Hi! What inspired you to write “Faces,” and how did the idea for the song develop?
A: “Faces” was one of those songs where I wanted to create a story to explore the idea of a relationship based on obscurity and deceit, while showing that the love the writer holds for this person is still so strong. Once I had the idea for the line “trying on all of your faces” I was able to run with it and create a story around it, and the song was pretty much finished within a day after that!
“Faces” explores unexpected sides of people—was it based on a personal experience or observation?
A: This song was based on observation. I love this question because I often talk about how I’m either writing from experience or creating a character, putting myself in their shoes and creating a story around them. Faces was definitely the latter!
How was the creative process working with Dawson Gamble and Matthew Mondello on this track?
A: It was incredible. I pretty much had all of the writing / main guitar parts done when they had come onto this track as producers, but once they did they both opened up my mind to so many cool ideas for this track and helped shape the vision in such an amazing way. Dawson primarily focused on the guitar / bass side of production and Matthew was dealing mainly with percussion, I took care of all that was in-between. We had such a smooth creation process for the final master and I’m so grateful I got to work with my best friends for this track.
You’ve called “Faces” one of your favorite songs—what makes it so special to you?
A: I think the creative direction and the genre influence is what attracts me most to this song, there are just certain tracks I make and I think “wow I’d love to keep making music that sounds like this”. I really gravitate towards indie rock / alternative music and honestly anything that gets me away from base level pop. Don’t get me wrong, I love making a pop song every now and then but for the most part I find that my best lyrics, story telling and melodies come from making songs in the same universe as Faces.
How did it feel performing “Faces” live for the first time at the Horseshoe Tavern?
A: That was an incredible feeling. It was also my first time playing an unreleased song live as well and that’s such a cool feeling because you just know that no one has heard it, you have no idea if any one likes it yet and you’re basically testing a product in front of a live audience and hoping people like it. It’s a scary but beautiful feeling and I was so happy with the response we received.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take away from “Faces”?
A: I suppose this song is for anyone who is struggling with perception within their relationships, whether that be their perception of themselves or the one that they are with. It’s not always easy showing who you truly are to someone, even if you are in love and I think this song shows the extremity of that situation, two people who have lost sight of each other so deeply that the writer can’t even figure out who the person is anymore. Be honest, be open and don’t put display a version of yourself that is not true to you just to make others happy.
How do you approach blending catchy melodies with introspective lyrics in your songwriting?
A: Like many artists, I’m always creating melodies before knowing the direction of the song lyrically. Once I have a melody, finding lyrics / words that fit perfectly into it is a challenge and a privilege, sometimes it can make so much sense and flow so easily out of you into this perfect display of connecting words, and sometimes it can have you pulling out your hair trying to figure it out. In time they usually end up working with each other to tell your story, but until then there can be some serious road blocks within the writing process!
How did the audience react to “Faces,” and did it match your expectations?
A: I think it was received very well for our first time playing it and the crowd definitely matched my expectations. Even though it was unreleased and no one knew the words it still felt like everyone was into it and it made me so happy to see that, especially because of how much I love that song.
How has your sound evolved since your earlier releases, and where do you see it going?
A: In the early years of releasing music I really wouldn’t know how to explain my genre, I think I was really struggling with my identity as an artist and I had no idea what I wanted to be making consistently. Since then, I feel that my sound has evolved a lot more into the indie rock / alternative pop universe, however I feel like that happened very naturally just through me making exactly what I wanted to in the moment, not because I was trying to make anything specifically.
Can you share any details about your upcoming sophomore EP and what fans can anticipate?
A: This next EP is the best music I’ve ever made and I’m so excited for people to hear that. I suppose you can expect a lot more big electric guitars, killer drum parts and catchy hooks but I’ll leave that to you to decide!
Listening to songs so you don’t have to! Just kidding :D, you totally should. Music blogger by day, nurse by night
