The choice to collaborate with MJ Lenderman looks as if such a pure match. How did that occur?

It was a form of, “We’ve to collaborate” at first sight with him. I used to be at SXSW in early 2022, and Brad and Allison [Crutchfield] texted me on the similar time, and so they had been like, “We’re going to go see this man, MJ Lenderman.” I had by no means heard his identify earlier than, however they had been each so excited, and so they had been like, “It’s good to come. He’s not taking part in very many exhibits right here. You’d adore it.” And so, in fact, when anybody says that, you’re identical to, How good may this be? I confirmed up and there have been 10 individuals on stage, and so they had a metal participant, and so they had a bunch of guitars on stage, and I used to be blown away. I used to be like, What is that this ’90s, loud, indie-rock band that’s additionally a rustic band, that’s additionally this voice that’s essentially the most stunning, distinctive, singular type of sounding voice I’ve ever heard? I met him actually briefly that evening, after which somebody despatched me his report proper after that—Boat Songs—and I simply listened to it again and again. I like sports activities, and he talks about sports activities quite a bit. I used to be like, This actually was made for me. We had turn into pleasant and frolicked a few occasions, and I discussed it in passing to Brad, “Oh, perhaps we may invite Jake.” On my final report, we had the band Bonny Doon play with me, and so they had been good, outdated pals of mine. However with MJ, I didn’t know him that properly. Brad invited him to the very first session [and] I’m so glad that he did, as a result of, in a short time, it was such a great match. It helped put us on the trail.

What had been you listening to if you had been making the report?

When Jake entered the image, lots of his influences, that are lots of my foundational influences that I haven’t checked out in a short time, had been type of coming into the image—lots of Southern various rock from the ’80s and ’90s, like Drive-By Truckers, Sparklehorse, bands like that. Via that, it helped me reconnect with my love of R.E.M., which is considered one of my favourite bands ever. So I feel R.E.M. is an enormous affect, particularly Michael Stipe’s singing. However then we had been speaking quite a bit about Tom Petty, who’s considered one of my heroes, and speaking quite a bit about Lucinda, who’s one other considered one of my heroes. And Brad was speaking quite a bit about Gillian Welch, who I additionally actually love, and that was once we first did the demo of “Proper Again to It.” That’s type of the reference that Brad made, of, “This feels tremendous, tremendous easy and simple and only a good melody, type of like Gillian.” So these had been the principle influences.