How would you say that you manage your academic life along with artistic pursuits? Are you hoping to be able to do music full time or are you fine with letting everything coexist?

“I don't think I manage my time very well, honestly. But there will be weeks where I do schoolwork. And then the other weeks where I don't do schoolwork, I just do whatever. And then I catch up the next week. That's kind of that's kind of the process.  I try to leave everything for the weekends. But it doesn't always work out.”

“I don't know how I was playing so many shows last year during school because I actually had so much work. I would love to do music full time. But I think my goal is just like, do everything. And then once I get bored of whatever I'm doing, just do something else.”

What are your favorite venues you've played at? What's your top three?

“Book club is number one, they're just good. They're awesome. They're real nice. I liked the bottom lounge, because it was huge and it was interesting. Number three. I wanna say the MCA, but their acoustics are bad. But that's not their fault. That's just the space.”

Looking back on the work that you've put out thus far, how would you say that it compares to the stuff you're working on now? Do you think it's gonna be like a natural evolution from past eras or something wildly different?

“I’m not sure. I've recorded so many things and I've put together so many tracks that I think would go together good. Some of it sounds like it's continuing, some of it sounds like acoustic, and some of it sounds like something different. So it depends on what I'm feeling when I put it out, I guess.”

You’ve mentioned that you wanted the upcoming album to have a DIY and homemade feel. What about that sound and feeling do you specifically like creating? Is it something that you go out of your way to maintain the qualities of, or does that just come naturally to you?

“I don't think I go out of my way to do it, because it's just how it is. But I'm like a hundred percent DIY, and I think that the new stuff is like a thousand percent DIY.”

Inspirations?

“Alex G, King Krule. Lately it’s Eliot Smith. And really lately it’s been Bjork.”

What sorts of art do you like engaging with the most? Whether that be for inspiration, or just for fun? You have a lot of experience with visual art, I know that you've designed a few things yourself. 

“I honestly just like making random things. And it's just fun. Especially painting. I remember that painting exists and I'll do something. I like drawing. I've been trying to animate. There's just a lot of things you can do, so it's like, why just do one?”

Do you go out of your way to have your hand and everything that you work on and put out?

“Sort of. I still like having people do stuff. But I feel like I have a really solid vision for what I want, so if I can mock it up for someone else to do, that’s bonus points. But it's just nice to do something that's not music.”

You’ve collaborated with Julian Singer a lot. Can you speak to your process and relationship? How do you guys go about creating stuff together?

“We haven't really done too much since the Dream Sequence videos, but we've been in the talks. I'll either send him something or he hears something I play and be like, “Oh, I like that. I should make a video.” And then I'll hit him up like a month later and be like, “Oh yeah, this video. I have an idea.” They’re canceled but we used to go to Starbucks in Dream Sequence era because [our friend] was working there and just brainstormed. [Julian] usually comes up with a lot of it. I usually have a really loose idea and he’ll make it more solid.”

Do you have any dream photoshoot ideas?

“I remember talking about doing an office photoshoot a while ago, but lately I don’t have any. I just want to take pictures underwater. That’s a dream photoshoot. That’s fire.”

What’s your favorite aspect of songwriting?

“Probably arranging it all to make sense and flow good. Because you can't just write verse, chorus, verse, chorus all the time.”

Do you have a specific work style when it comes to that sort of thing? Is there something you always start from or does it just depend?

“It's not always, but I think lately I've been trying to focus on actual songwriting, [just] playing the acoustic guitar and singing. Just to focus on the words and the structure. And then out of that I'll usually have an idea for what I want it to sound like when I record it. But I've been trying to strip back the instrumentation. Yeah.”

Taking time to recalibrate can mean sacrificing things that people know and love about what you do. Do you find it burdensome to share your artistic process so publicly?

“I felt hella stressed. Things happened with the band and it stopped. Too many things were happening outside of music, where I was, like, I can't do all of it. So I just try not to think about it. Coming back to post something again or release a song again... It's like, are people still gonna care? I’m changing names too. But I think it was needed, and I think it's gonna be more fire.”

The DIY scene in Chicago is saturated but you were still able to build up a pretty dedicated fan base despite that. You’re kind of known for your promotional methods. There are a lot of bands that are starting out and are lost on where to go. Do you have any advice for those looking to cut through the noise?

“I don’t really have any good advice. I did have a list of things I wanted to do to promote stuff but mostly I just do it because I think it's funny.” 

Which aspects of your identity uniquely shape and form your artistic perspective?

“I think being Filipino and Catholic. Growing up, it definitely had an effect on me, I don't know. I think I've always been reclusive, shy. I don't like talking. So I think it gives me an observational edge.”

Are you a poetry person? 

“I love poetry. I just read a poem by William Butler Yeats. Rudyard Kipling has some bangers. I like reading Smiths’ lyrics. That’s like poetry haha.”