It was in my head, and I was singing it walking through the garage. That’s one of the few times I can remember where I was and what I was doing when I came up with something. But I didn’t have lyrics, and I didn’t have a melody for the vocal part yet. It was all very abstract until I found that Louvin Brothers structure. Then, once I had that, it was like, “Okay, this is the song.” I don’t remember if I had the words or the melody. I might have had a couple of lines, but I don’t think I had the whole thing yet. It’s weird how it all seems very abstract until it’s not, and then it’s very clear. I had the structure, and it’s a little bit of a mess. It’s not very well tied together, but once I found that Louvin Brothers thing, I was like, “Oh, okay. This is how it’s going to work.”
Classic Rock/Reggae
‘Boca Raton’ is such a standout track, with that classic rock feel. Can you talk a bit about the influence of classic rock on the album, and specifically that song?
That was one of the first songs where I thought, “Oh, okay, I’m going to do a country record.” There’s no country on the record, but that was the first one that really pushed it in that direction. I’d gotten into the Louvin Brothers around that time, and I was really into that one record of theirs I was talking about. I was also listening to a lot of old country music, and I really liked the idea of doing a country record. I just couldn’t figure out how to do it without it being too sentimental. I didn’t want to do something that felt too earnest in that way. That’s where a lot of the electronic stuff came in. It was a way to have that kind of feeling without it being too on the nose, I guess. ‘Boca Raton’ in particular – that one’s interesting because it started as an electronic thing. It had a country feel, but it wasn’t a country song. It was more like a reggae song but with that classic rock feel. It’s funny because I think if you were to take out the drums and put in a drum machine, it would sound like a reggae song. But with the drums, it sounds like classic rock. It’s a funny one that way.
There are a few other tracks on the album where that classic rock influence comes through, like ‘Hollerin’ in the Mountains’ and ‘Venom’s In’. How did you approach blending those genres and sounds together?
It’s just the stuff I like. I like classic rock, and I like reggae. I like country music, and I like electronic music. I like all these things, so I try to put them together in a way that makes sense to me. I don’t really think about it too hard. I just try to make it sound good to me. I don’t know if it does or not, but that’s what I’m trying to do. ‘Hollerin’ in the Mountains’ is like that – it’s got a little bit of a country feel, but it’s also a little bit reggae. It’s also a little bit electronic. It’s just all the stuff I like kind of pushed together into one thing. I don’t really think about blending the genres too much. I just try to make it sound good to me.
His songs are so catchy and direct, and I feel like he was just a master at distilling a feeling or an idea into a song. I think that’s what I was going for with this record – trying to strip things back and get to the core of what I was trying to say. And I definitely think Hank Williams is a master at that. It’s funny, because I didn’t grow up listening to Hank Williams – I got into him much later. But once I did, it really changed the way I thought about songwriting. It’s like, “Oh, you can do so much with so little.” And I feel like that’s the beauty of his music, and something I tried to capture on this record. But I think that idea of it being this shared experience is really important to me. It’s why I like talking to people at shows. I want to know what this stuff means to them. I’m curious about what they’re getting out of it or what they think I’m getting out of it. It’s all kind of this big, messy, beautiful conversation that we’re all having together. And I think that’s what keeps me doing it. It’s not about trying to make a perfect representation of myself. It’s about connecting with people and sharing something meaningful with them. And if that changes their impression of me or reshapes it in some way, then that’s just part of the process.”
Solo quiero decir que estoy apuntando a un punto que existe en un espacio entre la audiencia y yo.
Como que vale la pena el esfuerzo, incluso si el objetivo es no pensar tan conscientemente al respecto?
Sí, siento que el trabajo tiene que ser su propia recompensa. Obtiene todo lo que necesito de él sin siquiera enviarlo a alguien más para que lo escuche. Pero sí, la parte de la percepción es escurridiza para mí. Especialmente siendo un viejo, y siento que esto es un juego de jóvenes, así que se vuelve cada vez más confuso para mí.
¿Es algo que se hunde alrededor del lanzamiento y la gira, o también cuando estás en tu espacio creando cosas?
Es solo percepción. Hacer las cosas ha sentido lo mismo, me alegra decirlo. Es algo de lo que Josh y yo hablamos porque empezamos a hacer cosas juntos cuando éramos adolescentes. Se siente igual, exactamente la misma sensación de… no es exactamente satisfacción o contentamiento. Supongo que es la sensación de que hay un propósito en ello. Hay algo que se siente muy bien al respecto. Estás apuntando a esta cosa y no estás seguro si alcanzarás la meta, y cuando lo haces, se siente como todo. No necesito nada más de eso. Es por eso que vuelvo a ello todos los días. Si no lo hago durante unos días, me pongo realmente irritable, a veces oscuro. Así que en este punto, es una especie de prueba de que existo, de alguna manera. Sé que suena elevado, pero es como una rutina o un ritual.
Esta entrevista ha sido editada y condensada para mayor claridad y longitud.
Sinister Grift de Panda Bear ya está disponible a través de Domino.
Sinister Grift de Panda Bear