Mcmillin Takes Us On A Funky Nostalgia Trip With New Genre-Blending Single: What It Was
A dynamic Nashville-based guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer, McMillin is a jack of all trades and an artist in every sense of the word.
Gaining inspiration from pop, rock, and funk genres, McMillin cannot be put into a box, but rather mends genres seamlessly, becoming what he calls a “fusion artist.” His latest project “Drown Me Out” premiered exclusively with EarMilk.
This song starts strong with four ear-piercing distorted guitar notes quickly followed by a much more mellow beat under a groovy bass riff. Now that he has everyone’s attention, McMillin’s smooth voice comes in with “Maybe it’s just better off this way / Some say you begin to die when you refuse to change.” The guitar music stays mellow throughout the chorus with lots of variation in the drum set, a steady beat along with the occasional closed hi-hat and loud crash of a ride cymbal.
The song builds throughout each verse adding more and more riffs from the lead guitar and bass guitar giving it that rock-pop sound. McMillin sings “And then it hits you all at once / It never will be what it was.” McMillin accepts that with time comes change but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss what used to be.
Hailing from the music capital of the world, Nashville TN, McMillin has been playing in clubs and bars in the heart of music city and beyond. Combining the elements of poetic dark pop with funk and rock components, McMillin creates a truly immersive, revolutionary musical adventure.
Currently, McMillin is representing Rolling Stone as the frontman for the Rolling Stone Rock Room featured on Holland America Cruise Lines. McMillin describes the guitar as “his one true love” and this is clear as his talents of lead guitar playing, as well as his impressive rock vocals, are on full display in this electrifying show. Their itineraries include the Mediterranean and Scandinavia, as well as most of the Caribbean.
While the tone of the lyrics is melancholy, the silky synth textures and tremolo guitar patterns keep the song light, joyful, and easy to bob your head to. McMilin shows off his creativity as a producer, adding interesting, unconventional components, like distortion and fades. He takes creative liberty by having the guitars act as backup singers to the chorus, mirroring McMilin’s vocals and adding complementary ad-libs. Overall, McMillin explains that this is not sad or resentful, instead, “It is an acceptance that time changes all things, but it won’t stop the love you had for how things used to be.”
