(techno chiming) (beeping) (playing "Hello Hawk") ♪ Walking up first in the sun ♪ ♪ Avoiding everyone ♪ ♪ When you come high into view ♪ ♪ Over Bellevue ♪ ♪ And those bricks begin to hum ♪ ♪ Glass vibrates with the tone ♪ ♪ You're nothing but alone ♪ ♪ United Nations glows with light ♪ ♪ You're up all night ♪ ♪ But this is no one's home ♪ ♪ Sensing one way free ♪ ♪ These canyons killing me ♪ ♪ Well you dive then lift away ♪ ♪ Of a dying day ♪ ♪ Falling from my feet ♪ ♪ Hello hawk come pick me up ♪ ♪ Hello hawk come pick me up ♪ ♪ Hello hawk come pick me up ♪ ♪ Hello hawk come pick me up ♪ (instrumental solo) ♪ When I saw your shadow ♪ ♪ Blurry though it was ♪ ♪ In the heat somehow I knew ♪ ♪ Oh, and it was you ♪ ♪ Beating down the dusk ♪ ♪ Grab us by the neck ♪ ♪ I volunteer as prey ♪ ♪ We could leaf the world in gold ♪ ♪ If this muddy road would only wash away ♪ ♪ Hello hawk come pick me up ♪ ♪ Hello hawk come pick me up ♪ ♪ Hello hawk come pick me up ♪ ♪ Hello hawk come pick me up ♪ (instrumental solo) (audience cheering) (instrumental solo) (audience applauding) - I started writing songs for Wild Loneliness before lockdown.

And then I couldn't really write a song for a while.

I just wasn't in the mindset.

I was working on a film score, but something about sitting down with a guitar and writing a song just was not happening for me.

So maybe six months into lockdown, I started writing songs again for this record and thought maybe we could get it out in 2021.

But as things dragged on with the pandemic, and it was clearly we weren't gonna go into a studio anytime soon, I started working on the songs at home, like recording the songs at home.

And Jim, who plays guitar, come over and record his parts, and then John who plays drums would come record his drum parts.

And we were sitting in my little basement studio in our house.

It's just one room.

And like I'd be sitting over there with my mask on, and the pro tools, and then John would be at his drum kit across the room with his mask on playing his drums.

And that's kind of how he recorded the record.

And Laura has a recording set up at her house, so she could do her base parts without ever leaving her house.

And we made the record like that.

But when it came time to mix it, I mean I think we all agreed that we didn't want it to sound like a lo-fi record, or that didn't want to sound like home recordings, or demos, or anything like that.

So we sent it off to our friend Wally Gagel, who we worked with a long time ago on a record called Here's Where the Strings Come In.

He mixed it and made it sound really good.

And that's kind of how the record record came together.

Thanks a lot.

This is another song for Wild Loneliness.

(playing "Endless Summer") ♪ We used to like this song with snow piled up outside ♪ ♪ We used to wonder when the mornings would turn mild ♪ ♪ Now everything is upside down ♪ ♪ From Lake Louise to Spanish Town ♪ ♪ Is this the year the leaves don't lose their color ♪ ♪ And hummingbirds, they don't come back to hover ♪ ♪ Now I'm a broken record ♪ ♪ I'm year-round bummer, but ♪ ♪ I'm not ready for an endless summer, no ♪ ♪ I'm not ready for an endless summer ♪ (instrumental solo) ♪ It's New Year's day and we're not burning anything ♪ ♪ I miss the cold and I miss looking out for spring ♪ ♪ What's coming up, greeting the words ♪ ♪ Of all the signs we understood ♪ ♪ Is this the year the dogwoods, they don't flower ♪ ♪ Is this the year the fruit, it all stays sour ♪ ♪ Now I'm a broken record ♪ ♪ I'm year-round bummer, but ♪ ♪ I'm not ready for an endless summer, no ♪ ♪ I'm not ready for an endless summer ♪ (instrumental solo) ♪ Is this the year the leaves don't lose their color ♪ ♪ And hummingbirds, they don't come back to hover ♪ ♪ Now I don't need to be a ♪ ♪ A giant bummer, but ♪ ♪ I'm not ready for an endless summer, no ♪ ♪ I'm not ready for an endless summer ♪ ♪ Then join me by the window ♪ ♪ Can we start- ♪ ♪ Endless summer, no ♪ ♪ I'm not ready for an endless summer ♪ (instrumental solo) (audience cheering) - In terms of running a label, we're kind of old fashioned in the sense that we don't radically change up what we do.

We try to keep up with what's going on, obviously technology wise and the way people are consuming music and listening to things.

But for the most part, even though a lot of people are streaming records that we put out, a lot of people are still wanting to buy the vinyl and the, and the CDs even.

