I'm just worn down and weary of bands whose lyrics are cryptic and self-referential.

If you can express something in the simplest way possible, I think there's something noble in that. It's easy to flesh stuff out and get all purple with it, being cryptic and wearing masks... I think it's a bit adolescent. I wanted to write in a way that was vulnerable. I wanted to have courage in stripping back the opaque stuff so it was just raw. I like lyrics that are a lifeline, that have a purpose to them and are not just meandering around in a masturbatory way. They cut the page.

I'm appalled by the tendency of some rock records to perfect everything to the point where it sounds like Botox and polish it so heavily that there's no humanity left in it.

I like the fervor of religious music, the zealous aspect - that preachers can go from a conversational cadence into this passionate singing.

I'm just worn down and weary of bands whose lyrics are cryptic and self-referential.

You can get into a comfort zone writing lyrics, like wearing a mask. But I wanted to feel uncomfortable when I was listening back to the lyrics; I wanted to squirm.

When you're making an album with people who made your favorite records as a rebellious teenager, it feels like you've achieved something.