I'm unable to think of this song as anything but utter perfection, HOWEVER - to say that I hugely appreciate honesty in reactions is an understatement (I bail on channels without bothering to comment or check back ever again if I start to get a whiff of disingenuity) and I'm sad you had to be sorta defensive in your discussion, anticipating what might happen in the comments section after uploading. Or however I could have worded that better, lol. In fact, it makes me even more curious what you'll think of the Ren songs still ahead of you!
There is a clip of Ren busking where he sings this song alone if you are interested, not the highest quality though. But I also think you would like his other collab with Chinchilla "How To Be Me" Separate mics and all. But even if you still don't love them together, the song is worth a listen. It is BEAUTIFUL and very emotional
Ryan, if you want to hear a “Ren Only” version of this song, there is one on TH-cam of him doing it live busking on the streets of Brighton with The Big Push. It would be interesting to see how you think the two versions compare. I don’t agree with your take on this one but totally respect your opinion - love your reviews. Thanks guys
Chalk Outlines is an original and co-written by Ren and Chinchilla - both are lyricists and composers on the song (e.g. description credits in th-cam.com/video/8czuSB8-D_U/w-d-xo.html ). Ok, I'm game for the nerdy comment challange ... since you qualified it, you left wriggle room for this one😉(more by way of an explanation than a winge, of course): Both Ren and Chinchilla are mic'd up, wearing lavaliers on their right shoulders, which are visible at points during the recording. Chinchilla's pack seems to be set on higher gain though - possibly to pickup her quieter intro section, which mirrors the studio version intro setup that is quiet as the artists are portraying differences in backgrounds/conditions/perscription drug impacts. For example, you can hear Chinchilla catching an earring as she runs her hand over her head and there is a higher noise floor on her pack noticable during her intro section. When Chinchilla stands she pulled her hair over her mic to dampen the pickup slightly before the duet sections - this may have been a conscious decision by the artists in part to address the deliberate imbalance in the sound pickup of the recording. Based on social media pictures, Ren and Chinchilla used hand held mics during the rehearshal to determine the sound config for the audio in the space, but swapped to lavaliers, wireless guitar pickup, room mics and camera mic for the performance. Chinchilla also appears to be adaptively holding back so as not to over power Ren's vocals during the duet sections of the live recording (singing slightly behind Ren to match his volume and for stylistic effect in harmony & counterpoint segments reflecting the voice doubling in the studio version). The song's conclusion was a conscious stylistic decision by both Ren and Chinchilla, building the song during the a cappella section and then for Chinchilla to let rip at the end to express anger/agnst at the situation being expressed in the song's lyrics, then returning to a more quiet rueful sound in Chinchilla's outro section. All mic pickups were mixed in the studio, after the recording, to a desired effect during mastering (both artists do this for their live recordings). Hence your preference critique about the sound level balance probably does indeed reflect not only the choices made in recording audio design/limitations for the space but those purposefully made during the audio mastering stage. Whether this audio approach works or not, as well as the stylistic choices the artists made in portraying the song, will be down to the individual preferences for any given listener. One thing common to Ren's and Chinchilla's songs - particularly their respective individual or joint live recordings - is that they are full on performances telling a story and not just someone singing a song into a microphone. (ok this last sentence is a bit of a winge, but in a friendly big hint sharing way 😉)
I believe I read that Ren and Chinchilla wrote this song, but I could be wrong about that. Ren considers Chinchilla to be his musical sister. There were more mics involved (you can see the mic on Ren, and you can hear the mic on Chinchilla when she pushes her hair back). In this song they were harmonizing around each other, rather than with each other. I feel that was intentional to get the feeling of chaos one feels as they come off these types of medications. I think her going higher and louder is also a sign of that chaos. On the one hand you are mentally crying out for your sanity, on the other the medication is mellowing you out and wiping out your personality. I'm not saying you need to like it, but in my opinion, it very much fits the messaging and emotion of the song.
