Congratulations on the release of your new single and video "take no requests.” Describe for us your creative process during the development of this song.

I’m currently listening to the earliest demo I have of what became “take no requests,” and these are my observations: The hook is already there, albeit slightly underdeveloped. In its initial form, the song had a lone verse and a litany of empty space. The vibe, however, was there from the very beginning. Admittedly, I was not in a very solid headspace when I wrote the bulk of this initial batch of Batshit songs, though I’ve recently been able to take quantifiable amounts of solace in these songs with the added benefit of hindsight.

For me, at least the Me that’s speaking to you now, “take no requests” sounds like someone who is scrambling to find a new way to feel the unique high that can only honestly be achieved through packing into a van or similarly sized vehicle and taking a road trip in pursuit of a clearly defined artistic goal. So, in that sense, the song dabbles in nostalgia, yes, but is ultimately—at least according to how I’m feeling at this exact moment—a document of the internal battle any writer faces when thinking about age and legacy and influence and related matters of poppycockery. If anything, I like to think it only approaches nostalgia from a cautionary perspective.

What about the Trash app made it the right tool for you and Morgan Martin when working on the "take no requests" music video?

I’m not entirely sure how I first stumbled upon the Trash app, but I do know that I was quickly enamored with it. I used it frequently during the recording sessions for the inaugural batch of Batshit songs, and was thrilled to be asked to participate in the first wave of AI-edited music video experiments over the summer.

Using this opportunity to craft a video for “take no requests” made almost too much sense, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The reaction to the video has been nothing short of overwhelming, and none of it would have been possible without Morgan’s complementary vision and the Trash app team’s continued support.

What can you tell us about the upcoming album you're working on? Does it have a title yet and will "take no requests" be on the track list?

The album is tentatively titled ‘Exactly’ and has actually been completed for quite some time now. 10 songs were recorded during marathon sessions at Tinshaktu in Carrollton, Georgia and Jan Smith Studios in Atlanta in 2019. Initially, I was hell-bent on just releasing the album in its entirety with no attempts at doing the whole extended rollout thing but Jesse Owen Astin—who produced, mixed, and mastered the album (and is also a well-documented voice of reason)—ultimately convinced me that I’d probably feel a greater sense of accomplishment if the songs were given a little more room to breathe.

Then, in the middle of releasing a song at a time at roughly a monthly pace, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing fuck-up of a response from the White House hit everyone. So I decided to pause the release of singles for a bit. All of that resumes this month, however, and—to actually answer the rest of your question—“take no requests” is indeed on the album!

My current plan, though this could easily change within 15 minutes, is to have all 10 of those songs (and their corresponding instrumentals) bundled together for a release by early November at the latest. Leading up to that, expect a handful of videos and other social distancing-inspired transmissions from my ongoing attempt at living my own version of The Art Life.

What are some things that inspire your creativity when working on new music?

This is a nearly impossible question to answer retroactively, so I’ll just detail what’s been inspiring me as of late: the forced isolation of COVID-19, the numerical importance of age (I turned 33 earlier this year), a more disciplined approach to libations, transcendental meditation’s ultimate victory over transcendental trepidation, a litany of therapy apps, and far too much more to name here.

With "take no requests" now released, what's next for you musically?

Expect a couple more singles—including “One More Time” later this month—before the full album hits streaming. As mentioned earlier, the album will also include instrumentals for each songs, which I think is a generous offering, though the average listener may find such an addition to be wholly inconsequential. Who knows?

Regardless, I’m quite excited to immediately move forward after these songs are out in the world. I’ve already written and demoed what currently feels like at least two albums’ worth of new songs. I’m also aiming to release a series of new short stories in the fall.

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