Singer-songwriter Theo Kandel released his latest single “Half As Cool,” where he reflects on the past years of his life.
Theo Wishes to Go Back in Time on “Half As Cool”
Co-produced by Theo, Wingtip, and Ben “Beep” Pleasant, “Half as Cool” has the singer embracing his early 2000s pop-punk influences. “It’s about being in your twenties and having no CLUE what’s going on,” Theo says. “Looking at yourself in the mirror and expecting to see a teenager; remembering the days when it felt like you could do or be anything you wanted to be. When a crazy night was staying up until 4AM playing video games with your friends. Trying to get back to that mentality! Balancing the optimism of a kid with the responsibilities of an adult.”
Theo’s Journey in the Last Few Years
Last year, Theo set his sights on the West Coast in what he calls the “final frontier” on a journey of music influence and inspiration that settled in Los Angeles. The journey began in New York City where he grew up learning classical and jazz violin before picking up the guitar. “Growing up in New York, I got super into folk music – that was what drove me to write initially – but I always found that my music was too pop to be completely folk, and too folk to be completely pop,” he says.
It wasn’t until he moved to Nashville, TN that he began honing his craft into something a bit more mainstream, despite an initial aversion to the word. “It definitely sounds cheesy, but in Nashville, the song itself is king. Writing better songs is literally the goal there. For a while I hated the idea of my music being labeled as ‘pop;’ but ‘pop’ actually just means accessible – relatable – whatever. So hopefully, the better my songs are, the more people can find a little bit of their own stories in there.”
If you like this song, check out COIN’s newest single “Cutie.”