I appreciate your honest reactions always and I am rarely critical. I think the reaction was disappointing to me probably because I believe going into this song seeing it as a Ren song With accompaniment, rather than a Ren and chinchilla song. Ren did have a mic on his collar that you can see and chinchilla had one by her ear, so it was not picked up from the camera mic. Chinchilla does have a fuller sound and stronger projection then Ren. There was a point where her voice over took but there was times where her voice took a backseat to Rens etc. I believe they chose this because both artists do not put out music that they are not extremely happy with. My Point would be that I’m sorry if the way the vocals were arranged distracted you, because the lyrics, that were written by the two together have more meaning then is easy to explain and sometimes I just wish that the astounding genius of the lyric writing and authentic emotion that they are provoke and how they bring to life and experience that many people could share would be what stood out and was the over arching topic that you took from this song. A chalk outline, like drawn around a dead body, being drawn around your self feeling erased as a person and walking around feeling practically dead inside. Specifically because of mental health medication’s including sertraline one of the most popular anti-depressants today. They definitely help you get over a certain hump of your depression, but the main complaint is that it can take away many emotions as well, no high highs because no low lows. So at times it seems you can’t feel anything, so dead. Ren expresses being at the gallows standing on his toes so he can breathe, one breath away from death. And then to follow with being scared to be off the medication because it will incite more anxiety while you wait for the shoe to drop again. It’s a vicious cycle. I’m so glad that you guys reacted to the song because it is so special. I would encourage you to not shy away from the other incredible song by Ren x Chinchilla “How to be Me”! It is so worth the experience. Love to you both Ryan and Nathan. ❤✌️
Yes, there are studio versions for all of these songs. I usually prefer the live versions in his YT videos. Ren usually has a lavalier mic, in addition to the boom. (Black clip on lapel on his right side.) +1 for How to Be Me (live) with these two.
@itsayswithoutgoing9571 100%! My husband listens to Ren mostly on spotify while I stream videos on YT. When I heard the studio versions in his car I said "I have a wonderful surprise for you."
The best reactors are the ones who don't fake. I appreciate you! I felt the same the first couple of times I listened to Ren and Chinchilla together, but now I've grown to love Chinchilla (her solo stuff). I think their other song "How To Be Me (live)" is way better with them singing together. I much prefer Ren's voice in "Chalk Outlines". He's just too good!
Chinchilla is a sister from a different mister. Renegades love her. No worries if you don't, tho what they were relaying in the song seemed to be missed. Still love you guys.
A good honest reaction, they deliberately don't harmonise on this is is more counter melody and counter point, and Chinchilla is slightly behind Ren and the beat again deliberately, I personally quite like the avant-garde arrangement but I can understand how it can be polarising. As others have said How To Be Me is more about harmonies, and much more coherent. As for the nails its part of a persona she creates to help with nerves, similar to the personas Bowie created to help with his nerves in his early years, as did Freddy Mercury.
I love both of them. The other song "how to be me" really is so great and her vocals are so great. Now I've watched her live video for "fingers" there you can see her vocal ability and it's just crazy.
Chinchilla has an amazing voice. There’s 2 videos of her and Ren busking which is amazing. Her song Cut you off, Fingers live are sublime. She wears her nails for confidence to perform her music. Ren of course is always perfect.
Yes, or was it No! Appreciate your opinion as it's constructive, although you didn't comment on the song meaning! I get what Ryan means but for me Chinchilla is just on the edge of being overpowering and it works for me. I would encourage you to give them another go with 'how to be me' live. Cheers
Btw, they were both mic'd up, Ren meticulously did the post, so nothing was left to chance acoustics or limits of one mic. The song was co-written, so it isn't meant to be Ren accompanied by Chinchilla, it's Ren and Chinchilla. Which I think they do nicely. I actually liked it more precisely because Ren didn't drown her out. But also, the first time I saw this video was the first time I heard or saw Chinchilla, and her fingernails kinda put me off, too, until I heard the story behind them.
