William Ryan Key – Everything Except Desire

By starrymag | March 21, 2022

By: Ashlee Dell’Arciprete

 

 

 

Q) I have had a chance to listen to your new EP Everything Except Desire and I absolutely love it! What inspired you to write and record this album? 

 

A) I’ve been creating a lot of ambient and electronic music for the past few years, I just hadn’t tried to bring those influences into my solo releases until now. I wrote and recorded these songs during the summer of 2020 when the pandemic was at its height and I was very much on my own. I used the time to work on myself, my mental health, my fitness, and to really explore some new musical directions which led me to Everything Except Desire.

 

Q) Tell us the story behind your latest single “Brighton.” 

 

A) The lyrics on the record center around a very toxic situation I found myself in in 2018-19. I wanted to explore a misplaced sense of vulnerability that I allowed myself to have during that time. “Brighton” is about self-awareness and moving past a painful relationship with grace.

 

Q) As each song has such deep and significant meaning, why was it important to you to release “Brighton” next? 

 

A) Honestly, I didn’t put too much thought into what gets released when. Fans seemed to be reacting in a great way to “Brighton,” so it just made sense to put it out early.

 

Q) What kind of fan feedback have you been receiving on the last single “Face in A Frame” and now “Brighton?” 

 

A) It has been overwhelmingly positive. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this EP being such a departure sonically for me. It seems like people understand where I am as a writer and producer at this point in my career, and they are excited to hear the music I am making even though it is different from what I’ve done before.

 

Q) Which song on Everything Except Desire is your favorite and why? 

 

A) The closer “Union Chapel” is my favorite. I love what I was able to find lyrically for that song and the slow building finale turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.

 

Q) You not only wrote the Everything Except Desire album, but you also produced it. What is the biggest lesson you have learned in having a more hands-on approach in your music?

 

A) Trusting my instinct has been the biggest lesson for me. Without band members or another producer to bounce ideas off of, it’s easy to get stuck second guessing yourself. Everything Except Desireallowed me to really take risks and try new things without overthinking anything. At the time that I was recording the songs, I didn’t really have a plan to release them through a label or anything. They were very much for me. Now that they are out and people are enjoying them so much, I feel like I applied that lesson in the best way.

 

Q) What do you hope fans take away from the new album?

 

A) I hope that the EP can open people’s ears to a new genre. With most listeners being used to what I did with my time in Yellowcard, the EP might inspire them to seek out more ambient and electronic music.

 

Q)  Your solo music career is quite a divergence from your performance in Yellowcard. How did your experience in the band help you in creating the music that you write today?

 

A) I learned so much about writing and recording music during my time in Yellowcard thanks to my band mates and our amazing producer Neal Avron. I know that those things have carried over even though the music I am making is so different from Yellowcard.

 

Q) With the release of Everything Except Desire, are there potential tour dates in the future and where are some of your favorite places to perform? 

 

A) I have a few shows planned. My biggest challenge is how to translate the songs from Everything Except Desire into a live setting, but I am working on it.

I think my top three cities in the world to perform in would be Tokyo, São Paulo and Moscow.

 

Q) Who would you love to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Chris Martin if it’s for a solo release. Olafur Arnalds if it’s for instrumental or scoring.

 

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters of your music?

 

A) I am just so grateful that I still get to make music twenty-three years after I left home to join my first touring band. It is a gift that people who support me give me every day that I sit in my studio and create.

 

 

 

Check Out Everything Except Desire

 

Watch The Video For “Face in a Frame”