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Interview: JUNO Award-Winner Danny Miles (July Talk) Taps Into Pure Instinct on Rowdy Alt Rap Track, “Not Gonna Fit In”

August 7, 2025
William Brookson
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Following his evolution as a creative force as drummer of JUNO Award–winning band July Talk, through to the release of his debut solo album, Beautiful Music, and its reinvention as The Ruined Version, featuring collaborations with artists like Shad, Saukrates, Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Moka Only and Aquakultre, Danny Miles has established himself as an eclectic and collaboration focused musician who exists beyond traditional genres.

“Not Gonna Fit In” finds Miles crashing back on the scene with a wild, inventive, and unapologetically honest track that fuses alternative and experimental rap with fuzzed-out, live-band energy and fearless songwriting.

Riding a rumbling beat built from vinyl chops, distorted live drums, and even the sampled sound of a power drill, the track is a chaotic-yet-focused anthem that thumbs its nose at conformity and revels in it. It’s loud. It’s unfiltered. It’s got cat meows buried in the mix. And somehow, it all works.
“I was feeling that people were following a lot of trends,” says Miles. “It’s always been the case, but I feel like we’ve lost some of our uniqueness. Everything is just kind of being gobbled up like fast food and then forgotten. I wanted to push against that, while still being real about people – their good and bad sides.”

1. What did you enjoy most about the recording process of this new release?

I enjoyed how much artistic freedom the process has had since it’s all recorded at my home studio. I have been working  on the album with one of my best friends in the world Ben Rispin and the project has been so immediately rewarding for both of us. We sometimes spend 12 hours working on a song but it feels like 2 hours because we are having so much fun and I think that comes through in the music.  

2. Share a nugget of advice that has resonated with you most over the years.

I think when artists say “make music that’s true to you and for yourself and don’t worry about what people will think” is great advice. I feel like the best music comes out of working that way and it’s always so much fun working on something that feels true to who you are in the moment. It can also be a bit emotionally painful depending on the subject matter but I think it’s great therapy to let all of those feelings out in a real creative way. 

3. Who would be your dream artist/band to co-headline a tour with?

Viagra Boys for sure.

4. What sets your music apart from others in your genre?

I think people are having a hard time figuring out what genre this album is and that makes me happy. It doesn’t seem to always be celebrated because it feels like there is a need to put artists in a familiar box right now but a lot my all time favourite artists and bands are genre bending and create new and exciting music and sounds. 

5. Tell us what your favourite song is at the moment and why?

A friend just sent me this song Debbie Debbie by an artist Gary Wilson and I love it. It’s so original and weird. It came out in 2004 but it’s new to me!

The song marks a milestone for Miles – not just musically but personally. “This was the first song I made for this new direction. It’s also the first song I ever sang lead vocals on,” he shares. “I showed it to my friends Ben Rispin and Lee Reed – two people I really trust. They came over, I played it, and they immediately loved it. That was the start of something.”

The track, like the rest of Miles‘ recent work, was built in a hip-hop tradition: constructed like sample-based beats, but mostly using live instruments that he performed and twisted to sound sampled. It’s a smart, hybridized sound – grimy and rowdy but intentional and musical.

“I didn’t overthink it,” says Miles. “This whole collection of songs came out naturally. It’s honest, raw, and different – and that’s what I’m most proud of.”

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