[My new album is finally done. Weighing in at 9 tracks, Never Doing That Again feels like a hopeless sketchbook.
In my desire for being as stoic as possible without being intimidating, I found a sonic sweet spot that was groovy, industrial and cathartic all at the same time. I didn't want the verse-chorus-verse format, I didn't want sentimentality. I didn't want the music to speak like rock but I wanted it to sound like it. Pulling from Industrial and Desert Rock, with a dash of grunge and the intricacy of indie, I made what I wanted to hear as a fan of that music but also as someone who was so bored of it at the same time. I left a lot of rock behind, I pulled what I felt had potential for me. Everything else came from other things I loved. Video game music, for one, was a massive influence.
I grew up an art student in the suburbs of Connecticut. My friends were always video game nerds and I grew up playing Need for Speed Underground and Sonic Adventure 2. In college it largely was the same but instead we were playing Smash Bros and I was playing DOOM and Final Fantasy on my own. I'm not a rebellious "rock and roller". The music comes from that.
Rage and Peace are at the center of the music's emotional core. Though it's serious I kind of wanted it to feel like a meme. To have a sarcastic, passive aggressive edge. Zany. Keeping it simple and direct was important too. On occasion, it finds a moment of peace. Always stoic.
This feels different for me. I never thought I'd make music that sounds like this. I'm fighting my gut a lot on this. I don't feel comfortable with where it is yet but there are some very fun moments on here. I wanted the music to have fun. Be unaware. At the same time, it captures the frustrations of waking up realizing my whole life rotted in the closet. It's flipping the table.
I said I'd never do that again, so this was the first step. It simply is]
[NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN] is available now.