Tyler Bowers is lost in the darkness on his emotional and personal single Wandering — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Featuring rising rapper Blvck Svm, the deeply personal track details the pain and loss that distance has created in a very important relationship for the Chicago artist. Revealing this kind of vulnerability and despair isn’t always a hallmark of hip-hop, but Bowers is determined to tell it like it is.
“Ever since I started listening to Kid Cudi in college, I knew I wanted to be the type of musician who isn’t afraid to be vulnerable with their audience,” Bowers recalls. “I really wanted to create something real with this track. I’ve been going through a very dark time for the past year, and am ciphering a lot of loss. I wanted that feeling to transfer over into something genuine that people who are struggling with the same issues can relate to.
“I talk a lot about a girl in this track and on my EP,” Bowers reveals. “Circumstances, unfortunately, led to us being on opposite ends of the country, and this song is supposed to convey the essence of missing somebody so badly that it doesn’t feel like you can go on without them. She’s a very special person in my life, and always will be. I’m grateful to have known somebody so influential at all. I had a very hard time writing with real emotion until I met her, and I can never thank her enough for that.”
Newcomer Blvck Svm delivers the track’s final verse like a velvet hammer pounding the final coffin nails into a dying relationship. The Bleach rapper was a big get for Bowers — and he knew working with him would be the icing on the cake. “It can be intimidating working with a guy with that kind of musical prowess and so many spins, knowing he’s going to come in and steal the whole show with one verse,” cracks Bowers. “But his chill lyricism was exactly what I needed to bring this one home and I was so happy to get him on this track.”
Following up his 2020 EP Intermission, Wandering is the first step toward a new collection showcasing Bowers’ return to self-production and creating his own beats. “I’ve always respected people like Mac Miller, Kanye, and more recently Sebastian Paul, who had a hand in their own beats,” explains Bowers. “My previous tracks were collabs with other producers, but I always feel like you can never achieve the type of sincerity in a track that you can when you were a part of the whole process. I’m extremely proud to be transitioning back into working on my own beats.”
Listen to Wandering above, hear more from Tyler Bowers below, and wander over to his Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
