(dramatic electronic music) (graphic buzzing) (audience cheering) ("Sole Obsession" by Nations of Languages) ♪ You promise not to run away ♪ ♪ I promise not to overplay my card ♪ ♪ Feign survival ♪ ♪ I must stop limiting myself ♪ ♪ You and your sensational soul ♪ ♪ Slowly reframing our roles ♪ ♪ Empty idol ♪ ♪ Strange disciple ♪ ("Sole Obsession" by Nations of Languages continues) ♪ I float across the temple grounds ♪ ♪ Three whole years from side to side ♪ ♪ To only seek and never find ♪ ♪ My sole obsession ♪ ♪ Finally, I feel it fading ♪ ♪ Walk me home and walk away, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Sole obsession ♪ ♪ Suddenly a different shading ♪ ♪ Walk me home and walk away ♪ ♪ Too far along to operate ♪ ♪ Don't offer me this measured attention ♪ ♪ End the cycle ♪ ♪ I must stop limiting myself ♪ ♪ You and your sensational soul ♪ ♪ Ornamentation and all ♪ ♪ Empty idol ♪ ♪ Strange disciple ♪ ("Sole Obsession" by Nations of Languages continues) ♪ My sole obsession ♪ ♪ Finally, I feel it fading ♪ ♪ Walk me home and walk away, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Sole obsession ♪ ♪ Suddenly, I see it changing ♪ ♪ Walk me home and walk away ♪ ♪ Walk me home and walk away, yeah ♪ ♪ Walk me home and walk away, yeah ♪ ♪ Walk me home and walk away ♪ ("Sole Obsession" by Nations of Languages continues) ("Sole Obsession" by Nations of Languages continues) ("Sole Obsession" by Nations of Languages continues) -Thank you.

-(audience cheering) ("Surely I Can't Wait" by Nation of Languages) ♪ Truth is that I'm better off, I know ♪ ♪ But I can't stand the pain ♪ ♪ You rake yourself across the coals ♪ ♪ Then you start a love song ♪ ♪ I give up, I give in ♪ ♪ End result, I find that I'm competitive ♪ ♪ Shave my head and off I go ♪ ♪ Looking like a lost cause ♪ ♪ But could you be the one right away ♪ ♪ Surely, I can't wait for another ♪ ♪ But could you be the one right away ♪ ♪ Surely, I can't wait for another ♪ ♪ I can't stand the pain ♪ ♪ Accurate, if on the nose ♪ ♪ Something 'bout a back bone ♪ ♪ I give up, I give in ♪ ♪ I resolve, I try to be a better friend ♪ ♪ Hand upon the collarbone ♪ ♪ Waiting for the applause ♪ ♪ So could you be the one right away ♪ ♪ Surely, I can't wait for another ♪ ♪ So could you be the one right away ♪ ♪ Surely, I can't wait for another ♪ ♪ Please, please one more time ♪ ♪ I can't stand the pain ♪ ♪ Sing along in monotone ♪ ♪ It's just another love song ♪ ♪ I give up, I give in ♪ ♪ Signing off, it's tired and repetitive ♪ ♪ Place one hand upon the phone ♪ ♪ Swear I'm not a lost cause ♪ ("Surely I Can't Wait" by Nation of Languages continues) ♪ So could you be the one right away ♪ ♪ Surely, I can't wait for another ♪ ♪ So could you be the one ♪ ♪ Sign your name ♪ ♪ Surely, I can't wait ♪ ♪ Be the one right away ♪ ♪ Surely, I can't wait for another ♪ ♪ Surely, I can't wait for another ♪ (audience clapping and cheering) Thank you.

I had been playing in a band that was mostly guitar music, and I had found that we were really, we did a really bad job of illustrating our influences, which I thought was something I always appreciated in other bands when they could kind of point me towards the bands that influenced them, and then I could grow my knowledge of music.

And so when I started this one, originally, it was just kind of a personal writing exercise of can I put the guitar down and write with keyboards and with some kind of intention of highlighting the first influences of the band, which was like Human League and New Order and OMD.

And over time, there were friends started helping me to play the songs live, and then there were a bunch of lineup changes until we landed on what we have now.

But yeah, there was definitely a lot of intention about how to start the band then with the idea that as the band progressed, that could loosen and loosen and you could see where the writing took you within the frame of those original inspiration.

("September Again" by Nations of Languages) (audience cheering) ♪ I wander off on ♪ ♪ Some kind of vision of sunlight ♪ ♪ But our hands fall ♪ ♪ From your left, from my right ♪ ♪ So you go back to church to reclaim the feeling ♪ ♪ You say you don't understand why ♪ ♪ And you spend extra time standing naked in the mirror ♪ ♪ When you wanna wear something nice ♪ ♪ And it's September again ♪ ♪ Flipping through the same old books ♪ ♪ But you're reading less ♪ ♪ And it's September again ♪ ♪ I don't mind, I don't mind ♪ ("September Again" by Nations of Languages continues) ♪ I'm gazing upon ♪ ♪ Stained glass and ceilings of pure white ♪ ♪ The choir calls from the back and it's nice ♪ ♪ So you go back to church to reclaim the feeling ♪ ♪ You say you don't understand why ♪ ♪ And you spend extra time standing naked in the mirror ♪ ♪ When you wanna wear something nice ♪ ♪ And it's September again ♪ ♪ Flipping through the same old books ♪ ♪ But you're reading less ♪ ♪ And it's September again ♪ ♪ I don't mind, I don't mind ♪ ("September Again" by Nations of Languages continues) ♪ Now you've got to know ♪ ♪ You move in cascading light ♪ ♪ Oncoming autumn ♪ ♪ You can't remember the last time ♪ ♪ A life so long ♪ ♪ And you fade, and it's fine ♪ ♪ So you go back to church to reclaim the feeling ♪ ♪ You say you don't understand why ♪ ♪ And you spend all your time standing naked in the mirror ♪ ♪ When you wanna wear something nice ♪ ♪ And it's September again ♪ ♪ Flipping through the same old books ♪ ♪ But you're reading less ♪ ♪ And it's September again ♪ ♪ I don't mind, I don't mind ♪ ("September Again" by Nations of Languages continues) ("September Again" by Nations of Languages continues) (audience clapping and cheering) Woo!

