Music can often be used as a way of communication when one’s own words just don’t quite do the trick; that’s why love songs exist. In celebration of Valentine’s Day, California native Willie Shaw has released “Falling in Love” the final song off his newest EP ‘Oxcytocin.’
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The way this collection of songs was presented to the fans is something that isn’t done too often but it serves its purpose in a way that is uniquely his. Starting on February 9th, Shaw released one song off the EP each day, building anticipation to the February 14th release of “Falling in Love.”
“It’s this slow progression of showing what I sound like basically by myself so the listener can get an organic feel from me and then once we add all the bells and whistles, you’ll be able to dance and have a good time” says Shaw.
‘Oxytocin’ is one small bundle of songs that he has created over the last year and a half, starting back in September of 2018.
“From September of 2018 until now I’ve written around 180 songs, so the focus has now turned on getting them out for fans in a way that is cohesive” says Shaw. “When you write that many songs and you’re as scatterbrained as I am, there’s different sounds all over the place. It’s also a process of trying to package songs together that mesh well.”
With a wide catalog of songs penned, there’s bound to be quite a few love songs that could be packaged together but releasing them all at the same time is normally unheard of, but with Valentine’s Day falling on a Friday, it gave Shaw the perfect opportunity.
Writing all these songs allowed Shaw to learn a lot about the writing process, especially now that he calls Nashville home. As a Los Angeles native, he almost instantly picked out the differences between the different styles in each city.
“Los Angeles is a little further ahead when it comes to sounds and production of music” says Shaw. “They’re on the forefront when it comes to making music go whatever direction it’s currently heading. Even though this is slowly changing, Nashville is still about 2-3 years behind LA. The biggest difference from the two cities is that in Nashville, you can write about faith, family, and values, and that’s not as common in the pop world or Los Angeles. The story in the song also takes precedent in Nashville whereas the sound of the song takes precedent in LA.”
By listening to this EP, it’s apparent that Shaw picked from both places to make his own sound. To stay up to date on Willie Shaw and his plans for 2020, visit him on WillieShawmusic.com or on social media @WillieShawmusic.
‘Oxytocin’ is available on streaming sites everywhere today!
Photo Credit: Alex Berger
