The only thing contrived is the production - you can over-produce to the point you kill a good idea, you can under-produce so that the song's amazing but you'll have folks at a radio station saying they won't play it, so there's this balance, and it has to be true.

Melody is the single most important thing to any song, period. I don't care what anybody says, it trumps everything. Not because that's my opinion but because I think it's actually indisputable fact. The human brain retains melody easier than it retains words. It's that simple.

I am not opposed to doing a side project, like Death Cab for Cutie, where it's completely different from my own band.

I knew I could make money from songwriting, so how much and when was not really the question.

When life gives you the opportunity to check off a thing on the bucket list, you have to check them.

Just because a suit fits, doesn't mean it looks good. You need a tailor. You want to get bespoke.

When you're around enormously successful people you realise their success isn't an accident - it's about work.