Truman Sinclair allows a peek behind the curtain of his latest EP.
Photo: Ines Dias Ferreira
Upon the release of his latest record, Rivers of Sugar and Blood, and the start of his UK and EU tour, Truman Sinclair details his creative process and the story behind his new album.
Sitting in the corner of The George Tavern’s pub garden before the commencement of his intimate gig, Truman tells the story of how his EP Rivers of Sugar and Blood came to be with zest, candour and vulnerability. With a pint in hand and playing his whole setlist in preparation, it is clear, with his talent and dedication to the craft, that he is on his way to being a keystone performer and lyricist in Americana-folk.
I listened to the EP in the order it was intended. Are you trying to tell a particular story?
I would say definitely. I’ve put the songs there so they would flow together. I think it starts the way I want it to start and ends the way I want it to end. It starts out with this high-energy thing, and it ends with ‘we are all just specks of glue in this crazy, weird universe’.
This record for me was definitely a transition period; I had just graduated from college and was making a bunch of stuff, and these recordings honestly felt like a bunch of black sheep in my recording process. I found that they told a particular story and I put them together, and this EP honestly means a lot to me.
What are you most proud of with this latest creation, either musically or personally?
This record personally has a lot more variety in it than some of my previous projects, and I’m proud of that because I’ve been making music for a really long time, and I’ve had a bunch of different projects that have sounded very different. This record expands the view of my music that I’ve put out under my own name. That’s something I’m proud of because I want to continue to do that. I always just make whatever is the sickest, tightest thing to make, and what I feel in the moment.
It’s not that I’m intentionally trying to make different things, but I just make whatever I want. I was happy to put this out; something that felt a little more eclectic, and then have people receive it well. That meant a lot to me.
Who or what are the musical influences for this record? Have they changed since the release of Pale Moon Pale Horse?
I’d say it’s pretty similar. I’ve always been inspired by a pretty wide variety of music. I like anything that has a sense of attitude: bands like Joyce Manor, Jesus Piece, Neil Young’s Crazy Horse, Lucinda Williams.
I try to make what I feel in the moment because that’s what I respect about the music I like. Anything that feels like it has a strong point of view and an attitude is something I can get behind. I try and make sure that I’m being as authentic as possible on every track.
What is your songwriting process? Do you carry around a notebook, or are you a Billie Jean done in half-hour type of person?
I find that songs come in a million different ways, and I can’t really put my finger on it. I’ve had songs that I love that took me a month to write. I’ve had songs that I love that took me 15 seconds to write.
I definitely do carry around a little journal when I can, but also write on the notes app on my phone and, some of the time when I’m playing guitar, I find a riff, the melody and the words right away. Sometimes I have a melody kicking around in my head for a month and then find the words down the road. But I am an avid guitar player. I play guitar all day, every day, so usually it comes from something I find on the guitar.
What was the most challenging aspect of this EP?
I’ve been releasing music independently for a really long time, and so there’s some changes when a lot more people are on the team, and it’s been genuinely great. They’ve treated me really well, but it definitely is a different thing.
When I said I was going to be done, I definitely pushed back the release date on this project a couple of times and gave people some headaches, but I try to put the art first and the attitude first. It really worked out, and they were really kind and gracious and let me do all that. So, it’s been great.
You’ve gigged in the UK before, and you seem to have an affinity for Joe Strummer. What would you like a UK audience to take home from your latest EP?
Well, first of all, I love The Clash, and I love Joe Strummer’s solo stuff as well.
I want any audience to take away that I am speaking from the heart. I’m trying to be as authentic as possible so people can just see me for who I am. That’s what I love about music – when I relate to somebody’s song, it makes me feel like I can relate to that person.
That makes me want to [go to] gigs to be honest and real, because then I’m not being lied to. I follow my creative whims, and this shit is in my blood – that’s what I want people to take away.
Do you think you’ll collaborate on any future records and, if so, who would be a contender or a dream feature?
Oh, my God, there’s so many dream features. Maybe Young Lean? I would love to collaborate on stuff. I haven’t done too much of it yet, but it's definitely not out of the ballpark in terms of what I want to do.
Is there a direction you’d like to go in next, or has the musical tone of Rivers of Sugar and Blood got more to give?
All my music has some ties that bind it all together. I don’t think those things will go away, but I’m always trying to push forward and make new sounds.
I’m about to head to Laurel Canyon to record in a bigger studio for the first time in my life because I’ve basically made music on my laptop since I was a little kid. I’m sure the music will sound a little different, but I’m just trying to keep my heart on my sleeve and keep shit honest so it feels how I want it to feel – I’m gonna let it take me somewhere.
Quick-fire:
If Rivers of Sugar and Blood could be the score to any film, which would you choose?
That’s a great question, really hard. I don’t watch enough movies or TV shows. Maybe a coming-of-age movie like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. That would be sick – I love that movie.
Your favourite lyric that you’ve written?
‘The same moon that moves you moves me too, you know all you’ll ever be is a speck of glue’. I tell myself that to myself in the mirror all the time, whenever I get upset or anything. You’re just a little thing holding one piece of air to the next piece of air, so you do your best to occupy the space and that’s all it really is, and you do your best.
If you could only listen to one record for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Oh, my God. There’s a million, but right now I’ve been visiting one of my all-time favourite records: Cardinal by Pinegrove. That record has carried me through so much, and it exploded my mind when I first heard it at 17. I used to walk around outside of my parents’ house and listen to that song for hours every single night – it means everything to me.
Rivers of Sugar and Blood is out now via Capitol Records/Polydor Label Group.
You can also find this interview in print. Order Issue 2 of The Indie Scene Magazine here.