Q&A: Shiloh Eyes Gives Us A Cathartic Soundtrack to Heartbreak With Debut Single "Me Time"

 

☆ BY TAYLOR STOUT ☆

 
 

REBUILDING YOURSELF AFTER HEARTBREAK IS HARD - The debut single by Shiloh Eyes, “Me Time,” finds trancelike peace in the aftermath of destruction. 

Shiloh Eyes is the solo project of Los Angeles native Christine Schatz. After garnering acclaim as a DJ, Schatz’s divorce prompted her to turn to songwriting as a source of introspection and healing. “Me Time” is the reflective, dreamy result. 

It’s clear that Schatz understands how to create a rich atmosphere. The song feels drenched in echoes, and its accompanying music video opens with Schatz wandering alone through a vast desert terrain. Sonically and visually, she aims to give space to her painful feelings. 

Love songs are sweet, and heartbreak anthems are cathartic. However, it feels refreshing to hear a song about the beauty and necessity of alone time. We need space to recalibrate and reconnect. With “Me Time,” Shiloh Eyes reminds us that we must direct love inward as much as we direct it to those around us. 


LUNA: Congrats on your debut single, “Me Time.” What inspired you to make this moment happen now? 

SHILOH EYES: Thank you. I wrote “Me Time” during a dark period following my divorce. I had let the song sit for a while and then revisited it a year or so later. At that point in my healing process, I had done a lot of work and I was finally at a place where I could get back on track. It was time.

LUNA: What is your earliest memory of music, and how did your musical journey begin? 
SHILOH EYES: My earliest memory of music was listening and dancing to Prince. Even at a young age, I was enchanted. I grew up listening to all kinds of music: punk, grunge, hip hop. Sometime after college, my older brother gave me his turntables, and I taught myself how to DJ. But I’ve always wanted to make music, not just listen to it or play it. So it feels really good to be able to materialize what I hear in my head.

LUNA: When you’re producing art inspired by dark emotions, how do you get into the creative mindset? 

SHILOH EYES: Sometimes it feels like a purge, and sometimes it’s subconscious and just happens—like an external force that takes over. I remember a particular summer day when I couldn’t get out of bed because I was so depressed, and suddenly I had this urge to write. I sprung out of bed and I wrote four songs. I couldn’t stop. One of those songs was “Me Time.”

LUNA: How does the physical space you inhabit influence your artistic process?

SHILOH EYES: If it does influence my artistic process, I don’t know that I’m totally conscious of it. I wrote my upcoming song when I was in a hotel room by the beach. And the tone of the song perhaps matches the feeling of being free—away from the grief I had been avoiding at the time, like a momentary escape. I’d love to plan a mountain getaway in the winter sometime and see how the snow might affect my process.

LUNA: I’d love to learn more about the process of producing the music video for “Me Time.”

SHILOH EYES: The video was loosely based on my own experience after I left Pennsylvania. I had an idea and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I approached my cinematographer friend to see if she’d be interested in the project. We were out in the desert and shot for two days. I had all the locations scouted and it was such an intense period of getting to certain spots in time for the best lighting. I saved the spa scene for last. It had been years since I’d been in a hot tub, so that smile was real. I was treating myself to a nice moment in real time. The movement from desolation, represented by the open desert, to restoration, represented by the pool and water, was significant. And I think Mel, the cinematographer, did an amazing job making my vision come to life. 

LUNA: What does your “me time” look like? What are some of your favorite ways to spend it? 

SHILOH EYES: “Me time” in my personal life is all about balance. If I’m giving too much of myself to my work, people, or other obligations, I lose my sense of balance. It’s so important to stay in tune with your own needs. I love to walk in nature, go on weekend trips, or just take the time to sit still.

LUNA: What artists inspire you, musicians or otherwise? 

SHILOH EYES: Trent Reznor, Robyn, Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Lucy Dacus, and Bill Evans. I’m also a big fan of filmmakers and writers: Kurosawa, Spike Lee, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Michaela Coel.

LUNA: What’s next for you as an artist? 

SHILOH EYES: I’m currently working out the details for my next music video, set to shoot in early 2022. Stay tuned. 

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