What’s your favorite memory from your latest tour?
We performed in Boise, Idaho, and there was some ping pong and pool tables downstairs at the venue. I taught my pedal steel player the Cotton Eye Joe dance, and it was very fun.
What’s your favorite part of being on the road? It’s just so cool to go to a gas station in Wyoming and get to see parts of the U.S. that you would never otherwise see.
A lot of pretty, flat fields, and we kind of went through the Rockies. I also just love getting to meet all types of people.
I will say, sometimes it can be kind of tiring because you’re constantly moving and living out of a suitcase, but it’s definitely worth it.
What was your favorite part from the creation process of “free therapy”?
I wrote my first year in LA, and I got to meet some really fun people, and the whole thing was awesome. I feel very lucky. I would say the people I met (especially the older musicians) really gave me great advice, and I appreciate it.
It’s fun to have people who can mentor you.
How did meeting new people impact the EP and your collaboration process?
I feel like I put a lot of trust in my friends who are very masterful at their specific instruments. For example, I had my friend James come on the song “Fire Drill,” and it was sort of like, “just play pedal steel and see what happens.” So he did-and he nailed it. I think this is true for a lot of the other songs too, especially in “Sober,” where a lot of the guitar is from my friend Caleb. I was just curious to see what his ideas for the song would be.
What was the selection process of choosing what songs would be in the deluxe version of “free therapy”?
I just felt super connected to those songs. I would listen back to different demos I had and those two songs were always the ones that jumped out, including “sober (stripped).”
How was collaborating with Barrett for the stripped back version of “sober”?
It was really awesome. He’s from North Carolina, and he came out to LA, and it just lined up. When you go on Spotify, you can see artists that are similar to you, and sometimes Barrett will be there. I like to listen to those other artists, and I really liked his music. I thought it would be great to have him on a version of the song that felt chiller.
What did you learn from this writing experience and making the EP?
I had never really collaborated in a room with people before, and I think I really learned how to do that – how to collaborate and take in other people’s ideas. I also learned when to listen to my own.
What would be the best way to listen to “free therapy” for the first time?
Definitely go on a long walk and you bring a snack – that’s the way to do it.
How did you come up with the name “free therapy”?
It’s a lyric from the song “Pseudo Doctor” I think my goal was that one could turn to the EP for that free therapy.
What is your free therapy?
Going on a run and playing tennis!
You were in a period of change and transition while making the EP, how did that impact your songwriting process?
I think it affected my songwriting process pretty drastically because I find that writing in different spaces changes the way I write – both mentally and physically. As I was moving, I was sleeping in different beds, etc., and I was constantly writing in new spots. A room can be really inspiring, and I found that my writing was shaped by the different environments I was in.
What was the songwriting process for “pseudo doctor” like?
That one was one of the songs I wrote while sitting on a bed in a house I was in for only two months. I was like, “Man, I really miss my friends back on the East Coast,” and I basically wrote the song in its entirety on that bed.
What was your go-to snack or meal while making “free therapy”?
Pretzels and sparkling water!
What are some emerging artists everyone should be listening to?
Pj Frantz, Ryman, and Stevie Bill