Hello Sohn. How are you today, and what are we interrupting?
I’m great thanks, you have interrupted me making an edit in my bedroom, which right now is on a bus that is tearing through mainland Europe somewhere, I assume by the time that we are about to hit France.
So you’re currently gearing up to release a new album, debuting material live – how’s it been going down?
It’s been going incredibly well actually – we’ve played Vienna and Berlin so far and the reaction to the new songs has been phenomenal.
How finished is the album? Will feedback from the shows influence the finished product?
It’s finished from my end and I’m just waiting for the final mixes, which I will get into once I get back to LA after these shows so I’m excited to get it done.
You recently moved to LA – what’s it like living over there? Is it a very different way of life?
It’s been fantastic. California is a beautiful place to live and I have been very lucky to have been afforded the opportunity to live there. I feel like after living in Vienna for so long my brain has appreciated the shift back to English too, I feel totally relaxed and calm and healthy now I live in Los Angeles.
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Are you finding you’re presented with more opportunities for being out there?
I guess, yeah – with the film and music industry really mainly in LA now, I guess the visibility of my work is growing as a result of being physically present and available there.
Where did you draw your lyrical and musical inspiration from on this new album? Do you have any recurring or returning themes?
A lot has been going on in my life; a whirlwind romance, two years of traveling the world, different landscapes, a long-distance relationship and living on the edge of exhaustion for a while – all of those things are present on the album.
How long did it take for the album to come together? Were there months of long nights and intensive studio sessions?
It took a long time to get to a point where I felt I had anything to say. I would say it was about a year and a half after Tremors before I wrote another Sohn track, and when I felt it swelling up in me I went to stay at a good friend’s house up in the wine country by San Francisco. I stayed there alone for a month and just lived up on this beautiful ranch, drank wine and hung out with a few deer, and I worked overnight in this incredibly secluded little pool house on the property. It was a beautiful month and the inspiration just started pouring out. After that trip it’s been the usual sort of nine month process of pulling all those ideas and mixes together.
Teaming up with Milla Jovovich for a video was unexpected – how did that come about, and what was the filming like?
Yeah Milla commented on a few bits and bobs of mine online, and was recommending my music to her fans so I said thanks on Twitter. She hit me up straight away and we talked about what we were listening to etc, and I asked if she’d like to hear a new song of mine. I sent her ‘Signal’ and she fell in love with it. We then jumped on the phone and it soon became apparent that we’d love to make this video together. She’s amazing to work with and considering she was both behind and in front of the camera she somehow was energising the whole crew and we ended up with something incredibly beautiful I think. I think it’s magic.
You’ve spent some time working with other artists on their own material. Do you have a collaboration you’re especially proud of?
I’m really proud that songs I wrote with other artists a while ago are starting to find their homes – I produced and wrote quite a lot of stuff a couple of years ago and slowly those songs start to creep out of the woodwork.
Which do you find most challenging, writing for yourself or writing for others?
Writing for myself, by a mile…
Are there any other projects you’re currently working on that you could tell us a bit about?
Right now I am working on not working for a few months as I am about to have two major releases in my life, one musical and one human, so I will dedicate a bit of time to my family while I can.
Finally – album aside, what are you currently most looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to Banks’ record coming out! I was heavily involved in a lot of this record and feel like me, Jillian and Tim Anderson saw the whole album through from beginning to end so we’re ready for it to birth. It’s a great record.[sc name=”stopper”]