I heard Ren in public, from someone else's speaker, for the first time this week. It was thrilling! One suggestion, though -- don't talk over the video, please. We don't mind if you pause. Ren & Chinchilla together are magical. You can hear it in this song, but I prefer How To Be Me. They're releasing a new collab in the next month or two, also. Can't wait! Chinchilla's solo stuff is well worth checking out, too.
Her name is Daisy and she suffers from extreme stage fright. To work around this, she dons her huge nails and an outfit she's designed to become Chinchilla.
They used several microphones, including the one on the camera. There's one overhead and they're each wearing a mic. You can actually see Ren's in several shots. Though I must say, it's a tad depressing that your first thought, on seeing and hearing such an incredible performance, of such an amazing song, was technical. Have you no heart? lol :) Though I think you're being a bit unfair on Chinchilla and on their duet, most people have exactly the opposite view, it is refreshing to hear people who understand the nuances of Ren's voice and appreciate how beautiful it is. Most people just rave about Chinchilla's voice, with Ren's vocals only mentioned in passing and in conjunction with Chinchilla's. I'm always surprised because, for me, Ren's voice is the standout here! It's absolutely beautiful! Though I still think you were overly harsh on Chinchilla. She's a great singer imho. :) Both their (official) duets, "Chalk Outlines" and "How to be Me" were originally Ren songs but they slightly reworked them, together, to fit a duet. Ren, being Ren, has since given Chinchilla co-writer credit. :) The giveaway is the lyrics. They're so very Ren, in their style, in their poetic nature and, above all, in the subject matter. Chalk Outlines continues a theme common to several Ren songs and How to be Me is very clearly about Ren's reaction (during the onset of illness) to the death of his best friend, Joe, through suicide. Some fans of Chinchilla will claim that they're entirely co-written equally but they either don't know the truth, or are being 'economical with the truth'. ;) :)
I 100% agree about Ren's voice in Chalk Outlines. I love Chinchilla's contribution to the final product, but it's Ren's vocals that grab me by the soul here. Not saying that Chinchilla's vocals aren't the perfect addition to the overall song! But it's Ren's vocals that anchor the whole thing, for me. ❤️
And you so nearly got there ... first two paragraphs were good, last one not quite. What most of Ren and Chinchilla's audience take with regards to the song status is that both artists have explicitly stated they co-wrote the song, and the history published as to how they came up with the song jointly. No need to invent tales of origin, the artists themselves deem the song to be a joint endeavour and product. It's quite derogaroty to the aritsts to place your opinion first and foremost, seemingly in you view other artists in Ren's orbit are mere appendages. Whether there is any truth or not to the song being assembled from bits and pieces of their earlier work in the end doesn't matter, the end result is a co-written song as the artists so deem.
‘How to be Me (Live)’ is an entirely different story as they control the mellow delivery far better. This (CO) is the only song in Ren’s catalogue where I actually prefer the studio version. He also has some other fantastic duets with other singers.
![Ren X Chinchilla - Chalk Outlines [Live] (pianist and metalhead react)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/K8osjrU2JnU/mqdefault.jpg)
![ง้อ (ALRIGHT) - FOURTH Prod. by URBOYTJ [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qs8ZeV6Dqj8/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm unable to think of this song as anything but utter perfection, HOWEVER - to say that I hugely appreciate honesty in reactions is an understatement (I bail on channels without bothering to comment or check back ever again if I start to get a whiff of disingenuity) and I'm sad you had to be sorta defensive in your discussion, anticipating what might happen in the comments section after uploading.
Or however I could have worded that better, lol.
In fact, it makes me even more curious what you'll think of the Ren songs still ahead of you!