So I mean, I think that one reason that Merge as a label still exists is that we've never made any radical shifts in how we think about the bands we're working with and the records we're putting out.

I think we still choose artists that we work with the same way.

It's just bands that we love.

And like I said, I think that's one reason that we're still able to do what we do.

(playing "Watery Hands") - The song is about summertime and the South, and it's called Watery Hands.

♪ When you leave this coast ♪ ♪ Take me with you 'Cause I can't live with your ghost ♪ ♪ She's too much like you ♪ ♪ She's killin' water please ♪ ♪ On water skies ♪ ♪ And we both know that I've got bad knees ♪ ♪ For tricks I won't do ♪ ♪ So I'm swimming back to you ♪ (instrumental solo) ♪ Soakin' wet ♪ ♪ Fully intercoastal ♪ ♪ But I still can't forget ♪ ♪ Your farewell toast when you were down on the beach ♪ ♪ With bright red knees ♪ ♪ You dropped anchor when dropped me ♪ ♪ Now my flag flies blue ♪ ♪ So I'm swimming back to you ♪ (instrumental music) ♪ You're made of water, I'm made of sand ♪ ♪ Don't quit your teeth, just let me kiss your ♪ ♪ Watery hands ♪ ♪ You're made of water, I'm made of sand ♪ ♪ Don't quit your teeth, just let me kiss your ♪ ♪ Watery hands ♪ (instrumental music) ♪ Stop washing me away ♪ ♪ Stop washing me away ♪ ♪ Stop washing me away ♪ (instrumental solo) ♪ You're made of water, I'm made of sand ♪ ♪ Don't quit your teeth, just let me kiss your ♪ ♪ Watery hands ♪ ♪ You're made of water, I'm made of sand ♪ ♪ Don't quit your teeth, just let me kiss your ♪ ♪ Watery hands ♪ ♪ Well stop washing me away ♪ ♪ Well stop washing me away ♪ ♪ Stop washing me away ♪ (audience cheering) - I don't know, I think that we were never a big band.

I just, but I hope that we're a band that has managed to create a catalog that is deep and that people can hear a new record and go like, "Oh, that makes me wanna listen to an old record."

Or if it's a band, if it's someone that only knows like our first five records, might still hear a song from a new record and go like, "Wow, I still like this band.

Like, I'm gonna listen, I'm gonna check that out."

You know what I mean?

Because our approach has always been about the songs and the live show.

But in other words, there's never really been like a gimmick or something.

In some ways that prevents maybe like a flashy like moment from happening.

But hopefully it leaves something substantial for people to get into in whatever year that they want to.

- Here's one.

(playing "Driveway to Driveway") ♪ I still have briars in my clothes ♪ ♪ Did I lay you down in those ♪ ♪ The names on the stones were all erased ♪ ♪ And I thought it was you that I had chased ♪ ♪ Driveway to driveway drunk ♪ ♪ Well, I don't remember this too well ♪ ♪ I'm glad I have the scrapes to prove ♪ ♪ Prove it was me who fell ♪ ♪ And the names were all we knew ♪ ♪ And the names were all erased ♪ (instrumental solo) ♪ From stage to stage we flew ♪ ♪ With a drink in every hand ♪ ♪ My hand on your heart had been replaced ♪ ♪ And I thought it was you that I had chased ♪ ♪ Driveway to driveway drunk ♪ ♪ Well, I don't remember this too well ♪ ♪ I'm glad I have the scrapes to prove ♪ ♪ Prove it was me who fell ♪ ♪ And the names were all we knew ♪ ♪ And the names were all erased ♪ (instrumental solo) (audience cheering) (playing "The First Part") ♪ So this is the first part ♪ ♪ Drunk and the selfless, the endless caresses ♪ ♪ How long must the first part last ♪ ♪ Before we make our respective messes ♪ ♪ Well all the clocks wound down ♪ ♪ Well all the clocks wound down ♪ ♪ And all the doors thrown open ♪ ♪ One good minute could last me a whole year ♪ ♪ One good minute will last me a whole year ♪ ♪ Well it's a delicate line ♪ ♪ We draw it in pink ♪ ♪ We draw it in white ♪ ♪ So take your time with it ♪ ♪ Yeah take your time ♪ (instrumental solo) ♪ I have remembered these things before ♪ ♪ Whispered phrases and emotions ♪ ♪ I have remembered these things before ♪ ♪ Whispered phrases and emotions ♪ ♪ And I know that they will only ♪ ♪ I know that they will only haunt me ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ One good minute could last me a whole year ♪ ♪ One good minute will last me a whole year ♪ ♪ Well it's a delicate line ♪ ♪ We draw it in pink ♪ ♪ We draw it in white ♪ ♪ So take your time with it ♪ ♪ Yeah take your time ♪ (instrumental solo)