Hello, Nathan! “Drunk Dial Baby” feels like it came from a real place. Did it? And how long did it take before you could laugh about it enough to write the song?
It came from a real place that morphed into this other character’s story completely. The lyrics started with songwriting partner Candace Crockett after one of those moments most people have had… texting somebody you’re getting mixed signals from and immediately wishing you could take it back. She joked about having a “Moscow Mule mouth,” and later that turned into line “moonshine mouth” which planted the seed of the song. It takes those moments everyone knows and turns it into something cheeky and fun. It’s really a situationship story that’s relatable…somebody kind of wants you but not enough to fully choose you. You know, typical modern dating…maybe it’s about settling and making the best of it. It took a couple months before the original situation expressed itself as this song.
This one has a lot more funk in the rhythm section than your usual stuff. Was that a conscious call from the start, or did it just kind of happen in the room?
The lyrics came first, but they already had a certain swagger to them. When Candace brought the song, the idea was always that it should feel upbeat, fun, and a little cheeky. I really like the fact that the groove is confident and moving, but underneath it the character knows he’s not really being chosen. We also knew we wanted at least one fun bar song on the album, so we leaned into that. Sonically we were thinking somewhere between Gary Clark Jr.’s groove and Marcus King’s bluesy funk. Once we got into the studio the band really ran with that idea, and bringing D’Vibes in on keys really took it farther into blues funk.
That bridge line, “she just wants a little rock and roll to fill the holes in her soul,” lands really hard. Do you usually know when you’ve written a line like that, or does it surprise you later?
That was one of those lines that came straight out of Candace’s stream-of-consciousness writing, and when I first heard it, I remember thinking, yeah… that line must stay. Sometimes lines like that just stick. They have weight to them right away. A lot of times you step away from the song and come back later with fresh ears, and it hits you again like, wow, that line really hits. Those are usually the lines you know you shouldn’t overthink or edit too much because it flowed and you know it is meant to stay exactly as it is.
You’ve spent three years on the road backing Taj Farrant. How does stepping out front with your own music feel different, mentally?
I have always been most passionate about my own music. Backing someone is a great experience. It adds another perspective and creates opportunities to learn and grow. It’s exciting to take those things I learned and be able to apply them and push my music further.
The ending, “I’ll pick up that phone. Every. Damn. Time.” feels like the most honest moment in the whole song. Is that you admitting something, or is it the character?
It’s the character. But it’s a character most of us recognize. The song is really about that rush you get when a certain name pops up on your phone. Even when you know better, part of you still wants to answer. So, the ending is that moment of honesty. The character knows the situation probably isn’t good for him, but he’s still going to pick up that phone every damn time. And I think that’s why people connect with it… because we’ve all been there at some point.