Perfectly stated. Thank you :))
There is a clip of Ren busking where he sings this song alone if you are interested, not the highest quality though. But I also think you would like his other collab with Chinchilla "How To Be Me" Separate mics and all. But even if you still don't love them together, the song is worth a listen. It is BEAUTIFUL and very emotional
Ryan, if you want to hear a “Ren Only” version of this song, there is one on TH-cam of him doing it live busking on the streets of Brighton with The Big Push. It would be interesting to see how you think the two versions compare. I don’t agree with your take on this one but totally respect your opinion - love your reviews. Thanks guys
You guys have done a great variety of REN’s work. Good on you! It’s fun to view reactions by people who are watching these for the first time.
Chalk Outlines is an original and co-written by Ren and Chinchilla - both are lyricists and composers on the song (e.g. description credits in th-cam.com/video/8czuSB8-D_U/w-d-xo.html ).
Ok, I'm game for the nerdy comment challange ... since you qualified it, you left wriggle room for this one😉(more by way of an explanation than a winge, of course):
Both Ren and Chinchilla are mic'd up, wearing lavaliers on their right shoulders, which are visible at points during the recording. Chinchilla's pack seems to be set on higher gain though - possibly to pickup her quieter intro section, which mirrors the studio version intro setup that is quiet as the artists are portraying differences in backgrounds/conditions/perscription drug impacts. For example, you can hear Chinchilla catching an earring as she runs her hand over her head and there is a higher noise floor on her pack noticable during her intro section. When Chinchilla stands she pulled her hair over her mic to dampen the pickup slightly before the duet sections - this may have been a conscious decision by the artists in part to address the deliberate imbalance in the sound pickup of the recording.
Based on social media pictures, Ren and Chinchilla used hand held mics during the rehearshal to determine the sound config for the audio in the space, but swapped to lavaliers, wireless guitar pickup, room mics and camera mic for the performance. Chinchilla also appears to be adaptively holding back so as not to over power Ren's vocals during the duet sections of the live recording (singing slightly behind Ren to match his volume and for stylistic effect in harmony & counterpoint segments reflecting the voice doubling in the studio version). The song's conclusion was a conscious stylistic decision by both Ren and Chinchilla, building the song during the a cappella section and then for Chinchilla to let rip at the end to express anger/agnst at the situation being expressed in the song's lyrics, then returning to a more quiet rueful sound in Chinchilla's outro section.
All mic pickups were mixed in the studio, after the recording, to a desired effect during mastering (both artists do this for their live recordings). Hence your preference critique about the sound level balance probably does indeed reflect not only the choices made in recording audio design/limitations for the space but those purposefully made during the audio mastering stage. Whether this audio approach works or not, as well as the stylistic choices the artists made in portraying the song, will be down to the individual preferences for any given listener.
One thing common to Ren's and Chinchilla's songs - particularly their respective individual or joint live recordings - is that they are full on performances telling a story and not just someone singing a song into a microphone. (ok this last sentence is a bit of a winge, but in a friendly big hint sharing way 😉)
Nice job..😊
I believe I read that Ren and Chinchilla wrote this song, but I could be wrong about that. Ren considers Chinchilla to be his musical sister. There were more mics involved (you can see the mic on Ren, and you can hear the mic on Chinchilla when she pushes her hair back).
In this song they were harmonizing around each other, rather than with each other. I feel that was intentional to get the feeling of chaos one feels as they come off these types of medications. I think her going higher and louder is also a sign of that chaos. On the one hand you are mentally crying out for your sanity, on the other the medication is mellowing you out and wiping out your personality.
I'm not saying you need to like it, but in my opinion, it very much fits the messaging and emotion of the song.
