Hi! Your song “10 a.m.” seems to have a very personal backstory. Could you share more about the conversation with Andy that inspired it and how it shaped the song’s lyrics?
A: “It is definitely a very personal song to me. We had just finished tracking on that night in particular – around 3 am as was per usual during the recording process for this EP – and somehow the topic of dreams came up. I remember describing how I’d dreamt of being a father and living in a whole different city in a different house with a wife and kids. I sort of joked that I was probably a father in a past life…for some reason that really ended up resonating with me and that idea permeated into what you hear now.”
In “10 a.m.,” you explore themes of fatherhood and identity. How do these themes reflect your personal journey, and what do you hope listeners take away from this exploration?
A: “My parents were married and had already had a kid by the time they were my age and the idea of having a family at that time, or even now, just feels so incredibly far away and strange. It made me feel very vulnerable – not necessarily in a good or bad way – but it did make me look at my own relationship with my family differently and opened a dialogue that I don’t think I was ready to have with my family until that moment.”
“The Blessing (or the Curse) of being incredibly vulnerable to those around me is something that I value in myself. My hope is that the listener takes away that being vulnerable about who you are, what you deal with, what you love, and who you love, can be a very rewarding way to live. In the book of my life, some of my favorite pages in life have just been conversations with people…about being vulnerable and honest with how we feel.
Don’t ever be afraid to feel the pain of who you are.”
You mentioned that “10 a.m.” is a song of both despair and hope. How did you approach the challenge of balancing these two contrasting emotions in your music and lyrics?
A: “I think the verses conveyed so much desperation that the song naturally needed to release…and that’s what you hear in the choruses. They are a genuine moment of much-needed relief from me being so self-critical. The hope comes in that release. I think crying out and telling the world? “it’s a lie” can be very freeing.”
Who are some of the musical artists or genres that have influenced your work, particularly in the creation of “10 a.m.”?
A: “I don’t usually think about those sorts of things when I’m starting to write something, but I definitely had The Beach Boys in the back of my mind for sure. Once I wrote that keys part at the top of the song and put the 60’s kinda doo-wop beat behind it, I had a much better idea of where this track was going.”
Can you describe your songwriting process? How do you typically go from an initial idea or conversation, like the one you had with Andy, to a completed song?
A: “Funnily enough with “10 a.m.”, by the time I began work on the song I had forgotten that conversation with Andy, and as it usually goes with my process, I start with laying down most of the arrangement at first. Then, once I get a steady idea for the melody I just free verse over the mic for a while. The line “You know I used to be a father/in a past life” came out on the first go around of this part of the process.
I love discovering things subconsciously…that was a really special moment hearing that line back for the first time. I think it goes to show the power of discovering the idea instead of consciously constructing it. I don’t really ever expect anything when laying down those first couple of vocal takes, and yet those seem to be the ones we tend to keep!
Finally, I stop working on the track and let what I’ve done marinate in my head for a while. Then, I bring it to Andy and see how he feels about it. Once we’re both stoked on it, it’s pretty much full speed ahead.”
“10 a.m.” touches on grieving a fleeting childhood. How has reflecting on your childhood influenced your artistry and the themes you choose to explore in your music?
A: “I think as young adults, most of us experience this in some way or another. Personally, I know that I didn’t appreciate my childhood as much as I probably should have and likewise am probably not appreciating my life right now as much as I should. I think I create in a sphere of constant yearning that seems to never die, and I find it’s that yearning that makes us human.”
Are there any themes or stories you’re eager to explore in your future music projects that you haven’t tackled yet?
A: “Lately, I have started to toy with incorporating surrealism into my music. It’s always been a favorite art form of mine and now I think I’m finally ready to move in that direction.”
You mentioned Andy in the context of “10 a.m.” Is collaborating with others a significant part of your music-making process, and are there any artists you dream of collaborating with in the future?
A: “Collaborating with Andy specifically is definitely a significant, if not critical part of my process. I don’t really collaborate with anyone else. Andy is truly the only person I’ve ever found who lets me fully be myself artistically, as well as someone who I would claim as a brother. He not only has the expertise but also the innate ability to see where I’m coming from with every idea and he possesses an honesty that you’d be lucky to have in a lifetime as an artist.
As far as collaborations go, I’d really love to make something with Alex Turner, as he’s been sort of a mentor from afar in my short career as a solo artist. There’s Kevin Parker, Men I Trust, Beach House, as well as electronic artists such as Eli & Fur or Ben Bohmer. I also really love ambient electronic music and make it for fun myself. I feel like we’d all have a great time.”
How do you feel your music has evolved since you began your career, and where do you see it going in the next few years?
A: “It’s pretty crazy to think that I released my first single only about 2 years ago. It feels like a lifetime has gone by since then. In that time I’ve grown so significantly as an artist and as a person and, I cannot wait to see what 5 years has in store for me.
I’m never shy about my goals. This next year I’m working on signing an indie label deal and the plan is to start making records and touring full time…that’s something I’m very excited about.”
Beyond music, what are some personal goals or aspirations you have for the future, and how might they influence your artistic direction?
A: “I think my personal goals reflect my artistic ones. Through this process, I hope to become a source of light for the hurting, a better son, brother, and father someday (if that happens lol). I am lucky enough to feel very deeply, and I truly hope that anyone who listens to my music or knows me personally will find me as someone they can always come to with anything, big or small. Artistically, the hope is that these all align to deeper and better records as time goes along.”