I'm actually really glad he has a wide diversity of talent. If love to be able to check out some of his work without crying like a baby. 😆

@@PrymalChaos If you just want something fun that feels good, check out What You Want. That'll do the job.

Haha…maybe do Losing It next for a little break. I like to think songs like that are Ren plucking the good bits of the charismatic, funny, energetic “bad” Ren from Hi Ren and using them for positive things. Nothing but smiles in that one.

The Big Push I shot the sheriff road to zion hip hop

@@MichaelCRushfollowed by Crutch and Freckled Angels 😅

God bless you for staying strong! Dv. is the most heinous betrayal of trust I can think of.

@@simontemplar3359 Thank you. That’s very kind. ❤️

I was 7 months pregnant when my ex beat the ish outta me. My son was born with so many birth defects and died from them at 13. Ren has managed to capture DV from BOTH perspectives so perfectly it sends me right back to that night.....it's hard to watch and yet I can't stop

@@vivienneclarke2421 so very sorry for your loss ❤

​@@DonnaPoynton. ❤thank you

Wow! I appreciate that! What a compliment. I think artists like Ren come around once a generation.

62 from Washington state, I’m hooked on REN! Seriously have never seen talent like this in decades! Amazing artist and storyteller. I agree this guy got it and I enjoyed his reaction!

🤯

That’s probably the politest way, I’ve seen that “situation” explained, over the last year or so! 😂😉

@@thecronescauldron 😂

Man that moment gets me everytime. It's like when a parent knows they have to discipline their child and they hate to have to do it but realize it's necessary so they take a deep breath to steel themselves for the unpleasant task ahead

As a writer, I can confirm that to tell a really powerful story, to tell a tale you want others to invest in, an artist has to invest themselves within it, first. You'll only get heavy engagement, if you give heavy engagement. You have to open yourself up if you expect to inspire others to do the same.

He calls his genre "bardcore"

Me lol I'd happily change my day for The Big Push, Ren n Sam

Well said.

I feel ya.

Thank you for sticking around!

Honestly I felt like I gambled on this one... And won!

@@PrymalChaos No matter what Ren song you pick you'll come out a winner. It's a safe bet that when you press play you'll either smile, cry, or start some deep contemplating. Whichever one it is, it's guaranteed to make your life a little more fulfilling.😁

I felt the same. And I think sick boi and Chalk outlines are the other two that could make up one complete serious with Hi Ren and Jenny and Screech.

I'm so glad your hear to write that, that's all. I've had two violent partners. We survived girl, many don't. Some men experience the same, which is incredible but true. Abusive humans come in both genders and in all walks of life. I hate to say we are victims, but we are in a sense, of the students who participate in psychological warfare.

(Sorry this is a bit long, but you made a great point and I wanted to expand) ^^ I added this after I finished as a kind of heads up 😂 Yep, I feel like while Ren couldn’t give novel length backstories & character development, I’ve watched a lot of reactions & at the end most people share basically their “take away” was a very generalized “zoomed out” story, with an acceptance the characters were born into difficult circumstances… the backstories helped with how their circumstances were woven into how they saw the world… how they chose to live their lives were important not just for the plot, but because it reflected what they survived… For me, Ren clearly wanted to give enough info to have the listener care about the story in its totality, and to get them to care about each one, (even Screech) and maybe (hopefully) the listener could be able to resist assigning judgement or blame or fault &/or be critical of their stories & choices, instead maybe (hopefully) the listener would extend grace for being human, not perfect, and doing the best with what they had in those moments. There are so many VERY nuanced & complex topics living in the lyrics, like alcoholism, child SA, welfare use/“fraud” drug use, intimate partner SA, DV/IPV, sexwork, youth violent crime offenders, police involved ☠️… the list really can go on, because Ren was more courageous than a lot of people understand & planted those seeds to elicit desperately needed conversations, because like you, I too know how I wish I could openly discuss parts of the horrible things I survived as a way to help people understand how unhealthy and wrong the general public assumptions are, how the judgments inside those assumptions only serve to silence survivors and shame those experiencing it into not seeking help, and how survivors NEED a community but the silencing of almost all healthy conversation only perpetuates harm.

