When it comes to his upcoming album, In the Shadow of the Mountain, 25-year-old singer-songwriter Cole Chaney is pretty candid and blunt about who he is and what kind of music he wants to make — the result of which, this stunning offering from an artist wise beyond his age.  “There’s a yin to every yang,” Chaney says. “I want nothing more than for people to be creatively fulfilled, and to do what they want. But, for me to preach that? I have to practice it.”

That attitude resides at the core of the record, where the trajectory of the songs seemingly — more so purposely — shoot off in the opposite direction of many of his contemporaries in the Americana, country and folk music scenes. In truth? Chaney is summoning his rock roots.  “I’m not concerned with being labeled as ‘country.’ There’s not a lot of music being released right now that is doing much for me — I want to make something I want to listen to.”

Pointing to his lifelong admiration for 1990s rock — specifically Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots — as a vital influence on the sonic landscape of the album, Chaney aimed to find a melodic balance between that raw and real rock sound and the bluegrass and folk music of his native Kentucky.  “I wanted to make something that sounded like Ralph Stanley went in and got backed up by Soundgarden,” Chaney notes. “I write what I listen to. And whatever I listen to is going to come out in my music.”

After having just released the first stunning single, “Alone?,” Chaney releases the second single off the album, “The Unsatisfied,” today. Chaney explains, “ a much-needed pick-me-up by this point in the record, “The Unsatisfied” is a song written about my early experience as a touring musician and songwriter. It’s a confession of how I felt at the time of writing the song. I believe that if you want to stand out and create anything original in this life, you’re going to have to take a different route than the other guys. That route is often fraught with peril. Two or three years down the road, now—much has changed about that ‘ol boy, and much remains the same.”

In the Shadow of the Mountain was captured by famed producer Duane Lundy at his legendary studio in Lexington, Kentucky. While talking at-length about the possible collaboration, Lundy spoke of his love for Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots.

“I know plenty of bluegrass guys that could have recorded this for me,” Chaney says. “But, I wanted to take that string band and folk sound and bring it to a rock producer, to bring that big sound out of these acoustic instruments — [Duane] was about to do that.”

The album was also co-produced by guitarist Zachary Hamilton, a close friend of Chaney, who is also the brother and bandmate of rising Lexington singer-songwriter Abby Hamilton.

With this pivot in his tone and intent compared to his 2021 debut album, Mercy, Chaney sees this current path as more in-tune with what he’s not only wanted to do all along, but has slowly shifted towards in recent years amid endless touring and performing.  “I was super green [while recording Mercy]. I didn’t really know what I was doing,” Chaney admits. “And, by the grace of so many people around me, we were able to get some really great string band music on [that album].”

For Chaney, even though he’s only in his mid-twenties, his journey has been long and bountiful already. From growing up in rural Appalachia to going to welding school, only to leave it behind and take a leap of faith when an opportunity to pursue music emerged.

Photo Courtesy: Anthony Simpkins