It seems like you’re really drawn to exploring different musical concepts and approaches in your work. How do you decide which ideas belong to which project?
It’s usually pretty clear to me when I’m working on something whether it’s a Water from Your Eyes song or a Lorelei song. With Water, I’m a little bit more interested in the music and how the music can be its own thing, almost like a dance track where the vocals are just a part of the music. With Lorelei, it’s more about telling a story and having the lyrics be the main focus. It’s a little more traditional in that sense. That’s why I think it’s important to have both projects – it allows me to fully explore both sides of myself as a musician.
What was the process like for writing and recording Box for Buddy, Box for Star?
I wrote and recorded the album in the summer of 2022. I had been writing a lot of songs for both Water from Your Eyes and Lorelei, and I started to notice a pattern of certain songs feeling more like Lorelei songs. I wanted to create an album that was cohesive and told a story from start to finish. I locked myself in my bedroom studio for a couple of months and just let the creativity flow. It was a really intense but rewarding process.
What do you hope listeners take away from the album?
I hope that listeners can connect with the emotions and stories that I’m sharing on the album. I want them to feel something when they listen to these songs, whether it’s joy, sadness, or nostalgia. Music is such a powerful tool for expressing emotions, and I hope that Box for Buddy, Box for Star can be a soundtrack for those moments in life when you need to feel something.
What’s next for This Is Lorelei?
Right now, I’m focused on promoting Box for Buddy, Box for Star and sharing it with as many people as possible. I’m also starting to think about the next Lorelei project and what direction I want to take the music in. I’m always experimenting and trying new things, so who knows where the next album will take me. I’m excited to see where the music leads me next.
Thank you so much for chatting with us, Nate! We can’t wait to see where This Is Lorelei goes next.
But as soon as I started writing, it just flowed out of me. I think that realization was when I knew it was turning into something bigger. The songs were coming out so easily, and I was enjoying the process so much that I knew I had stumbled onto something special. It was a really rewarding experience to see the songs take shape and come to life without needing any external influences. It was like a new chapter in my songwriting journey, and I could feel the growth and evolution happening with each new song I wrote. It just kind of came out of me. I think sometimes when you’re in a certain state of mind, whether it’s from smoking weed or just feeling inspired, things can flow more easily. That’s what happened with ‘Where’s Your Love Now?’. It was just one of those moments where everything clicked and fell into place effortlessly. It’s always a special feeling when a song comes together like that.
Overall, it sounds like the process of creating this album was very personal and introspective for you. Can you talk a bit more about how that affected the final product?
Yeah, I think the personal nature of the album definitely comes through in the final product. It was a very cathartic experience for me to write and record these songs, as I was processing a lot of emotions and experiences that I had been through. I think that rawness and vulnerability is evident in the music, and I hope that listeners can connect with that on some level. I didn’t set out to make a specific type of album, but rather let the songs and emotions flow naturally, and I think that authenticity shines through in the music.
What do you hope listeners take away from the album?
Ultimately, I hope that listeners can connect with the music in their own way and find some solace or understanding in the songs. Music has always been a powerful tool for me to process my emotions and experiences, and I hope that this album can serve a similar purpose for others. Whether it’s providing a soundtrack for a difficult time, offering a moment of catharsis, or simply providing some enjoyment, I hope that the music resonates with people in a meaningful way. At the end of the day, I just hope that the album can connect with listeners on a deeper level and maybe even offer some comfort or insight.
Thank you for sharing your insights on the album and the creative process behind it. It’s clear that this project was a labor of love for you, and I’m sure that passion will shine through for listeners as well.
Si nada más, la razón fundamental era que simplemente no quería estar cerca de nadie.
Hay una línea que me llamó la atención de ‘My Boy Limbo’, “Cargaba el pasado en lugar de atender al presente en mi mano”, que parece capturar la tensión entre pasado y presente que se desarrolla a lo largo del álbum.
Esa línea puede interpretarse de varias maneras. Tienes la cuestión del pasado-presente, estar demasiado atrapado en otro momento para concentrarte en un momento particular. O puedes pensar en ello como regalos, en cuyo caso de repente estás pasando junto a alguien que intenta darte algo y ser parte de tu vida. Significaba varias cosas para mí, pero también era simplemente juego de palabras, jugando con la idea de lo que puede significar presencia en esa situación, ya sea que el pasado se refiera al tiempo pasado o si estás pasando por algo, ignorando las implicaciones físicas y emocionales de sostener algo; cuidarlo, atenderlo. No había pensado en esa línea por un tiempo; esa canción se escribió un poco sola, por lo que es un poco más desordenada y menos coherente que otras. No fue tanto un concepto, más bien como un tren de pensamiento que podrías tener mientras intentas dormirte o algo así.
Volviendo a lo que comenzamos a hablar, ¿te parece abrumador mantener espacio para diferentes medios creativos, en términos de la energía que requiere?
No diría que es aterrador. A veces la presión puede ser abrumadora, pero la mayoría de las veces, es energizante porque, en última instancia, tengo dos cosas diferentes que estoy tratando de hacer al mismo tiempo, y son cosas que realmente me gustan y quiero hacer. Supongo que ahora que los proyectos se han vuelto algo que estoy tomando más en serio y que más personas están escuchando, siento que todo esto tiene un poco más de propósito ahora. Durante años y años, la música era simplemente un escape; no sentía que realmente estaba contribuyendo a algo, solo quería pasar mi tiempo haciendo algo que quería hacer en lugar de intentar encajar en un mundo en el que no tenía mucho interés. Definitivamente puede ser mucho que manejar, pero es lo que quiero hacer, y nunca anticipé que hacer lo que quería hacer se cruzara con mi realidad más allá de mi espacio interno – mi cabeza, mi habitación, lo que sea.
La parte más extraña es que la gente realmente – no una cantidad insana de gente, pero hay personas que escuchan las cosas que hago ahora. Siempre las hubo, pero ese número ha crecido lentamente de como 5 personas a lo que sea ahora. Esa es la parte espeluznante. Usar los dos sombreros diferentes – puedo hacer eso, es como jugar al fútbol un día y al baloncesto al siguiente. Ambos son deportes, solo formatos ligeramente diferentes. Tengo que hacer gimnasia mental para relajarme lo suficiente como para escribir, porque si me siento a escribir una canción, pienso en tener que escribir una canción que les guste a los fans y a los periodistas musicales, y luego me asusto y veo Survivor en su lugar. Tengo que convencerme a mí mismo de que realmente no importa en absoluto. Si miro la música que he hecho y que me gusta, el patrón recurrente es que cuando se estaba haciendo, no tenía ni idea de si saldría o no. El mundo exterior no era algo que se considerara en lo más mínimo.
Esta entrevista ha sido editada y condensada para mayor claridad y longitud.
This Is Lorelei’s Box for Buddy, Box for Star ya está disponible a través de Double Double Whammy.