TNB – The last record you put out was Born Ready in 2018. Tell us about the journey from Born Ready to Blue Jeans.
Moakler– The biggest thing that happened was becoming a father. My wife was pregnant on the road of the Born Ready tour with our son, and that is what really marks the in-between, becoming a Dad. It’s been the most amazing gift. A lot of people have asked me “What do you think has changed since becoming a father?” and I think the best answer I can say is I just feel more emotional. You know, I feel every emotion stronger somehow. I don’t know why that is. So, I think coming into this record my heart is feeling a little more tender and I am telling some stories I never have before.
TNB – Instead of dropping the full album at once, you released songs in groups of 3 over a period of time. How did you pick which songs were going to go together?
Moakler – I wanted each pocket to feel well-rounded and like a mini record. I didn’t want to put all the ballads on one and all the tempos on another. Once everything was written and we chose the songs, we said “Okay, let’s choose three at a time that feel well balanced”, and we would go cut them. We were cutting as we were releasing and eventually it came together as an album.
TNB– What do you want fans to take away from the project?
Moakler – The big thing on this record is I feel like I have told more deeply personal stories than I ever have before. My music is always personal and draws from my life, but I feel like I’ve gotten really specific on this album and on a handful of songs in particular. It’s kind of an experiment for me because a lot of my favorite music and my heroes tell very specific stories and somehow they end up being the most universal. I’m very interested in that. I’m hoping that people hear these personal stories and go “hey, that’s my story too.”
