I knew what real instruments I wanted and, in some cases, who I wanted to play them. I had started listening to a lot of ambient music and jazz and I wanted to incorporate stuff like that, too.

Once you feel like you can safely quit a melody, you are free to explore more important things.

I certainly didn't predict people who spent years actively disliking the band to all of a sudden like the band. That's pretty funny to me, and it makes playing live kind of interesting, 'cos we're doing lots of things that don't really have a lot to do with that record, and even presenting the songs off that record in a way that's a little more muscular and without as much of the sheen, which is what I think part of what people really liked [about Kaputt].

I always start with the lyrics, because starting with the music means the words will be bad.

People say I write specifically about nothing in particular. I don't know about the latter part, but I think the first part is really important in conjuring up a voice that works, or at least the illusion of a voice at work.

I'm not that conscious of my writing, so pacing the lyrics doesn't really enter the picture.

I used to struggle a little bit with the idea of how to separate singing from acting and entertaining.