Meet Our Makers

100. Imogen Heap - This is My Communion

Episode 100!! Who knew this would ever happen? I didn't! To commemorate this grand occasion, what better than to sit down with one of the musicians I've listened to and looked up to the longest: Imogen Heap. Imogen was having a very busy October when we sat down to chat, and in this conversation, we discuss all the goingson. This includes the latest in her triptych of singles called "Aftercare", as well as the 13-minute cut that combines all three of those songs (additionally: "Noise" and "What Have You Done to Me") into one song called "I AM _". We talk a lot about what led to these songs, especially "Noise" and "Aftercare", which comes with a wild and winding story that's basically a film unto itself, and the major, awakening experiences that Imogen went through in recent years that led her to that version of herself she is now. We also touch on her second solo LP, Speak for Yourself, which released a 20th anniersary reissue in October. We discuss that time in her life, that turning point, what the album means to her, and more. We of course touch on her use of AI, which has led to some criticism in recent times, but she does her best to explain the ins and outs of what she does and doesn't do with it, and what's good and bad about it (in her view). We talk about a lot more, including why she may never release and proper album again, and I was so incredibly thrilled to have this person who's been a longtime fixture in my life (shoutout to the Frou Frou heads!) join me for this momentous occasion. So thank you for listening (ever - not just to this episode!) and I hope you enjoy.

99. Avery Tucker - Slow Hits Fast

In this chat, we get to meet Avery Tucker. Avery is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who is probably up to know best known as one half of the indie rock band Girlpool. That band, however, is now on indefinite hiatus (no animosity there - don't sweat!), but it has freed up Avery to release his first full-length album, Paw. Out now, his debut is full of vulnerable songwriting and performances that are often stripped pretty bare. We talk a lot about this new album, including the production, the lyrical themes, the nakedness of it, and what led him to this point in his career. We also touch on solitude, living in the moment, and the greatness that is Gillian Welch's Time (The Revelator). It's a chill and laid back talk, and I think you'll enjoy it. Thanks for listening.

98. Casey Dienel - Casey Talk

In this chat, we get to meet Casey Dienel. Formerly known as White Hinterland, Dienel is back with a brand new record under their own name, called My Heart is an Outlaw, which is out now. It follows an 8-year absence from the music industry - a hiatus that Dienel wasn't initially sure they ever really wanted to end. But the songs came, and the rest is history. Here, we talk at length about the new record - the writing, production, themes, etc. - as well as what led to them breaking from and returning to making music, and how that looks different for them now than it did before. We also touch on life, art, mental health, pop music, food, and more. A circuitous talk in the best way possible. Thanks for listening.

WE MEET AGAIN IV: Madi Diaz

In the latest installment of my re-interview subseries, We Meet Again, we get to chat for a second time with luminous, talented, and hilarious Madi Diaz. Madi just put out a brand new LP called Fatal Optimist, and we definitely deep into it in this chat. We talk about what led to this record being so spare and stripped back, the magic of demos, the effect of space on sound, and more. We also get into her "heartbreak trilogy," her experience earning two Grammy nominations for her last record Weird Faith, and her utter relentlessness - as an artist, as a writer, and as a curious human. I always have immense fun talking with Madi, and this talk is a blast. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for listening.

97. Jens Lekman - Emotional Autobiography

In this chat, we get to meet singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Jens Lekman. Jens has just put out a new record, entitled Songs for Other People's Weddings, and it comes alongside a novel of the same name by David Levithan. The two collab'd on this very narrative project, telling a story about a wedding singer named J. who has a slightly tumultuous love story with a woman named V. Both are out now, and in this conversation, Jens and I dig deep on the lore of the album, the backstory, the narrative junctures, and what it was like for him to craft a "story album" (something he is a self-proclaimed non-fan on). We talk humor in songs, fact vs. fiction (and which is the better truth-teller), as well as his real life side gig as a wedding singer for hire. Thanks for listening.