("Weak in Your Light" by Nations of Languages) ♪ Come on in and sit beside me where the waters collide ♪ ♪ Bathin' me in the iris of your widening eyes ♪ ♪ What can you share to keep my hands cuffed ♪ ♪ Somethin' so bright and blessed that I'm all but crushed ♪ ♪ Just a reminder I'm in love ♪ ♪ Weak in your light ♪ ♪ And I can't seem to wash it off ♪ ♪ And that's all right ♪ ♪ Fumblin' friend and foe, we're in rotten light ♪ ♪ Starin' down the simple somethin' ♪ ♪ That'll shape my whole life ♪ ♪ Breathin' and burnin', beleaguered and overthrown ♪ ♪ I can feel myself come undone, yet there's more ♪ ♪ Just a reminder I'm in love ♪ ♪ Weak in your light ♪ ♪ And I can't seem to wash it off ♪ ♪ And that's all right ♪ ("Weak in Your Light" by Nations of Languages continues) ("Weak in Your Light" by Nations of Languages continues) ♪ Just a reminder I'm in love ♪ ♪ Weak in your light ♪ ♪ And I can't seem to wash it off ♪ ♪ And that's all right ♪ ♪ It's all right, I'm in love ♪ ♪ Weak in your light ♪ ♪ And I can't seem to wash it off ♪ ♪ And I can't seem to wash it off ♪ ♪ And that's all right ♪ ♪ And that's all right ♪ ♪ And that's all right ♪ ♪ And that's all right ♪ -(audience cheering) -Thank you.

All of the songs are primarily just written by Ian in our apartment where we live together, as we are a married couple.

And I end up just listening from outside the room a lot and giving little bits of encouragement from the other side of the apartment or little bits of feedback or sometimes he'll pull out a demo that he's not that excited about, but I really like it, so I get very naggy about it.

I'm like, "Make that one a song," which happened on the last record.

One of the songs was just an old demo that sort of came back up, and I nagged him and showed all of our friends until we basically bullied him into putting it on the album.

But I would say that the writing process is still very much an insular process for Ian.

And then when we all go into the studio together, he'll let us play the parts, and that sort of gives our little touches to it.

Or we'll sing backup vocals with him, and you can hear and feel us in the room with him, but it's still very much his project.

Yeah, I think I'm not very good at explaining my trains of thought when I'm trying to make things.

And I think that that lends itself to me wanting to work alone, because I need to chase the idea within my head in order to show it, rather than talk about it and arrive at it.

And so it's just a lot of many hours of chasing one sound or one sort of lyrical idea that I feel like doesn't lend itself to collaboration.

-(everyone laughs) -[Interviewer] Fair enough.

I mean, I have this modes of transportation thing in my head of like, in my mind, the first album, kind of is experienced in a car, and the second one on a train, 'cause there's more German motoric beat influence to it, which is very relentless and steady, which, to me, makes me think of trains.

And then the third album is a little more bass guitar, groove oriented, I think.

And so, that to me is like walking city streets on your feet and maybe over-caffeinated kind of thing.

And so, maybe the next one will be in space.

-Who's to say?

-(audience cheering) ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages) ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages continues) ♪ A divide ♪ ♪ Calling all the faithless in flight ♪ ♪ What am I ♪ ♪ I am only dust in this light ♪ ♪ But I would like to find another way to find you here ♪ (Ian singing indistinctly) ♪ You sat in the garden by the road ♪ ♪ Mummified, nullified in the soil ♪ ♪ The feeling weighs a fuck load in the morn' ♪ ♪ They must have dropped the call ♪ ♪ Thank goodness I wrote ♪ ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages continues) ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages continues) ♪ A disguise ♪ ♪ Wear it 'til I think that it's real ♪ ♪ I don't know ♪ ♪ You may never know how I feel ♪ ♪ But I would like to find another way to find you here ♪ ♪ But I would like to find another way to find you here ♪ ♪ I stared up the wall and he said ♪ ♪ I don't know is not an answer to the question ♪ ♪ To the question ♪ ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages continues) ♪ In the time ♪ ♪ That it takes to open this wound ♪ ♪ Lay me down ♪ ♪ Tell me it'll be different soon ♪ ♪ But I would like to find another way to find you here ♪ ♪ But I would like to find another way to find you here ♪ ♪ I stared up the wall and he said ♪ ♪ I don't know is not an answer to the question ♪ ♪ To the question ♪ ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages continues) ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages continues) ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages continues) ("The Wall & I" by Nations of Languages continues) (audience cheering) (audience cheering) -Thank you.

-(audience cheering)