By Scout Nicholson / The Jambar
Trent Kliner, senior biochemistry major at Youngstown State University, has created music under the moniker “not equal to” since 2020. He released his debut, alternative album, “A Slow Dance of Time,” on Feb. 22.
Kliner first started out under the name Darkness Within the Pages, with his first two albums titled “not equal to.” The music has since been removed from streaming platforms.
“I started off doing like heavier stuff and more electronic stuff. It’s this genre called industrial music that I was experimenting with for the longest time,” Kliner said. “I’ve been doing a lot more like indie stuff, too. So I came to this really weird journey to end up doing a lot of softer music.”
Throughout his musical journey, he has improved his vocals. Kliner said that singing has always been natural and comfortable to him.
“I was never like afraid to sing, per se. I’m afraid to like give speeches or even like [interviews] is a little nerve wracking to me sometimes. But, I was always comfortable with performing and singing,” Kliner said.
Kliner’s first single, “The One I Share,” was released in 2022. He then released two more singles and an EP titled “LOVE, Vol. 1.”
Later that year, he released “MAYBE I WANT TO GROW,” which he marketed around campus.
“I actually posted flyers for this around campus,” Kliner said. “I put up a piece of paper around the bridges and stuff like that, and it was so stupid. It worked, it worked really well, and I hate that it did. But I had a picture of Barney on it, and it said, ‘Do you like Barney?’ I was like, ‘Cool. Here’s my music.’ It had nothing to do with the music at all. But it caught people’s attention.”
Kliner’s recent album was three years in the works, focusing on his growth. Kliner said the sound is alternative grunge, with inspiration from ‘90s band Everclear.
“I kind of wanted to just open everything up on this record. I wanted to just not hold back [and] talk about anything that I was afraid of talking about on this record. I wanted it to be a very raw album. I tried to keep it very underproduced, but still listenable. Kind of like ‘90s stuff,” Kliner said.
A majority of Kliner’s music has a melancholic tone, but he said through the sadness, a glimmer of hope shines through.
Outside of his solo work, Kliner is the lead vocalist of the band Mayzie, a Youngstown-based group.
“I like it a lot because I’m not ever burnt out from one thing. I can kind of jump to the other thing,” Kliner said. “It’s nice having the crutch of the other people in those other two projects because they can write something, and then I’ll be inspired to write the rest of it.”
Kliner will perform with Mayzie on Aug. 15 at Westside Bowl. For more on Kliner, those interested can check out not equal to on Spotify and Apple Music.
