Broken record time again friends – as today we have yet another debut release for you that is just spellbindingly good! ‘Friend of Mine’ is the first single from Boston-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Roers, who performs under the moniker of Shiloh, Forever. It’s an exquisite and fragile tune that sees the artist opting for the “stripped-back” vibe to introduce himself to the world. This, in turn, allows for his overall songwriting ability and lyrical and vocal prowess to shine through.
Telling a story of inner conflict, regret, and acceptance, Shiloh, Forever pours his heart and soul into ‘Friend of Mine’, and I have to say that’s what first caught my attention. The authenticity and the emotion. Drawing on influence from fellow sombre indie musicians like Andy Shauf and Michael Nau, Shiloh, Forever has truly blown us all away at Indie Top 39 with ‘Friend of Mine’, and we are certain that he has an extremely bright future ahead of him!
The year of the debut continues! ‘Friend of Mine’ is just a beautiful, thoughtful, and heartfelt track.
INDIE TOP 39
What does the song mean to you?
I started writing ‘Friend of Mine’ back in 2017. I was going through this really difficult period of self-discovery in my life, where I was so uncertain about so many different things: what I am, who I am, what/who I loved, who I could be… there was a lot to figure out. This song had been there through it all for me. For years I would change the lyrics, or try different instruments to see what I could tolerate. I wasn’t able to get any joy out of writing for so long, because I was such a perfectionist, but I knew there was something to this song. So, I kept on with it.
I was so afraid it wouldn’t be exactly what was in my head, and I didn’t even know what was in there myself! I didn’t want people to think I was an amateur. I wanted to be a fully-fledged artist by the time I put out my first song, but as time has gone on I’ve learned that the only way to grow as a musician is to be a damn musician. One line at a time, I allowed it to feel right until I had something I could finally be proud of. I still haven’t lost that perfectionism, but I’m learning to work with it. In a way, the story of me writing Friend of Mine is the story of me learning to accept myself for what I am.
What do you hope to achieve with this song?
Often times I feel like, especially when you first meet me, I can come across as this guy that says a lot of dumb, silly stuff off the cuff, when in reality my inner dialogue is very different. I like to take a long time to really think about things and make decisions. I need a lot of time to be alone in my room to really process my life while away from people. My hope is that ‘Friend of Mine’ offers some accurate insight about me that I haven’t had the ability to show yet; not only as a musician/songwriter but also, simply, as a person. It’s my best attempt to combine the style of music that moves me with my own story and tendencies to make something that’s, hopefully, just Shiloh, Forever.
What do you want to achieve in the next 12 months with your music?
Currently, I’m working on a small project of a few songs that I plan on putting out later this year, but I would love to put out a larger project of 8 or more songs after that. I think that’s the next thing up, but maybe there’ll be some detours in between. I have so many unfinished songs that I really love, and I think it’s time to get them out there and just see how people respond. I’m still learning how this all works. Most of the time it feels like I’m just throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks, but I’m confident I’ll have the bricks laid to tackle a longer project after a few of the shorter ones coming up.
What does success mean to you?
I think a lot of artists want to be successful in music for the status it can potentially bring them. Notoriety, respect; things like that. Of course, I would love to be respected by music fans and my peers, but, to be honest, that was never really the draw of being an artist for me. To me, the ceiling of fulfilment as a musician is so high. To pour your soul into a few minutes of audio that you love and have nurtured like a child, and have it resonate so strongly with someone else… there’s no other feeling like that on Earth. Everything else that may come with it is a bonus.
For me, music is my best opportunity to be as happy as possible. It’s so hard to break through to that next level of success, but I think that’s what makes it so special once it finally happens. Knowing that it’s taken everything you have, all the time, to get to that point. I hope one day I get to experience that unfathomable joy at that moment when I feel like I’ve mastered all the different facets of being an artist.
Make sure to connect with Shiloh, Forever on Instagram
Now you can listen to all the 39 songs in one place, right here on Spotify!