Perfectly put. it's all next level, and then their are the standouts within the back catalogue. He is Art, on every level.

Not sure I'm emotionally ready. 🙃🙃

@@PrymalChaos I can confirm that you are not and will never be, but a part of you that you don’t know exists is missing without hearing the masterpiece that is Chalk outlines

@@PrymalChaos it's a must. Over past couple of days, I've played it over and over, sometimes it breaks me and sometimes it's just beautiful. Ren's best so far, and that's a massive compliment given how great his art is.

It's good to see that there's a lot of people joining us down this rabbit role. I'm 100% invested in knowing every bit of his work man. It' pretty much the only thing that I'm listening the last 3 weeks or so since I found Hi Ren. It goes from rock (Girls, Crucify your Culture), to reggae (Humble), rap/hip hop (The Hunger, Genesis, What You Want) medieval bard (Jenny & Screech) to pop (Chalk Outlines, Blind Eyed)... man, I really hope that he reaches the masses in no time.

Couldn't agree more

Glad you enjoyed!

Agreed! Your demonstration of reverb blew my mind.

Ren and Chinchilla are great together, go watch them busk Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye if you haven't seen it yet.

Honestly it's one of the greatest pieces of art I've ever seen. Another point I wish I had mentioned is how he uses these topsy-turvy chromatic arpeggios to indicate travelling back through time at the beginning of Violet's story. You could almost see the screen go all wobbly like a 60s sitcom flashback sequence. He makes genius seem effortless.

Sam's use of the camera and it's microphone to create tension and design the sound is nothing short of genius. Just absolute brilliance

Haha. I forgot I said that. I think it may possibly be the only curse word on my channel with around 300 videos. 😭😭

You're welcome! What an experience!

Thanks Anne!

It was plain as day for me. Ren's art works on so many intricate levels.

With things like this I become anxious about showing people for fear that they won't see the depths of it, or catch it's message the way I did. Experiencing art like this can feel really special. Like an authentic connection between you and the artist. And all you want to do is pass that experience on to others. But often they don't 'see' it. Or they go into the experience disconnected and it goes over their head. It warms my heart to see a community of people on KZfaq who see what I saw. ❤️

Thanks Caz. Lol I watched Elizabeth from The Charismatic Voice react to this and I was tearing up again. The message is so powerful.

My pleasure 😊

To our welsh Ren 😁

Thanks Lillz!

Not sure I could handle it. I broke down again when I showed someone else. 😆😆

If you have a vr headset, it's like being there in 360°.

Great catch!

Man. This comment really threw me down the rabbit hole. It really got me thinking. It started with one thing and spiraled out of control. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To continue that line of thought about use of sound and space. In the first half of Violet's Tale he walks to the end of the hallway to a corner and just stands there. To me it signifies a change of direction in her life just like how the hallway turns.. The way that the camera being so close signifying how trapped she feels up until the corner where the lyrics are about her new life away from her family. This being where the camera slowly distances itself. In the first half of Violet's Tale the camera is very close as he walks down the hallway at which point there is a turn in the hallway. The camera then moves away before Ren catches up. The close space can represent the feeling of being trapped in her situation, the hallway being her life which is bleak and empty. Which then changes direction when she finally moves out. Away and to freedom. Unfortunately it is taken away when she meets Stevie and the camera comes in close again. In the beginning the lyrics are about her horrible life at home. Then we reach the corner where it changes direction for a moment. At which point Stevie comes into the picture and we resume the tale. As we reach the stairwell we see we are at the bottom floor, possibly representing she was at rock bottom for most of her life. Ascending the stairs along with Stevie her life is changing, things are escalating. Then your point about the staircase is on point. Helpless with nowhere to go except to possibly heaven when it's all over. Then we reach the door. Oh my gosh! We reach the door! Throughout the whole Tale almost every door was closed. From the start of the tale there was only a single direction open to Violet. Aside from the momentary freedom at the corner, every other door was closed to her. When we reach the top of the first set of stairs there is finally an option. The option of ascending into the dark abyss, possibly to represent the darkness and unknown of death and ascending to heaven. Instead of ending her life herself, what does she do? She cowers in her room again unable to do anything. Up to this point there have been 3 doorways. The first was crossed on the opening of Violet's Tale. The second during the time where Stevie was charming her. The third with the line of history repeating which leads to the staircase and possibly thoughts of suicide. Each door representing some significance. Finally we reach the final door. Initially closed, it's opened by Stevie who is seemingly possessed by the Devil at this point. Through most of the song Violet hasn't been able to do anything, just moving forward. The one time she made a change and moved out, Stevie came into the picture. Trapped again at rock bottom, Stevie opens a door for her. Through the door we finally escape the cramped and empty apartment to outside. Unfortunately her escape is to a dark and dirty back alley still alone and still with Stevie. Finally we go forward in time where broken, Violet finally breaks her silence. Coincidentally this is also when we hit the main(?) street. Out of the alley with more space to breathe, Violet breathes her last in order for her children to breathe their first. The camera moves away and we see doors. Many, many doors. In fighting for those last steps forward outside of the alley, Violet has given her children a chance. All these opportunities and directions they can go. Unfortunately, as we all know, it was all an illusion. Just like Violet, they were not able to open any doors to escape. Trapped in the streets, the only directions being forward to the tales of Jenny and Screech. Or backwards to the tale of Violet.