I appreciate your honest reactions always and I am rarely critical. I think the reaction was disappointing to me probably because I believe going into this song seeing it as a Ren song With accompaniment, rather than a Ren and chinchilla song. Ren did have a mic on his collar that you can see and chinchilla had one by her ear, so it was not picked up from the camera mic. Chinchilla does have a fuller sound and stronger projection then Ren. There was a point where her voice over took but there was times where her voice took a backseat to Rens etc. I believe they chose this because both artists do not put out music that they are not extremely happy with. My Point would be that I’m sorry if the way the vocals were arranged distracted you, because the lyrics, that were written by the two together have more meaning then is easy to explain and sometimes I just wish that the astounding genius of the lyric writing and authentic emotion that they are provoke and how they bring to life and experience that many people could share would be what stood out and was the over arching topic that you took from this song. A chalk outline, like drawn around a dead body, being drawn around your self feeling erased as a person and walking around feeling practically dead inside. Specifically because of mental health medication’s including sertraline one of the most popular anti-depressants today. They definitely help you get over a certain hump of your depression, but the main complaint is that it can take away many emotions as well, no high highs because no low lows. So at times it seems you can’t feel anything, so dead. Ren expresses being at the gallows standing on his toes so he can breathe, one breath away from death. And then to follow with being scared to be off the medication because it will incite more anxiety while you wait for the shoe to drop again. It’s a vicious cycle. I’m so glad that you guys reacted to the song because it is so special. I would encourage you to not shy away from the other incredible song by Ren x Chinchilla “How to be Me”! It is so worth the experience. Love to you both Ryan and Nathan. ❤✌️
Thanks for this! Appreciate both of your insights. Btw, a change of pace for you with Ren (a more upbeat one, lol) might be "Power". Thanks again.
Yes, there are studio versions for all of these songs. I usually prefer the live versions in his YT videos.
Ren usually has a lavalier mic, in addition to the boom. (Black clip on lapel on his right side.)
+1 for How to Be Me (live) with these two.
The studio versions are objectively very much inferior to the live versions…which sucks because the lives aren’t available on Spotify.
@itsayswithoutgoing9571 100%! My husband listens to Ren mostly on spotify while I stream videos on YT. When I heard the studio versions in his car I said "I have a wonderful surprise for you."
The best reactors are the ones who don't fake. I appreciate you! I felt the same the first couple of times I listened to Ren and Chinchilla together, but now I've grown to love Chinchilla (her solo stuff). I think their other song "How To Be Me (live)" is way better with them singing together. I much prefer Ren's voice in "Chalk Outlines". He's just too good!
Chinchilla is a sister from a different mister. Renegades love her. No worries if you don't, tho what they were relaying in the song seemed to be missed. Still love you guys.
A good honest reaction, they deliberately don't harmonise on this is is more counter melody and counter point, and Chinchilla is slightly behind Ren and the beat again deliberately, I personally quite like the avant-garde arrangement but I can understand how it can be polarising. As others have said How To Be Me is more about harmonies, and much more coherent. As for the nails its part of a persona she creates to help with nerves, similar to the personas Bowie created to help with his nerves in his early years, as did Freddy Mercury.
Great insight Ty
I love both of them. The other song "how to be me" really is so great and her vocals are so great. Now I've watched her live video for "fingers" there you can see her vocal ability and it's just crazy.
Thanks for your honesty. If you would like to give the Chinchilla/Ren duo another chance you may wish to check out "How To Be Me". Cheers.
Yess! I love this performance, I feel like their voices sound great together on it :)
Chinchilla has an amazing voice. There’s 2 videos of her and Ren busking which is amazing. Her song Cut you off, Fingers live are sublime. She wears her nails for confidence to perform her music. Ren of course is always perfect.
Yes, or was it No! Appreciate your opinion as it's constructive, although you didn't comment on the song meaning! I get what Ryan means but for me Chinchilla is just on the edge of being overpowering and it works for me. I would encourage you to give them another go with 'how to be me' live. Cheers
Btw, they were both mic'd up, Ren meticulously did the post, so nothing was left to chance acoustics or limits of one mic. The song was co-written, so it isn't meant to be Ren accompanied by Chinchilla, it's Ren and Chinchilla. Which I think they do nicely. I actually liked it more precisely because Ren didn't drown her out. But also, the first time I saw this video was the first time I heard or saw Chinchilla, and her fingernails kinda put me off, too, until I heard the story behind them.
