Owl City is back with his new album The Midsummer Station and it is an album that takes his music in a different direction.
I caught up with the singer/songwriter for a chat about the new record, bringing in co-producers and co-writers for the first time and what lies ahead for the rest of the year.
- You are about to release your new album The Midsummer Station so what can we expect from the record this time around?
It is a bit of a new sound and I am so excited about it - I think I am more excited about this record than any record previously because it is a new sound and a new direction.
It is a little bit of a departure from the musical aesthetic that I am known for. So, short answer is, it's a little bit more dancey, it is a little bit more poppy and a little bit more immediate. So I am thrilled to death by it.
- I was reading that you set yourself a bit of a challenge when it came to writing for this album in terms of if being a different sound to what we have heard before so can you tell me a little bit about that?
I think in the past I have been very much known to be the introverted and intrinsic guy who just sings about the things in his own head that are very subjective.
I think maybe it had the stigma of going over a lot of people's heads because they were very much personal to me.
So with this new record, while it is still very personal, it was constructed in a way that hopefully reaches people in a different way.
So it is less about me singing about the very quirky things in my own head and it is about writing songs that a lot of people from different walks of life can all sing together and be from the heart - so that was a challenge.
- Your previous albums had seen you make them without any outside help but with this record you have brought in co-writers and co-producers so what made you make that decision?
I think just because it felt like the right time and it felt like the right move to make.
The last handful or records that I have done basically 99% on my own I really wanted to have that outside influence to help me zoom out and see the big picture a little better.
I think that that is really healthy because when you do everything yourself you can get lost in the clouds a little and that can waste time.
So I knew that I wanted to have these outside people and have these different minds working on the same music to give me that frame of reference.
- How difficult was it to let go of some of that control and work alongside others?
That was definitely the bittersweet part of it. It has been very near and dear to me this project and I have always played it close to the chest and been very concerned about all aspects of it.
So to bring in another person let alone a whole bunch of people to co-pilot the project was a little scary at first because suddenly you are handing over what you are so worried about.
And I think that that is where I had the tendency to care a little bit too much about it - in a negative way - and so having these other people involved helped me to take a step back and really see the bigger picture.
- And how did you find working alongside the likes of Stargate and Josh Crosby and what does their input bring to the record?
Stargate are a very talented production duo and they were really good about seeing what I do and furthering that without steering it in the wrong direction.
I came into the studio with a very rough half finished instrumental track and I played it for them and I said 'here is an idea that I put together. I don't really know where it is going what do you guys think?'
And they were like 'this is great. It's very middle of the road but we know exactly where it should go. It will fit you do but it will be the perfect direction'.
So working with people like that who really get what you do and they understand your aesthetic and your intentions without having to tell them that is the magic.
- What kind of impact did having these people on board have on you as both a writer and a singer?
It taught me a lot. The reality of working with other people is you always pick up on their little tricks and their tips and their ways of doing things.
Then working with other co-writers some care more about lyric content than they do rhyme schemes and making words rhyme together.
So it is just fun to be able to see other people' flavours and talents and just see what they bring to the table.
- Good Time sees you team up with Carly Rae Jepsen so how did that collaboration come about?
I was looking for a very spirited, bubbly female singer - this would have been in March before Call Me Maybe was top of the world.
My manager said 'I know of this other manager Scooter Braun and he manages this girl called Carly Rae Jepsen and I think that this could be the girl that you are looking for. So send her an email and see if she would be interested in singing on your track.'
And so I did exactly that and she wrote back and said 'Yeah, I am a fan of your music. I totally know Owl City and I know what you do. So send me what you are thinking and I will jump in the studio and record whatever you need me to record and send back the files'.
The song kind of just put itself together.
- The Midsummer Station is your fourth studio album so how have you seen yourself develop as a musician and a songwriter since your debut back in 2008?
I think I know more and I just have more tricks up my sleeve. I kind of know what I want before I set down to do it.
In the past I have generally just put down on the page what came to my mind first - there is a true innocence in that and a beautiful naivety in that.
With this record I kind of knew... there are fifty shades of blue and I want this one shade of blue so how do I get that?
While it makes the final product much more intentional it is sort of more work because you are writing and re-writing and revising all of the time to get closer to what I am shooting for.
So it gives you a clearer vision but sometimes that means that there is more work - but I am very proud of it.
- I talk to a lot of musicians and some find the recording process difficult while other don't like it but how do you feel about stepping into the studio?
I love it; it really is my favourite part of the whole music world and music being a career.
Playing live is very exciting but for me the studio and the whole world of going in and creating something out of nothing is so compelling.
Just the idea that you have this blank canvas and at the end of it you may have fifty different audio tracks all working together to create a song that will move people and that is an exciting thing.
- The album is just around the corner so how have you found the early response to the record?
So far very very good. We are out here on the road right now touring just to do a pre-release promo tour and it has been really good.
We are playing some of the new songs and it has been really cool to see the reception. More and more kids know the lyrics and so far so good.
- You have an ever growing fanbase so for any of the fans reading this interview do you have a message for them?
Yeah, just to say that I couldn't do what I do without the attention span of the fans and their gracious willingness to stick with me and check out what I am doing.
It's so cool to know that there are people out there in the world appreciating what I do.
For me it has never been about the iTunes charts or the Billboard charts or the money it has always been about knowing that I can play a show in a different country and everyone will know the words to my songs - that is an incredibly humbling thing. I am just so grateful for those fans.
- Finally what's coming up for you for the rest of 2012?
It is basically touring, I have been on the road since June and it is going to take me up until December; it has been a long stretch but I am excited to do it.
I love when it is time to close the studio door once the record is finished and it's time to shift those gears and get out on the road.
Right now it is all about promoting the new album and playing live around the world.
Owl City - The Midsummer Station is released 20th August
Click here to buy Owl City - The Midsummer Station Album
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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