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Dan Caddigan

Review: "Irrational" - Shane Rennison


Irrational details loved lost and the heartache left in its wake – with Shane Rennison belting out "Talk about a whole love lost, Packed your bags last night and left, Didn't care what it cost". Shane sings his heart out on this one, touching on just how irrational lovers can be at time when things don't go according to plan. Rennison delves into the addictive side of dating someone with a few screws loose, begging the question of who is truly the irrational one in this pairing? All the signs appeared to be there – "Or when we went home, And your mother told me I'd be better on my own" – and yet it's nearly impossible to make a clean break from this person you care for so deeply. Irrational touches on the raw, complicated emotions that derive from being in an unhealthy relationship and is certainly deserving of a listen from any star-crossed lovers out there.



Irrational opens up with filtered percussion and silky slide guitar that fade-in during the brief intro. A punchy drum fill takes us into the start of the first verse, which is held down by a solid drum beat and groovy bassline to match. Atop the groove sits Shane's crystal-clear cadence – this combination of catchy vocals and mid-tempo instrumentation make it difficult to listen without bobbing your head or tapping your foot. Next, the pre-chorus adds a new layer of what sounds like a sampled violin, perhaps even a Mellotron. Following this is the first hook, where Shane repeats the song loud and clear as his backing vocal riffs add ambiance behind the main line. Each hook steps up the production by layering more pads and droning synths that help these sections pop. At the start of each hook, we can hear what sounds like a high-pitched, sustained string sound – which can also be heard in hits by Disco heavyweights like the Bee Gees and CHIC. Towards the end of the track, Shane rests his voice as a brief slide guitar solo takes place. His voice quickly comes back in to push the song into its final climax, before fading out as the message continues to bleed through.


Shane Rennison is a US-based singer-songwriter, originally hailing from the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. He has often cited his mountain home as the inspiration for his work, including his 2023 EP, "Nice To Meet You". Despite being self-taught and a relatively new artist on the scene, Rennison has amassed nearly 8000 monthly listeners on Spotify. And they're well-earned. Rennison's discography is humble, heartfelt, and nothing short of captivatingly unique. Shane performs live regularly at local venues throughout the Catskills, covering over 150 other bands across multiple genres. You can catch him live tonight (5/3) at the Courtyard Bar in Roscoe, NY from 6 pm EST till 9 pm EST.


Written By Dan Caddigan



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