Weaver at the Loom on his basement album, Before Now, Was Then

Dan Smith: Are you talking about Adam Young from Owl City? I think we have different sounds and different approaches musically, but we may have similar work flows or lifestyles. I'm pretty reclusive as a person. I hibernate a lot. It just makes sense to work isolated in a familiar environment. From what I have heard through the grapevine, Adam Young is somewhat similar. I think it all just comes down to comfort. Creativity and performance can flow freely in a comfortable environment. For me that is my own personal space, i.e. my basement studio. I wanted that freedom and harmony to be present in the record. I figured setting up shop in my own sanctuary type atmosphere would be a proactive decision. I don't think self-producing is always best, or for everybody, but it seems to work for me. It definitely depends how you interact musically. Some people feed off of the moment and other musicians best. The collective group becomes something far greater than the individuals on their own. It is that magic "Beatles" phenomenon. I work kind of the opposite. I will start with a general idea or vision for a song and it is difficult for me to flesh it out in a group situation. It took me a long time realize this. For some people the band dynamic is catalytic, but for me it seems to be paralyzing. I miss the camaraderie off a band, experiencing success and failure together. But I work best alone and I think understanding yourself is the first step to truly actualizing your potential as an artist.   

It was definitely intentional. I naturally gravitate towards that kind of sonic landscape sound. I don't think there is anything more to it than why some people like the color blue and some like green. It just resonates and feels natural to me. Post-rock was really my first musical love, I think I will always take some influence from it. Sigur Ros was basically a paradigm in my life, as well as Radiohead. Those two are permanent influences, but I was listening to a lot of things while recording the record: Elliott Smith, M83, the Killers, the Beatles, a whole bunch of film composers, Mogwai, the Album Leaf, Magnet, and many more.

There was a large gap and many significant life changes that occurred between the first record and this record. The title was my way of addressing the change and progression. It is basically a trivial statement about the past and present. It is meant to imply that the present and past are equally significant, but that the past is forever gone but the present is always...well...present, I guess. It is important not to let the past determine your future. I wanted this record to be its own beast without pressure to compete with the previous release. I felt it was also metaphorical for the progression of my own life. I didn't feel like the same version of the person who wrote the previous release. It just felt dishonest to pretend and try to replicate it.  

I didn't really feel the pressure of a sophomore slump, after all, it wasn't like I was going up against a platinum record or anything. I was just competing with an EP I wrote throughout college. But I did feel pressure that the adult world was unavoidable and the cubical was waiting to catch my fall. I needed the record to succeed and that was definitely a source of stress and urgency. Musically, the record was noticeably different than the previous release. My main focus was to bring a new rhythmic energy to the sound. I wanted a complex rhythm section to contrast the drawn out drones of the ambience. This all formed the backdrop and pulse. On top, I wanted solid song structures. I have always believed that a song should stand on its own. But it is also fun to start with a strongly defined structure, flesh it out, and then pull out the main supports and see what happens. If things go right, you can kind of get the song to "float." That was the sound I wanted to bring to the record.   

They all have moments that I find sentimental. But I think the last track "Never Really Dying (But Going To Live)" is my personal favorite. 

Locally, I really admire Justin Vernon, Dan Wilson, Cloud Cult, and Halloween, Alaska. But if we are talking internationally and about a "dying wish" type scenario, it would be my dream to work with Thom Yorke or Jonsi Birgisson.

I don't want to put to much importance on the statement, since in reality I think it is mainly a reflection of my aversion to social network bio sections haha. But on the other hand, looking into it a little more, I think it is an accurate statement about my interests. After doing my undergrad in philosophy, I started to become very aware of my own incurable ignorance. I always wanted to figure out everything when I was younger, but I quickly realized that is impossible. Something about love and progress always seemed to ring true for some reason though. Something about those two things always seemed important.