Polypores: Yeah that whole album Languidity is my favourite of his I think. The album was done and I was struggling for a title. I was listening to records one morning and I put that one on and I realized, "This is it! This is the title!"

So there wasn't really any direct inspiration, musical or otherwise, the title just seemed to fit.

Synapse: I love those kind of synchronicities. And it does. It’s truly a perfect fit.

Polypores: Me too. 

It's important to pay attention to them, I think, to open yourself up to whatever.

I think so, yeah. I know when I was working on this record I was getting a lot of these little syncs that just felt … right. I seem to get them a lot when I'm in a very creative zone. I love that feeling, it's like everything is charged, somehow.

Synapse: I agree totally. I look at those moments as sort of sign posts on my path that remind me that I am actually still on the right trail.

I get in my head a lot, filled with self doubt, so those signposts do wonders for my brain.

Polypores: Again, can relate.

Synapse: To be honest, I can’t say I’ve met an artist that doesn’t.

Polypores: At least not a good one.

Synapse: Your albums all have this sort of fantastical, alien, organic feeling to them. They seem like storytelling, or for lack of a better word, an escape. Does your life and personal experience inform your music? Or is it more of a fun way to play for you? Does that make sense? I know a lot of people put so much emotion and personal energy into their art, but for me personally, it’s more about the enjoyment of it. It’s play. Like, “Yeah, I’d be a neurotic mess if I didn’t make art, so I'm obviously processing my life experience through it in some way,” but I wouldn’t call the things I make emotional or necessarily say “I put all of me into this.”

Polypores: That's a really good question. 

So previous to Polypores I was making music that had lyrics and I was singing about my feelings or whatever. And that was obviously more overtly emotional. But when I quit singing [and writing] lyrics and started doing Polypores, it felt more like just storytelling I guess, like I was making soundtracks to what was essentially a fantasy. And fantasy/sci-fi escapism is always something I've loved, so that made sense.

But in recent years I feel like it's become more emotionally expressive. Not in a way that's overt, as in "Oh I feel sad, I'll make a sad Polypores track to express how I feel,” but more like it just sort of pours out of me in a way that isn't intentional.

I have a tremendously hard time trying to regulate my emotions. My brain is wired in such a way that things which most people aren't too bothered by are absolutely devastating to me. But I also get extremely excited by stuff – so it's a double-edged sword really. But I think that with this in mind, it seems only natural that the emotion would leak out into the music somehow, even if it's pretty far from explicit. Like, it's not Elliott Smith or Nine Inch Nails or whatever, it's a lot more emotionally abstract. But it's there I think. I certainly feel a sort of catharsis after I've performed live, particularly if I move around a lot – which I almost always do.

Maybe it was always that way I just didn't realize it? I dunno. I'm happy with where it's at now though.

I think sometimes it's not necessarily an emotional thing, but it is an expression of my personality to a large degree. And I can hear that in the music a lot of my friends make, too. I recognize elements of their personality in their music. Which is good. It's genuine, it's a true expression.

Synapse: That’s such a great way to put that. I can definitely relate to that. When you express yourself so authentically, the personal nature just exists within it naturally.

I played a sunrise set a couple of weeks ago that I put A LOT of work and energy into and I definitely came really close to crying on stage a couple of times. It was just such a beautiful moment that was the final touch to SO much effort, it was hard to hold back the emotions.

Polypores: Ah, I bet that was amazing.

I'd love to play more outdoors but it's almost always raining here.

Synapse: I’m from Oregon so I totally understand. We either have festivals in the most brutal heat of summer, or I have to travel to somewhere dry.

I don’t perform much, as it’s not really what I want out of being an artist, but I do put a lot into it when I do to make it a special occasion for the people that care enough to be there.

I’m sure you can relate, at least to the making it special part. That’s one of the things I love about you.

Polypores: Yeah I mean, doing this, it means the world to me. And if people have taken the time out to come and support me, they deserve to get something really good. Anything less than that and I'm letting everyone down, myself included!

Which probably makes me kind of hard to work with sometimes.

Synapse: Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Polypores: But I'm not like, Prince or whatever.

At least not yet.

Similar work ethic though.

Synapse: There’s still time.

I’ll start designing your symbol. 

Polypores: Absolutely! Thank you.