When the singer and producer Nick Anderson went through a breakup, he took the pain that followed those aftermath to fuel the inspiration of the alternative rock band, The pavementthe latest project.

probethe second album of Los Angeles based band, was written because it “had to” according anderson. The new LP became his therapy and his way of dealing with a breakup he was feeling”won.” The result was an 11-song album that not only delivers the sound the band’s fans have come to love (their top 5 songs on Spotify claim over 80 million combined streams) but show the band feel confident pushing their sounds with several genre-blending songs in addition to their feature debut featuring an indie-rock vocalist girls house on “Where are you now?”

In the middle of the madness of releasing a brand new album and being in the middle of their Better than ever round (TICKETS HERE), anderson dives into each track on the album to share the inspiration and stories behind probe – only on All access:

“Sounder”

“Sonder” is the first track I started working on for the album. I was working on a club track, the beginning of this song is a blown 808 from that, but I decided to switch and do a pop-punk song instead. There is usually one song per record where the lyrics are improvised and that was the case with “Sonder”, where I improvised the verses. I knew I wanted to name the song “Sonder” even before it had a chorus. That’s what motivated me to finish the song. I probably wouldn’t have finished the song if it wasn’t called “Sonder”. I wanted so much to participate in the disc, for the namesake of this one.

“I like this part”

A few days after returning from touring with three fewer roommates and one fewer girlfriend than when I left, I had two choices: stay in bed miserable or do this song. “I Love This Part” freed me emotionally and musically. There was a fire in me making this record that I hadn’t felt in years. I remember the night I wrote most of the song and recorded the vocals; I cried, I laughed, I screamed – let all my intrusive thoughts in, let myself be angry, be sad, be mean, be free. The chip on my shoulder was my little co-pilot, and I was able to access a repressed anxiety that I surely thought I had abandoned in high school. I rediscovered old parts of myself, melodies and energies that I didn’t realize were still available to me, while pushing new sonic boundaries for our band.

This song means a lot to me, because it’s very similar to the first Shipwrecks songs, it kept my head above water and helped me cope during a very difficult time. Not only that, but it inspired and set the tone for the rest of the next album.

“Where Are You Now? (feat. girlhouse)”

I wrote the chorus to “Where Are You Now” just two weeks after our last album. infinitely ordinary was released in May 2020. But it wouldn’t be until March 2022 that I would assemble its final pieces. The initial demo was enthusiastically received by our managers and label, but it also drew suggestions and ratings from everyone. Every time I went to work on the track after that, I felt like I was trying to smooth things over to appease the likes of an entire room. Then came 14 different versions of the song, with new structures, new tempos and drum parts, and the song still stayed on my hard drive as we released other music, because I was happy with it. where the piece was going. After taking a break and leaving the song alone for 6 or 7 months, I revisited it with a clear head and all the answers. I ended up mostly going back to the original direction I had in mind for the track and working on it until that idea was fully realized. The last two pieces we added that really solidified the track for me were bowlthe live drums of and the feature film of girls house. The drums really brought it to life, and laurenThe part of glue the whole track together for me. I love his voice and his music, and I’m so happy with how this feature turned out.

This song has haunted me for almost two years. It’s nice to break the curse and finally turn it off.

“Do not be afraid”

“Don’t Be Scared” was written on the same day and at the same time as “Lone Survivor”. Schmizz, Caleband spencer were working in the adjacent studio on this particular track. I was going back and forth between studios all day, and I came in and wrote the chorus in 3 minutes. The lyrics were a collaborative effort with everyone coming up with ideas and all working at the same time. It took 5 minutes to write the rest of the song. The production of this song took place 6 months later. spencer & Robert took the track to another level, giving it a unique flair that we don’t usually get in Shipwrecks Songs.

“Impious”

“Unholy” is the last track I finished for the album. I wrote this song in my grandmother’s kitchen at 2am while visiting her house. I was standing over the stove playing the song very softly and singing softly because I didn’t want to wake my 2 month old puppy upstairs and my grandmother who was sleeping downstairs. There’s a change in key in the first chorus because I was playing so softly that I didn’t realize I was modulating. When I came back to this song the next day, I realized the change and decided to make it work. In terms of production, I spent quite a bit of time on this, because I wanted to make it cinematic and big. This is one of my most ambitious productions to date.

“Dystopia”

“Dystopia” is about the lack of communication in a relationship. Not miscommunication, but the lack of it, and how it can destroy your relationship. Evoking feelings of resentment, paranoia and tension that could easily be resolved if there was this compatibility and communication. Compatibility is overlooked in relationships because every person can communicate and communication should be natural. I think political and societal ideologies can play an important role in compatibility. When there is a disconnect, only communication can save that relationship; I would rather communicate dissenting opinions than not discuss them at all.

“Not shared”

I wrote “Unrequited” with Savanna Blue. We don’t often write together but 4 of the songs on this record were written with her. I showed this track to Aaron when I finished the demo, and I got the feeling he didn’t like it. Aaron is like the original North Star. He likes almost everything, but how he likes it is important. So I put the song aside and wasn’t sure about this track ever since. I didn’t even consider putting this on file until 3 months later Aaron asked what am I doing with the song. During the tour, Aaron listened to the song a bunch of times and ended up becoming one of his favorites. It was hilarious and frustrating to see her opinion change because I had to redefine if I liked. He made the record because I worked a little more on it. Maybe it will be a slowburn type song for everyone.

“No Place I’d Rather Be”

“No Place I’d Rather Be” is one of the oldest tracks on this record. I wrote this song in 2020 around the same time as “Where Are You Now?” This track was really long before I cut it, but funny enough, the chord progression took longer to write than all the lyrics. I wanted to add some cool production elements, so the main synth solo is actually a guitar being autotuned.

“Ugly Side”

The songwriting for “Ugly Side” was the quickest to write, despite having the most lyrics of any song on the record. I had all the verses and the bridge written at once in 10 minutes. I typed all the lyrics without stopping and found the structure later. I didn’t even know where I was going with the lyrics until Savannah told me what my song was about. She’s great with themes and tying everything together, so writing the chorus together was very quick. This track is almost asking someone to show you the bad sides of themselves, their ugly side, in order to understand each other and communicate with each other to see if they are compatible.

“Normal”

I wrote “Normal” while we were on tour. We had our Seattle show that day, and I went to see a friend before the show. She had a very large piano at home, and finding pianos on tour is fun because I always have cool ideas when someone presents me with a random piano. There’s never a more unhealthy time to examine yourself and your own worth than the day after a breakup. I did it anyway and wrote that I felt in the rain Seattle daytime. Sometimes it’s hard not to have a pity party, the issues of dissociation and self-loathing come with it, seeing yourself in a distorted lens. This song is an honest articulation of that – no happy ending, just how I felt at the time.

“Lone Survivor”

“Lone Survivor” is about the feeling of empowerment that comes from being independent after a breakup. The energy of this song was swimming through my veins for a few days before I wrote it, so when the time came for me to step into the booth and write the melody and lyrics, a lot of it came out right away. after. Collaborate with West Weiss and Dillon Deskin on production was a treat. They are both such talented producers and put their touch on this record in a very natural way, which allowed me to focus more on writing the songs, rather than focusing on the finer details of production as per usual. I also benefited from the lyrical assistance of Savanna Blue, who I’ve written with in the past, to keep the theme train on track proper. I think this song is a very natural step for us, and I’m glad our fans can hear it.

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