Chutes' dreamy new single finds meaning in childhood memories and the ache of getting older
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A season of hibernation — much like the one Minnesota just entered — pushed Minneapolis musician Ryan Kemp back into the memories of his youth.
“In the winter, I tend to listen to more, like, heavier shoegaze stuff. And I was kind of diving deep into what I was listening to in middle school and early high school, and getting back into that kind of naturally led me down a little trip of nostalgia,” Kemp said.
What came to mind were times like attending the Anoka County Fair with his brother and hanging with his dog.
Kemp releases music under the name Chutes. He has been playing since middle school. He started by learning the guitar, then he began playing with friends and played guitar for musicians and joined bands.
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Then, a few years back, Kemp formed this solo project. It’s something Kemp says has fulfilled a dream his younger self always had.
He says the goal was always to “make music that would make my 14-year-old self proud.”
Last winter, he was inspired to do just that, and the product of this hibernal pondering was his new single, “Lawn.”
The song is dreamy and reverb-drenched. It feels plucked from the 2000s indie alternative scene.
What we remember, and why it hurts
It’s obvious from the beginning that the song is about something complicated.
While making it meant a lot to a young Kemp, it's about more than his 14-year-old self might have been able to articulate.
He found the song expresses the subtle emotional terrain of aging — grief, boredom and more.
“It’s about falling into that nostalgia trap of picturing what you thought your life was going to be like when you were younger, then growing up and comparing it to the life you have now, and just how you can kind of get stuck in that,” he said.
Kemp, who grew up in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, says this single is part of an album all about nostalgia. It’s personal and has been an artistic outlet.
The album’s cover art is a photo of Kemp and his brother returning from the Anoka County Fair when he was about nine, his skeleton makeup half-washed from the day. He calls the image a landmark of his childhood — and even returned to that spot to film the music video.
When he shared the music with friends and family, many told him how deeply the themes resonated, especially listeners in their mid-20s. He was glad to hear it, because making the album had been therapeutic.
“I think writing so much about the past and kind of going through some old wounds that may have been brought up, or kind of moving past some things that have been lingering for quite some years, it was nice to finally get that out,” Kemp said.
He returns often to his dog, whose aging he uses to track the passage of his own time. Remembering his dog and the other random childhood memories was bittersweet, he says, and he is thankful to be able to explore it through his music.
“Life may not be exactly what I thought it was going to be growing up, but at the end of the day, you're still that same kid, you're still the same person, and you're still growing and learning, and life is pretty great.”
“Lawn” by Chutes is out now. Hear it for yourself — the “Lawn” video is embedded below.
