On this third solo album, "Vestiges & Claws," I decided to do a similar recording and writing as I did on my first two solo albums. Basically just me sitting down with one mic and headphones. It's kind of nice to know that it's me and my thoughts that go from scratch to a finished album. 

I did lots of demos before doing these 10 songs for the album and I had an idea that I wanted to have an instrumental song — at least one — which was simple and meditative. So the song "Vissel" is where I decided to focus on such a simple melody that it's something you can hum and [it can] stand on its own. 



I think I have different sides, so when I've been doing my solo music, I've been honing in on the aesthetics of loneliness. I think it does reflect a side of me. It's not the whole picture, but I do enjoy the meditative part of playing the same chords over and over again, because I know there is something lost when you add more. 

The last song on the album, "Open Book," I decided to put it last even though my label felt like it was one of the stronger songs and it should be earlier. It was fun to put it last because of the lyrics and how it gives a sense of closure, but with a sense of an open field. Many people who listen to my music like it because it has this comforting feeling, and this was one of those songs where I wanted to push that button. 



At first it was me being inspired by "Kathy's Song," by Simon & Garfunkel, and how to choose these sort of classical guitar chord progressions that just sound nice and nostalgic. I've been avoiding those type of chord progressions ever since I started writing my first album. 



There's this sensitive line between being a young whiny guy sitting at home and complaining about things. [laughs] And for me it's been feeling like I know those tricks, but now I've felt like I'm a bit older — I'm 37 — it is about relationships and loss. 

I did a demo for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and it turned out a bit too moody and it didn't sound good with the characters, so it just ended up as a demo in my pile. When I picked it up again for my album, I decided to make it like a journey-type of song, similar to the last song on my second album, "Cycling Trivialities," and it was a bit too long and I needed lots of lyrics. I struggled with that for a while, but I decided to make lyrics with lots of images and tried to make it sort of enigmatic, but still talk to people. So, yeah, it was this vague idea of something floating or changing, but without saying what it is, or who, or what. 

The idea of adding more instruments has always been around for all the albums, and adding strings always felt like the obvious choice — or almost too easy, so I've been avoiding it. But now I feel — as an artist — mature and I don't need I have to prove anything in terms of style. 



So it felt good to team up with [the chamber group] yMusic, and they made a beautiful arrangement for "With the Ink of a Ghost." It adds to the enigmatic side and gives it this sound that feels comforting and gives those extra harmonies that gives depth to the song in a classic way.