@@markjason8124 fantastic observations!

@@PrymalChaos Thanks dude! I've just discovered your channel and I'm enjoying the few videos I've seen so far. Keep up the great work.

Creativity imagination communication and sanity/ strength in a mad mad world.

It's funny, when you pull back and look at the scene from afar, it's a grown man alone in a room talking to himself and glancing emotionally at an inanimate lens. However, somehow in the moment it absolutely feels like in some weird asynchronous time line, I am actually speaking directly to each one of you. It's not an act, in the moment it doesn't feel performative. It's really weird. I think as people we are often so used to emotionally connecting with people in unusual ways now, that it can be quite a similar experience whether you are face to face, over the phone, or even completely disconnected by time via a video camera. I've never really thought much about it till you brought this up! 😃🤘

It's brilliant right?!

I think I'll do that thank you!

How dare you not share him😂😂, im just jealous, I feel like I should have known about Ren, being from the UK, but I've lived in Australia 22 years now. Some things don't make it here. I'm just so thankful Hi Ren turned up on my YT homepage that day. Kudo's to KZfaq, they knew what the world needs in this aspect.

Thanks mate! What an awesome thing to say. I appreciate you watching.

The parallels were as clear as day, even with both pieces being wildly different. Both extraordinary story telling and poetry. I guess I always figured the days of the legendary, honest, authentic,, raconteur were behind us.

Hopefully his health picks up and he can continue blowing people's minds.

Wait! There's more!?

It's not often you discover an auteur the calibre of Tom Waits, I think Ren is this generation's best bet.

Thank you for the kind words!

@@PrymalChaos thanks for the reply. Oh, yeah, if you want another emotional song, go listen to Tool - Schism.

Dude. I talk a lot about artists pushing their experiences through their own prism and creating art. That could be the best example yet.

His attention to detail is exceptional. Even as he leans back on the garage door during the introduction it's in time.

Man that twist really stung. I was ready for the song to end, not to be dropped into an existential crisis.

100, miles above them, incredible really when you think about it

Glad someone is out there trying to change these kids lives. ❤️

He seems like he could have a penchant for cheekiness.

Very good catch! I was wondering about the meaning of the last line that the story ‘ends right at the start’

It highlights the cyclical nature of violence. But lyrical it ends right at the start, we started with Jenny dead in the street and it ends with screech dead in the street.

Absolute singular talent.

Yeah. Terrifying when you make the "high heels" connection.

@@PrymalChaos And when you realize he later refers to her as a “lady” (not a “girl”), suggesting she appears older than she is, be it due to hardship or deliberate makeup.

Haha. Yeah. That seems to be a fairly common experience. 🤗

May be the only curse word I've ever said on the channel.

Yeah. I think this is partly why I made the connection with Small Change. It's about the tragic lives of street hardened people. Boy is that brilliant poetry though, right?

RENegade RENaissance, just magic what he and his friends create.

Thanks Karri!

Oh yeah I got it. It hurt real bad! 😭😭 And they were both so young.