In the past we’ve always kind of held fast to the old saying that you should read more than you write, so we listened to as much diverse music as we possibly could, and then created music that was a culmination of all of the things we loved about music. I heard you tried some new songwriting techniques on this record. So that’s kind of where I got the concept of looking at things closer. But then I started thinking that up close inside the houses there were little souls, souls that were walking around and had heartache, and love, and loss and joy. And I was looking at it, and it looked like an intricate system of boroughs, or an anthill. I was in my hotel room in Sao Paulo, and I woke up early one morning, had a cup of coffee, and opened the window to watch the sun come up over the villas, all the makeshift housing on the hillside out of tarps and pieces of scrap metal and stuff. I think there are songs on the record that are maybe more immediate, but everyone seemed to be gravitating toward it. It wasn’t really our first choice as a single, but everyone was reacting to it well. How early on did you know that would be your first single? “Come A Little Closer” seems to be doing well. Most of my song are based on actual people in my life, people who are dear to me and have made an impact on my life. Who is the girl in the drawing for “Cigarette Daydream”? Sometimes when I’m writing lyrics, I’ll draw a little picture as a visual reference. I think it’s more about the people that fill the venue and less about the venue.Ĭan we talk about these drawings you did? What got you into drawing them? We didn’t headline it so it wasn’t really our show, but it was still an honor to play. It feels pretty cool to play Bridgestone. What does it feel like to go from The Basement to the Bridgestone Arena, where you opened for Muse last month? Speaking of Nashville, you’ve been playing there since very early on in the band. And then I spent a little bit of time in France. I spent a lot of time with friends that are in bands in the area too. Most of the year I was between Kentucky and Nashville, though I also spent a lot of time in a cabin in Portland, Tenn., working on music with the band. Where were you this winter when you were writing Melophobia? When I write songs I almost try to take a snapshot of where I was at the time. Recently with my lyrics I’ve wanted it to be comparable to if your parent or grandparent was on their deathbed and you were trying to say all the things you wish you’d said before. Because there’s things we are able to say through creative works that we’re not able to say face to face sometimes. I think being honest in general is important, but especially in songwriting.
On this record, for us, it wasn’t necessarily an actual fear of music, but a fear of making music to project premeditated images of self rather than being an honest communicator.ĭo you think being honest is important to songwriting? Melophobia is by definition fear of music. We sat down with lead singer Matt Shultz to discuss lyrical experiments, art, and honesty in songwriting. Recorded in Nashville with longtime producer Jay Joyce, Melophobia marks a new direction for the band, both musically and lyrically. Kentucky rockers Cage the Elephant release their third album, Melophobia, tomorrow.