Medium Build Speaks About The Inspiration Behind Latest Album, ‘Country’
Photo via Tori McGraw (@afterr.hourrs)
Medium Build shifted his focus and reflected on his past successes to create his latest album, “Country.” The raw and transparent record gives an insight into his personal ups and downs of life. “Country” was a push for him to reclaim making music for himself without feeling outside pressures and influences on his art. Medium Build played two sold-out nights at The Bowery Ballroom.
We sat down before his first Bowery show on June 21st to talk about the latest album.
Regarding the new album, you said that you wanted this album to have your DNA on it. I was wondering what the inspiration was behind the album? What about this point in your life inspired you to look back and make an album that encapsulates your life?
I think when I said DNA, I felt a little bit of a pressure once we started doing well and signed with the major label and stuff to let a lot of people in. I don't think that the industry intentionally tries to neuter people's projects, but once you're kind of buzzing and they're like, “oh, do you want to go do this with somebody else?” They keep trying to cross pollinate you. But what I find happens during that process is your sauce gets watered down, right? You don't need to go find out what 50 other people do to know what you do. And so for me, I feel like as I noticed the opportunity to go get other people's sauce, I wanted to double down on me. So it was almost like a reaction, an overreaction. We're doing the label dance. We got the thing, started touring, people are paying attention. And then it's like, “okay, what do you want to do?” And I was like, “I want everyone to kind of fuck off so I can find out who I am again.” The year leading up to the label signing was just so many meetings and new friends and new co-writes and new producers. Totally drained, lost kind of the vision of what I was doing. So I had to go back and listen to my old shit, read my old writings, and be like, “ok, what am I trying to do here?” I was able to redirect and be like, “I want to make something that feels kind of stripped, and make sure it's honest.” I don't want to overthink it because all my old shit that got me to where I am was bedroom demos. Not overthinking. It was just like write, make the beat, and move on.
The album kind of felt a little bit more raw and stripped down in terms of production and the sound. It didn't feel overproduced. Sonically, did you have an idea as a whole on how you wanted to make the album sound? Or did each song just come out that way?
Very broadly, yeah, I wanted it to have a simple sort of cabin-y feel. Which is, I feel, overused, but I wanted it to feel live, like you were in the room with us. Definitely some other vibes got thrown in and we ended up chasing some different vibes. I don't know, I wanted it to feel like I'm sitting in a living room listening to three people fuck around. Simple to the point. Not slick. Definitely not slick.
Photo via Tori McGraw (@afterr.hourrs)
The first song on the album is “Beach Chair,” and that song had more of a vulnerable message and sound to it. Comparing that song to the last on the album, “Stick Around,” which immediately starts out with synths and horns, it just feels more upbeat and uplifting and this nice closure. Did you intentionally create the storyline as starting out more stripped down and going through a hero's journey to the last song, and coming to a new point and a new perspective? Or did I just make that up?
I love that. So yes and no. Okay, for sure you're making stuff up. But I like that. I intentionally try to have some arcs. I think an album is like a movie. It starts with “Beach Chair.” It's just kick drum and vocal and guitar. Very simple, very little production. When we first made the track listing, it almost started with “Stick Around.” And then I was like, this feels like too heavy of a flavor. It feels like overpromising because if you start the album with “Stick Around,” then I feel like you're like, “cool this is going to be a crazy movie.” And then it just gets weirder and quieter. And I feel like starting with “Beach Chair,” it's just vocal and guitar. You're just like, “okay, maybe this might be really shitty.” You could think for a minute like, “oh, maybe there's no production on this record.” So to me, yes, it's like I'd rather start small and bare bones and then invite them in. On the other topic of the content, “Beach Chair” is a love letter to myself when I was just going through a hard time. Somebody just prompted me, “I dare you to write something nice to yourself,” and that's why it's a little sassy. And then “Stick Around” is to a partner that met me when I was going through a rough time and it was really solid. I feel like it felt more honest to start the record addressing myself and then end it with giving out my flowers.
One of my favorite songs was “Can’t Be Cool Forever.” Regarding some of the lyrics, I took this song as you passing on some of the lessons you've learned, maybe some advice. If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Just don't think. Make friends, make stuff, put stuff out. I don't think I started putting out music seriously until I was 24 or 25. I don't know why I waited so long. I thought you had to be perfect. And I wouldn't show anybody something if I didn't think it was perfect. I was really hard on myself and I didn't collaborate. I think I would just be like, “yo, forget it. Make stuff, go to stuff, listen to stuff, collaborate, help other people make their stuff. Just delete all ego. Get involved.” I don’t know, it sounds corny, like a college advisor, but I'd just be like, “join some shit. Go help other people. Make something bigger than you could ever make alone. Learn.” But also I learned a lot once I isolated. I went to school for music and I was around a lot of people. I think I was insecure because everyone was doing it, and I was like, “oh, maybe I'm not good enough.” So once I kind of got out of that environment, I grew a lot. So I don't know, it's hard to say. Some people need to get away from it, but I think I could have been further along had I deleted some of my perfectionism and just started doing shit.
“Coming Home Drunk (Interlude)” on the album, is that song purposeful to split the album in half? One side being talking about more childhood lessons to yourself versus moving and kind of finding your community? How are the two sides of the album woven together?
Photo via Tori McGraw (@afterr.hourrs)
I feel like you see how I see it, which is I really do take it like a movie or like a story. I think that is the intermission. It is the palette cleanser between the two halves. Side one is with “Knowing U Exist,” which is this really intimate love song. And then you get this sort of drunk, weird, moody, 90 seconds of piano and radio static and somebody walking in. And then the next song is “Known By None,” which is this aggressive sort of love doesn't work thing. So I feel like it is the tiny journey within the big journey. And then you get this weird space land in the interlude. Then you get this love is done, love does not exist. I think it's fun. Yeah, whatever you said is right.
You live part-time in Nashville and Alaska. How does living in both places have an influence on you as an artist?
Alaska is basically living in a college environment where you know everyone. It’s very family, intimate, and routine. You kind of know everyone who's working at the gym or who's going to be serving at the fucking bar. It's just consistent. I think it's a place that offers me a lot of stillness and that affects my writing. It affects my mood. But since I've been spending more time in Nashville, I feel like I'm finding myself in the woods a lot. There's so much green in Nashville. There's a lot more people and I feel a bit more invisible in Nashville, which is really nice because in Alaska you can't hide. It's like everyone knows everybody. So I think there's a bit of me that feels safe in Nashville right now. It feels like I can just kind of hide.
Your album has a lot of life lessons, it's very introspective. What has been a moment that you've been the most proud of yourself?
Photo via Tori McGraw (@afterr.hourrs)
I think I take pride in the things I get to do with people. I'd say my proudest moment this year was taking my parents to Europe. After the tour we got to hang out for a week, and they came and saw us opening up for Holly Humberstone. Then we went and did St. Patrick's Day in Dublin. And just being able to use my job to do nice stuff for my parents, I think that's when I was like, “fuck yeah, we made it.” It wasn't like, “oh, I bought a fucking truck or some shit.” No, I did buy a house, which feels indulgent, but I think watching my dad drink a fucking Guinness in Dublin or watching my mom try to get on the train in London, that's the shit I won't forget.
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