Coyle Girelli: Songs, Soul, and the Long Road to Out of This Town

On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with singer-songwriter Coyle Girelli for a conversation about melody, singing, collaboration, and the experiences that have shaped his songwriting. We spend a lot of time talking about his album Out of This Town and its deluxe edition, a collection with an unusual history that stretches back roughly a decade and grew out of his remarkable songwriting partnership with the late Mac Davis.

Coyle talks about meeting Mac after Mac saw him perform “Champion” with The Chevin on Letterman, and how their connection quickly developed into a prolific writing partnership. The songs often came together in an hour or two, but the experience had a lasting effect on Coyle. He describes his songwriting life as essentially “pre- and post-Mac,” crediting Mac with teaching him to pay closer attention to the craft and care behind every part of a song.

We also get into Coyle’s wide range of musical influences, his obsession with melody, and the quality he hears connecting artists as different as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Nirvana, Puccini, and Verdi: soul. For Coyle, great music ultimately comes down to sincerity, believing the song and communicating something genuinely human through it.

Coyle also shares stories from his years of collaborating with other artists and songwriters, including Linda Perry, Amy Allen, LP, and others, as well as the unexpected journey of BTS recording one of his songs. We talk about his move from Yorkshire to New York, the pressures of working within the major-label system, his approach to recording vocals, and why he prefers to capture performances before overthinking them.

We close with a fascinating look at Calm + Collected, the music group Coyle co-founded to support artists working in jazz, classical, ambient, wellness, and other listening spaces. That leads us into a broader conversation about streaming, the changing music business, artificial intelligence, albums, and why Coyle believes that no matter how technology changes, people will continue to need music made by other human beings.

Key Takeaways

• Coyle sees melody as one of the central elements of his musical life, both as a songwriter and as a listener.

• Working with Mac Davis fundamentally changed the way Coyle approached songwriting, adding a deeper level of attention and craftsmanship to instincts he had already developed.

• Out of This Town was never originally conceived as an album. It emerged naturally from Coyle and Mac spending time together and writing songs, some of which were completed in only an hour or two.

• The album’s long journey ultimately led to Sun Records, a fitting home given Mac Davis’ connection to Elvis Presley and Sun’s place in music history.

• Writing with artists and songwriters including Linda Perry, Amy Allen, and LP helped Coyle expand his creative vocabulary and reinforced his belief that every collaboration offers something to learn.

• As a singer, Coyle prefers capturing vocals in one or two takes, believing that overthinking or oversinging can gradually diminish the performance.

• Despite enormous changes in technology, distribution, streaming, and AI, Coyle believes the essential purpose of music remains unchanged: one human translating experience and emotion into sound for another human to receive.

Music from the Episode

Out of This Town - Coyle Girelli
It Only Hurts When I'm Awake - Coyle Girelli
Lost To the River - Coyle Girelli (with KT Tunstall)

About the Podcast

The Bandwich Tapes is a podcast about music, the people who make it, and the experiences that shape their creative lives. I sit down with musicians, songwriters, producers, and other artists for thoughtful conversations about craft, collaboration, careers, influences, and the stories behind the music.

Connect with the Show

contact@thebandwichtapes.com