the day… be proud of both the bare artistic output and the potential commercial staying power of the hook in tandem/concert, even if it feels like they may be working against each other like Wonka and Slugworth. I guess the long and short of it is “Brick” by Ben Folds Five. Imagine my surprise when the 13-year-old me found out what that song was about.
What inspires you to write music?
To be really honest here, experience. Pain. Anxiety. Regret. Anticipation. Excitement. It’s all in there and I have found writing a song and speaking through emotion works better than therapists. For me at least!
Would you tell us about your current project, album/EP, or song you’re promoting?
“In Real Time” is a sad song and not because the girl leaves our protagonist at the end, but because the protagonist realizes he’s stifled this love with his own insecurity and lack of trust in the partnership, and cannot go back in time and rewind the events that led to her leaving.
What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your music?
I want them to say “I like that song! I like the ending! Maybe I’ll start it over. I like it because it’s catchy but I also really like it because it makes me feel like someone out there hurt like me once.” I sorta want them to feel like they felt when they were 14 listening to music and it spoke to that exact moment they were going through then – but now. A universal through the hyperspecific.
Who are your top three artists right now? If that’s not a fair question, what’s your favorite song right now?
I’d have to say my favorite song right now is “Broken Heart Street” by Midnight Hotel. The new Justin Clancy record might be the best alternative record I’ve heard in some time. After that, probably “Never Enough” by Turnstile. The reason I love that song isn’t just because of its synth pads and grungy punk guitars… it’s because it’s basically “So Far Away” by Carole King… but you can’t hear that unless you reduce that synthesizer to an upright piano. When you do, you will hear the uncanny power of the Maj7 chord.
What’s the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
On the ‘Gram baby. @theringersoundtrack. We prefer to have all of our data siphoned and leveraged by Facebook like the good ol’ days.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theringersoundtrack
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/theringersoundtrack
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2thR6lCqfs0tXGLGL92qXO
What’s next for you?
We have a couple irons in the fire – Ross, our bass player and producer, coded and built a fully autonomous AI radio station (that Luke Skywalker is the DJ of) that only plays ‘90s alt-pop/rock. Today I listened to Days Of The New roll right into Live’s “Dolphins Cry.” We are calling it TRSNX.
Additionally, we have a few songs that were optioned for film, two of which will appear in a horror flick called Bad Apples, premiering at the Dead of Winter horror festival in Worcester, MA this fall/winter.
Also don’t know if I should be talking about it but we have a couple songs with Matt Rifino at Barbershop Studios in New Jersey — he mixes totally crazy people like Jessica Simpson, Zac Brown Band and Maroon 5. Keep your fingers crossed he likes us still after this press tour!
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
Listen to “In Real Time” as many times as humanely possible.
Bio:
Known for their seamless blend of analog warmth and digital precision, The Ringer Soundtrack crafts sparkling, dynamic pop songs that transcend era-specific labels. Drawing on both vintage synthesizers and cutting-edge production techniques, the band’s work taps into the energy of pop icons while pushing boundaries into contemporary realms. Their music captures the essence of unforgettable pop melodies. Put simply, The Ringer Soundtrack creates a sonic world where the past and the present are not at odds but exist in harmony.
