Kenny Truhn – “Mandarin”

September 23rd, 2019

A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kenny Truhn to discuss “Mandarin”, his remarkable, newly released double sided album. I first met Kenny a year or so back at a music event in Farmingdale. At that time, he was playing with a different band and had a very different sound. When that came to an end, Kenny spent some months to himself, deciding what his next musical venture would be. It was in those difficult months that “Mandarin” was created and Kenny Truhn graced Long Island with one of the best albums released in years!

When the project that Kenny was working on prior to this album came to an end, he lost a lot more than just a band. This led him to go into some dark times. For months, Kenny kept himself tucked away, writing songs that related to his ongoing struggles while fully engulfed in the self-healing process. It was during these months that he was able to pinpoint the sound and style he wanted to achieve with this new album. Kenny took inspiration from those losses while writing this album. “Because of what happened, everything I had and knew was now lost. It was like, ‘now what do I do?’ And then I realized, ‘this is what I do. This album.”

“Mandarin” was all done within Kenny’s bedroom. Besides the help of a few close friends, Kenny really took on each role that entails creating an album. This is no easy feat. Typically when writing/recording an album, roles are delegated to different people and everyone know’s what they are supposed to do. Kenny took the opposite approach, leaving most of the work solely on himself. While some people might think this is crazy, I greatly appreciate this. The true passion and dedication that Kenny felt while creating this album allowed him to take on multiple roles, adding more responsibility to his plate. Knowing that most of the work was done alone is amazing. We all know of well established and/or signed bands that have all the tools at their fingertips and their albums still end up sounding like shit. “Mandarin” sounds amazing and flows perfectly. Seriously, hats off to Kenny for putting this together!

As I mentioned earlier, “Mandarin” is a double sided album. In a time where most people love things short and sweet and crave instant gratification, it isn’t always easy to sell a full length album, let alone a double sided album with 20 tracks! Kenny Truhn did a phenomenal job on this album. Every song hits home so well. The lyrics are deep and relatable. They are sad and gloomy at times, and upbeat and hopeful at others. No matter what, there is at least one song that you will be undoubtably relate to. Because the album consists of 20 tracks, I’m going to focus on a few from each side.

“Mandarin (Side:A)” has a darker, angrier and edgier sound. Kenny describes it as a “representation of when I was wounded”. My top three songs from the first half of this album are Out of the Blue, Nobody Answered, and Mandarin. I love everything about this album, but Out of the Blue might be my favorite track. Kenny poured his heart and soul into these raw, genuine, lyrics. I especially enjoy his darker, grungier vocals that represents his wounded spirit at the time. “It’s been a little past a week since I heard from you, trail is dusty in my rear view, no. Hold the pain inside and put it out like a fire, before it spreads too wild. It was out of the blue, you were feeling it to. So what are you gonna do, the next time that this happens to you?” “(Side:A)” continues on with Nobody Answered. What I love about this song is how fast and seemingly upbeat the instrumentals are yet the lyrics represent a sad story. This is a talent that Kenny has that I love. When you think of a sad song, you typically think of slow, sad sounding instrumentals. It is impressive how Kenny can pair sad lyrics with upbeat instrumentals and create an infectious sound! The other track that caught my attention immediately is the album titled track, Mandarin. Kenny stated that this a top track on the project for him. “What this song represents is that its time to dust yourself off and keep going. Kinda stop dwelling in the pain, stop mourning the loss and get on with it. The album has only been out for a week and people are really connecting with it lyrically, especially Mandarin”.

“Mandarin (Side:B)” is a very different vibe from the first half of the album. This is where Kenny was able to show his progress within his own mental state and prove he has finally begun to move on, something you learn that he had been trying desperately to do when you listen to the lyrics on “(Side:A)”. My top three tracks on the second half of the album are Winding Roads, In the Fog, and Bump in the Night. Winding Roads is an instant favorite for me because the vibe is so different than the entire rest of the album. While he incorporated upbeat styles throughout the album, this is the one song where I can’t help but smile every time I hear it. The fun nature of the instrumentals are contagious and make me want to dance around and sing my heart out. In the Fog is another favorite of mine because it has this somewhat hip hop/rock sound that you can’t help but nod your head along with. This song will absolutely be a fan favorite as well. The chorus is simple and catchy, and there is no doubt in my mind that fans will be singing along to it at every show. “I’m in the thick of it, I’m in the fog” will be heard from every one in attendance at any of his shows! Bump in the Night is the other song that immediately had me hooked on this second half of the album. The way Kenny Truhn strums the guitar creates this sound that is similar to a beat you would hear on an album from A Tribe Called Quest. God damn this song is a banger!

Seriously, what more can I say. Kenny Truhn released an absolutely masterpiece of an album. If you didn’t know of him before, you surely will now. I fully anticipate this album to open up a ton of doors for him. What a classic! Follow Kenny Truhn on social media to stay up to date, and make sure you check out all the songs mentioned in this article on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!