Punk Head: You hadn't written an entire collection of songs on your own in over a decade. What made this particular moment feel right to return to that kind of creative independence?
Private Practice: The songs arrived with a really clear vision of how they should sound, and I realized I could articulate those ideas more easily through trial and error without trying to relay a bunch of information to collaborators. Since everything felt more or less complete, I just did my best to document things and stay out of my own way. I landed on mixes that I liked and then sent them off for mastering instead of lingering. The whole process took about two months and change.
Punk Head: The EP began with an open guitar tuning you stumbled upon during a winter storm. How did that unexpected discovery shape the direction of the record?
Private Practice: It gave me a jumping-off point that felt exciting and slightly unstable. The tuning itself is slightly counterintuitive, so it requires me to think differently about the natural shapes my hand wants to make.
Punk Head: You describe the recordings as "a polite container for messy shapes." I love that contrast. What did embracing imperfection allow you to do creatively that you might not have done otherwise?
Private Practice: Part of being your own band in the studio means that you can accidentally refine things within an inch of their life. On the other hand, if you're honest about your limitations you can get these components to interact with one another in a way that feels more unique and band-like. I wanted to make everything clear and legible, but not resolve every loose end.
Punk Head: Growing up in Southwest Virginia, you spent your teenage years experimenting with a four-track recorder and learning to become your own band. Did making this EP feel like reconnecting with that younger version of yourself?
Private Practice: It certainly felt comfortable easing back into that kind of hermetic process, but since I'd spent the intervening years working with real humans and figuring out my place in an ensemble, the execution changed. I think the biggest difference was practical. I'm able to execute ideas more coherently, and I'm a bit less precious about layers that need to be removed. That said, the feeling of sitting down by myself with no real map and trying to translate my ideas certainly felt like a bit of an emotional throwback.
Punk Head: After years of working with trusted collaborators, what did you discover about yourself as a musician by making this record alone? And has it changed the way you want to approach music moving forward?
Private Practice: It made me more comfortable with playing guitar again. Spending years playing Bass VI and percussion in Opin recalibrated how I approached it after around a decade away from the instrument. I also spent much of that time engineering and mixing different recordings, so I was able to approach my performances as raw material instead of a referendum on my instrumental abilities. I'm lucky to be able to collaborate with all the musicians I play with, but it's also nice to disappear into my own head once in a while.
