Photo by Guadalupe Bustos.
In late January, alt-pop solo act Wanderer dropped his debut album, Songs For The Night. The album is laced with smooth vocals, lyrics that are made to sing along to, and incredible instrumentals.
Not long before his album released, we had a chance to talk with Adam, the man behind Wanderer. From his inspirations and creative process, to anecdotes about recording the album, we were able to discover just how Songs For The Night came to be.
Can you introduce yourself to our readers, and let us know a little about yourself?
“Hi there, my name is Adam — I’m the solo artist behind Wanderer. I’m a singer, guitarist, and producer based out of Phoenix, AZ. I started this project a couple years ago as a combination of a lot of my influences in pop music and artists I love from decades past. I wanted to create music that was cinematic and nostalgic. I’ve been playing music most of my life and have toured all over the world playing with various bands.”
Your debut album, Songs For The Night, drops soon! Can you tell us what the writing and recording process was like for it? What did a typical day in the studio look like for you?
“It was kind of a combined effort through a couple years. Some songs I have had on past EP’s are included on the album, and many of those were reworked and recorded again with an updated sound. While home from touring I spent almost all of my days off in the studio working on putting together what felt like a cohesive record. Some of the newer tracks came super quickly, and others took months to fine tune and get sounding how I imagined. There were a lot of late nights and emails back and forth to get it to where it is now. I worked mainly with my good friend Eric Hebert, who mixed and produced a lot of the record. There were a lot of late nights and long days, but I’m super proud of what came out of all that.”
Did this release have any particular influences? Musically, personally, anything that made it the way it is?
“Definitely. All the songs themselves come from personal experience lyrically, and are born out of the desire to put a certain feeling into a song. We used analog synth sounds, lots of guitar effects, and stacked vocals throughout it. My love for artists like Fleetwood Mac, Tears For Fears, and Phil Collins definitely played a large part, as well as a lot of newer music that I listen to, whether it’s Top 40 pop or indie stuff.”
Which track on Songs For The Night are you most excited for fans to hear?
“I think it would be a tie between ‘Runaway’ and ‘Streetlights.’ The first is a very upbeat, summery track that I think feels really good to listen to on a drive with the sunset. ‘Streetlights’ is the final track on the record and exists in a very sensory and specific place. It has a nostalgic element and story to it that I think people can vibe with. Even things like the ambient/forest noise around the song was recorded on my iPhone while staying up in Topanga Canyon in a cabin to write some of the album.”
What would you say are some of your biggest musical inspirations?
“Artists like John Mayer and Fleetwood Mac have always been special in forming who I am as a musician. But also newer acts like The 1975 and Bon Iver are hugely inspirational to what I try and do.”
If listeners could take one thing from listening to your music, what would you want it to be?
“Music for me has been an escape and an obsession. I would hope people can see themselves in these songs and feel the emotion in a specific way. It’s called Songs For The Night because the album comes from a specific place in my mind, and I think it is best heard on a late night drive in the car, alone or with a good friend. The music has a nocturnal, introspective quality, and I think feels like it comes from that. I’d love to become the soundtrack to moments like that in people’s lives. I would say that’d be an incredible thing.”
What can we expect from you in the future? With Songs For The Night right around the corner, do you have anything else planned for the release?
“Yes! I’m working on doing more live shows, as well as some more content and more music to come out shortly after. This is just the beginning of things for 2020. Stay tuned.”
Songs For The Night is out now. You can stream the album below.
