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Track-by-Track: White Shores Wade Through Their ‘Rain Upon The Glass’ EP

White Shores lead singer and guitarist Will Richards shares a track-by-track rundown of the band’s new EP, ‘Rain Upon The Glass.’

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You’re touching down upon White Shores today with the melodic rock/emo band’s newly released EP. Titled Rain Upon The Glass, the record is five new tracks of hook-heavy 2000s alternative rock, pop punk, and emo that screams of nostalgia, wide appeal, and likability. The group formed only two years ago (debut EP The Decay dropped in December of 2020), inspired by a love of 2000s and 2010s alternative rock and pop punk. They utilized those influences as a starting point for the band itself, which inspired their direction forward to actually becoming a unit that both writes and records.

Named after a quote from the epic classic film Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, White Shores has been likened to Mayday Parade, Yellowcard, and The Wonder Years, thanks to the trio’s impressive balance of emo, melodic punk, and power pop. They are committed to putting the work in to make a name for themselves and are ready to play for all willing to listen this summer and fall.

We were recently joined by lead singer and guitarist Will Richards for a special track-by-track rundown of Rain Upon The Glass in which he discussed the stories and inspirations behind each song on this impressive new release.

1. “Rain Upon the Glass”

“One night, right in the middle of the pandemic, the chorus melody just hit me, wrote itself really. But originally the verses and pre-chorus were totally different. The song had a very mid-tempo feel throughout but we realized the chorus would hit harder if we ‘sped up’ the other parts. And with how the pre-chorus really drives on the downbeats and then the chorus opens up and crescendos, it all works well together.

“The one part I really liked from the original version other than the chorus was the bridge, which we had scrapped for this new bridge because it fit better. Then about two days before I’m about to go record vocals, I tried singing the original bridge over the final chorus, and it fit perfectly, so we made the original bridge into an alternate chorus almost to end the song.”

2. “If You Just Would Stay”

“‘Stay’ is about a relationship that’s fueled by passion, attraction, and sexual chemistry, when being with that person almost becomes a drug that you constantly want more of. And that can blind you from seeing if that person is really right for you. You’re not thinking about the future, long-term compatibility, or the future. All you want is the dopamine hit that comes from being with her. And so it’s really a plea saying, ‘How can you resist something that feels so right? We have differences, but we’ll figure it out. Just give into it and stay here. Worry later.’”

3. “Because of You, I Can’t Listen to Yellowcard Anymore”

“With a lot of our songs being darker, this one stands out for being fun and slightly incendiary. One of my ex’s favourite bands was Yellowcard, who I happened to like a lot too, so that was something we connected over. But unfortunately, the whole thing ended in a way that pissed me off a bit, through a text message that she sent out of the blue putting me down with no hint whatsoever of self-awareness, specifically the part saying I didn’t make enough money, while she was living in her sister’s friend’s basement with her two cats. The irony was comical, and I think the song conveys that.”

4. “What’s On Your Mind”

“There are several songs on this EP in open guitar tunings, with ‘Mind’ being in open A#. It’s really combining two rationales, the open, haunting vibe of ‘Iris’ and the raw heaviness of Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin. This stands out from our other ones for being heavier and darker. We were originally going to include a long guitar solo since the song is just a little over two minutes, but then in the end I guess we figured short songs are cool too. We also went outside the box a bit on the song structure, starting with the verse, then the intro, then the pre-chorus. It’s our favourite song to play live.”

5. “Breaking Cover”

“I typically write songs based on pure adrenaline, raw emotion, whatever you want to call it. ‘Breaking Cover,’ on the other hand, is really a fictional story, but the way I conceptualized it was by remembering times when I’ve been in a dark place, feeling alone, and thinking about the words I would have wanted to hear. So the song ultimately became a reminder to me to reach out to the people I care about and to tell them that I care about them. Because for me, when I was depressed, I didn’t need someone to solve my problems. I really just wanted someone to say ‘I’m here. I’m with you. And I’m not going anywhere.’”

Artwork for the album ‘Rain Upon The Glass’ by White Shores

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