Ren new video may 9th
I appreciate the way you guys react. Thank you.
❤️❤️❤️
I always play How to be me (live) Its another example of the hauntingly beautiful blend of their voices.
I heard Ren in public, from someone else's speaker, for the first time this week. It was thrilling!
One suggestion, though -- don't talk over the video, please. We don't mind if you pause.
Ren & Chinchilla together are magical. You can hear it in this song, but I prefer How To Be Me. They're releasing a new collab in the next month or two, also. Can't wait!
Chinchilla's solo stuff is well worth checking out, too.
How To Be Me (live version) will change your minds! 😁👍❤️
Her name is Daisy and she suffers from extreme stage fright. To work around this, she dons her huge nails and an outfit she's designed to become Chinchilla.
How to be me / REN and Chinchillas live. May give you a different perspective. Good reaction
They used several microphones, including the one on the camera. There's one overhead and they're each wearing a mic. You can actually see Ren's in several shots. Though I must say, it's a tad depressing that your first thought, on seeing and hearing such an incredible performance, of such an amazing song, was technical. Have you no heart? lol :)
Though I think you're being a bit unfair on Chinchilla and on their duet, most people have exactly the opposite view, it is refreshing to hear people who understand the nuances of Ren's voice and appreciate how beautiful it is. Most people just rave about Chinchilla's voice, with Ren's vocals only mentioned in passing and in conjunction with Chinchilla's. I'm always surprised because, for me, Ren's voice is the standout here! It's absolutely beautiful! Though I still think you were overly harsh on Chinchilla. She's a great singer imho. :)
Both their (official) duets, "Chalk Outlines" and "How to be Me" were originally Ren songs but they slightly reworked them, together, to fit a duet. Ren, being Ren, has since given Chinchilla co-writer credit. :) The giveaway is the lyrics. They're so very Ren, in their style, in their poetic nature and, above all, in the subject matter. Chalk Outlines continues a theme common to several Ren songs and How to be Me is very clearly about Ren's reaction (during the onset of illness) to the death of his best friend, Joe, through suicide. Some fans of Chinchilla will claim that they're entirely co-written equally but they either don't know the truth, or are being 'economical with the truth'. ;) :)
I 100% agree about Ren's voice in Chalk Outlines. I love Chinchilla's contribution to the final product, but it's Ren's vocals that grab me by the soul here.
Not saying that Chinchilla's vocals aren't the perfect addition to the overall song! But it's Ren's vocals that anchor the whole thing, for me. ❤️
And you so nearly got there ... first two paragraphs were good, last one not quite. What most of Ren and Chinchilla's audience take with regards to the song status is that both artists have explicitly stated they co-wrote the song, and the history published as to how they came up with the song jointly. No need to invent tales of origin, the artists themselves deem the song to be a joint endeavour and product. It's quite derogaroty to the aritsts to place your opinion first and foremost, seemingly in you view other artists in Ren's orbit are mere appendages. Whether there is any truth or not to the song being assembled from bits and pieces of their earlier work in the end doesn't matter, the end result is a co-written song as the artists so deem.
‘How to be Me (Live)’ is an entirely different story as they control the mellow delivery far better. This (CO) is the only song in Ren’s catalogue where I actually prefer the studio version. He also has some other fantastic duets with other singers.
i disagree with your Chinchilla comments- but i respect your reaction.
Ryan…lol, don’t get a new job. Love you two. From a One D…Louis…REN girl, oh wait, Lady, oh wait, old lady! Can’t go wrong with any REN stuff.
Buckle up lads, REN has more with Chinchilla coming…
maybe
On his lapel.
YES, lmao
❤✌
I prefer the other song they sing together “how to be me”
It's like the peoples front of Judea versus the Judean peoples front with Ren fans...... Did somebody mention the Spanish inquisition ?
i don't think her voice over power Ren