Taryn Haze Releases Debut EP Shattered: A Raw, Emotional First Chapter
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Shattered
With the release of her debut EP Shattered, Taryn Haze isn’t just introducing herself as an artist she’s opening a deeply personal chapter of her life and inviting listeners inside. The EP captures moments of emotional fracture, healing, and self-discovery, transforming real experiences into songs that feel both vulnerable and powerful.
“Releasing my EP Shattered was a huge accomplishment for me,” Taryn says. “Each song represents a specific time in my life, and putting the songs out into the world helped me finally release the emotions that I’ve been holding onto for so long.”
If Shattered has a unifying thread, it’s emotional honesty. The EP was born from a period of navigating complicated friendships and personal growth. “My EP Shattered portrays a period in my life where I had to work through relationship issues with several different friends and transform my feelings into songs that helped me through the healing process,” Taryn explains. The writing officially began while she was studying at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, where life, people, and pressure collided all at once. That environment became the catalyst for the EP’s creation.
Building The Sound
Despite how emotionally layered the EP feels, the songs came together quickly. “Each song was written in just a few nights,” Taryn says. “That allowed the EP to come together in a really raw and natural way.” Rather than over-polishing ideas, she leaned into instinct and emotion. “The writing process was incredibly freeing and exciting. I finally had the chance to capture all the thoughts and feelings I’d been holding onto and turn them into something catchy, energetic, and full of life.”
Shattered was recorded at Hear No Evil Studios in Orange, California, with the entire EP coming together in about a week of focused, six-hour studio days. “It was such a cool experience,” Taryn says. “Hearing everything come together in the final mastered versions was incredibly rewarding.”
One track in particular, “Your Reflection,” evolved dramatically in the studio. “I added layers of acoustic guitars, multiple bass tracks, and several pedal effects,” she explains. “I call it adding ‘spice or flavor’ to make the song sound the way I wanted.” Those added textures, including acoustic leads and even an 8-string bass, helped give the song its melancholic, immersive feel.
Gear That Shaped Shattered
Taryn’s tone on the EP blends clarity with grit. Her guitar lineup included a Schecter Cali Classic, a Schecter Nick Johnston model, and a Reverend Double Agent OG. On the amp side, she leaned on her producer’s 1974 Orange OR80 head, paired with Emperor and Framus cabinets, along with a Marshall head.
Pedal-wise, the JHS Sweet Tea and OCD v2 played a key role in shaping the EP’s dynamic guitar tones.
The most challenging moments came during vocal tracking. “Recording multiple layers of high harmony backing vocals was tough,” Taryn admits. “It took a lot of re-recording and definitely strained my voice.” Still, those moments paid off in the end. “The most rewarding part was hearing everything come together, plus working with my producer Elliott and his team. There were a lot of laughs in the studio.”
What Comes Next
Taryn hit the stage with Shattered for the first time January 22ed at the iconic Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard, where she performed the EP with her full band.
Looking ahead, she’s already writing new material and heading back into the studio in early March, with more shows planned around Los Angeles and Orange County.
As for collaborations, Taryn draws inspiration from artists like Deftones, Kami Kehoe, Maggie Lindemann, and The Warning, and hopes to share a stage with them someday.
A Message to Listeners
For those who connect deeply with Shattered, Taryn keeps her message simple and honest: “Stay true to yourself and your feelings. Trust your gut, if something doesn’t feel right with people in your life, your gut doesn’t lie.”
With Shattered, Taryn Haze delivers a debut that’s unfiltered, emotional, and confident, a strong first step that suggests there’s much more still to come.
