Gumby or Pokey?
I guess I'm Pokey. (The making of record #6.)
It seems some peoples out there in the world are a little frustrated that it’s been so long since the last Shins record came out. I get it! I’ve been there. But also, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to worry about that stuff! Either way I don’t like frustrating people, so I’d like to let you know what I’ve been up to.
The things is, I really don’t write when I’m on tour, I guess because I’m just not drawn to playing the guitar like I am at home. And that’s when songs are created for me. They just evolve while I’m messing around on the guitar, but the desire to do that is completely satiated when I play a show every night. So it usually takes me a while being home before I start to get the bug. Excuse 2: First thing I did when I got off tour in 2018 was I started working with Brian on a new Broken Bells record: Into the Blue, which came out in October 2022. Probably our best BB record. (My favorite, anyway!)
So I really got focused on this new Shins record in the spring of 2023. A lotta life happened in there too. We’ve got 3 daughters and extended families. Things happen! Sometimes very distracting things. You could even say distressing things. That’s life. Unpredictable, sad, wild and beautiful. Often disruptive to the flow of a guy who just wants to play guitar and dream up melodies. There’s a lot of things that will push that activity to the back of the line when real shit needs to be handled. It’s not worth getting into any of that, but suffice it to say I’m in a better spot now and I’m focused on getting this record done! I’m hoping in the next several months it’ll be mixed and ready for mastering. Oh and I can’t wait! I think there’s some really strong stuff here. We’ve been working hard and we really are proud of how things are turning out. Dying to share it! Thanks for your patience though. We’re almost there.
James, I'm thrilled to hear that there's a new Shins album on the horizon! But I also want to say, and I'm sure a lot of other fans are with me on this: I'd rather you take the extra time to make music you love than push an album out on an arbitrary schedule. I think every Shins album has been better than the last (although I think Port of Morrow and Heartworms are tied in my heart), so I can't wait to hear the new one! <3
Into the Blue was such a treat, the depth to the samples and textures on each song was such a huge step up. Invisible Exit is one of your finest. I can’t wait for any new Shins material, it always comes at the perfect time in life when we need it the most ❤️