Youth, released next week, is the first album released by Nashville’s Chase Coy under his own name since 2011. He hasn’t been sitting idle however, since then he has released music under two different pseudonyms Sun Culture and as Third and Union. He has also spent plenty of time garnering co-writing credits, and working behind the scenes as a producer in that time.
We caught up with Coy ahead of Youth’s release to find out a little bit more about the album and what he’s been up to since Sun Culture.
Was there any particular inspiration, musical or otherwise, for the new album Youth?
The new album pulls heavily from the last two years of my life, focusing on two different relationships which in my mind are polar opposites. It didn’t end up making sense to put them in chronological order, but all together they represent a period of growth and being rescued out of a bad situation to end up with something better than I could have imagined. There’s a lot of religious imagery in this album that evokes that sense of redemption and rebirth; I really wanted to take the ideas and themes that I saw in my own life and take them further in the songs.
This is your first release under your name since 2011, how important was it to you to release an album as Chase Coy as opposed to releasing another album under Sun Culture or Third and Union?
I always intended to come back and release something as a solo artist, but the last few years have just been a great time for me to grow outside of the sound that I established when I was younger and develop myself as a writer and musician. When I came back to make another album, I wanted to make sure it would be something I could be proud of and that would represent who I am now as a producer and artist. In that way, this album really builds on some of the sounds I explored on the Sun Culture and Third and Union albums.
You mentioned before that you wrote a lot of the Sun Culture record in the studio, was that the case for Youth as well, or did you arrive at the studio with a collection of songs ready to go?
Since I record and produced all my own music, I have a lot of flexibility when it comes to putting my albums together. This one happened pretty organically, with acoustic being laid down for about eight of the tracks to begin the writing process. I got rid of lyrics I had written previously and started from scratch on all of them, and began to build those tracks out with all the production you hear on the finished product. The other four were completely written from scratch during the process of putting the album together, and didn’t even have acoustic guitar at all.
How did you find the recording process? You’ve released a couple of records now, do you find yourself getting more comfortable in the studio and producing?
It was a great experience, and the first time that I’ve made an album this way. It helped me to get out of my head and rethink my production and writing before committing to the final parts.
Did you find yourself listening to any particular records/artists during the writing and recording process? And do you feel they may have had an influence on the record?
Some artists I was listening to at the time influenced the album a fair amount, among them Ásgeir and Beck. I pull a lot from other artists, and both of them are doing some amazingly cool things.
It seems on the surface that some of the songs on the new album could have been born out of personal experience, do you find songwriting to be a cathartic experience?
When it comes to making my own records, I definitely aim for some catharsis. I write a lot with other artists now, so I try to reserve my albums as a time to really dig into my own situations and put that down in a way I might not feel comfortable doing when I write with other people. There’s something about crafting a song completely on your own when it’s personal to you that feeds that desire for expression.
You’ve released a choice selection of songs from the record so far, what has the reaction to them been like so far?
As far as I can tell, it’s been great. People keep saying nice things and listening, so I can’t ask for much more!
Presumably you’ll be touring behind this new record in the coming weeks or months? And are there plans in place to maybe tour overseas in the future?
I actually don’t have any plans to tour on this album, though that doesn’t mean I’m ruling it out for the future.
What does the second half of the year have in store for you?
The second half of this year I’ll be focusing on writing and producing, as well as possibly some more releases from my side projects if I find the time.
Youth is released June 23rd. Pre-order now on iTunes to receive two tracks instantly.
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