It takes us a long time to write a song that we all really like, so it makes sense that it would take a while for the listener to get there, too.

I drink wine on stage to sort of loosen my grip on reality a little.

Lyrics need to be good, but they don't need to be obvious right away.

Sadness is not always the worst feeling. Sometimes it's a really pleasurable thing to be overwhelmed with sadness.

The last thing you want to do is write songs about being in a band.

There are records that you just sink into. They coincide with what you’re going through and become an ally. If our records do that for people, that’s the greatest compliment I could ever receive. That’s one of the reasons making music is so important to me, because there’s a very strange emotional reach. For me—more than books or movies or other things—music is like a mainline to your heart.

Getting on stage and performing and standing under lights is such an unsettling experience - in a good and bad way - but it's the only place I can go to feel comfortable.