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Conjuring old family memories and musing on the passage of time has always been a speciality of Spektors.
Think of her touring with the Strokes and how their version of downtownindie sleazeis having a resurgence.
Those lyrics more or less sum up what its like to actually talk to Spektor.
Heres a condensed version of our conversation, which eventually does in fact touch on the new album.
First off, Im sorry to hear you were sick.It wasnt proper sick.
I know everybody gets them in different ways.
When I get them, part of it is it gets kind of hard to say sentences.
Migraines are such a mystery.
But I do feel like theres something from them that I always learn.
Its the weirdest thing.
Its something so uncomfortable and so painful and so shitty ofcourseyou would never wish it upon anybody or yourself.
Im very grateful to western medicine.
I think that vaccines changed the course of human history.
Then this wonderful doctor, she gave me acupuncture, and she totally changed what I ate.
It was so fascinating to me.
You have to really be thoughtful.
Its just so beautiful that within these parameters, sometimes people end up being much more aware and present.
Like, Ill find myself just mindlessly eating something.
But nobody whos really Orthodox ever does that.
We have these senses, and theyre pretty limited.
Its like an ant crawling through the Taj Mahal.
An ant is an incredible creature.
But at the same time, theyre not aware of all this stuff that goes on here.
Theyredefinitelynot aware of other planets.
I think were kind of like that, to think with our lets say evensixsenses, how about that?
that we can perceive what the hell this place is.
So what are the things you do to observe and situate yourself in space?
Im married to an incredible partner.
We just endlessly process things together.
Were kind of like dual processors of the world.
And of course the arts help me a lot.
Music, literature, and film, they comfort me.
And I love listening to different lectures.
Were really trying to find people that think like us.
And the place that I am most comfortable, for the most part, is not there.
The way that I am is very out of step with where our society is pulling.
I like that opportunity.
For the most part unless somebody is cruel or truly hateful.
Im not talking about true hate.
Youre not talking about Tucker Carlson, basically.Exactly.
I dont even know what that is.
If absolutely incredible, giving people exist, there has to be a shadow element, as Jung said.
I think that its always been like that.
They used to bring children.
I think the last public-view execution happened pretty damn recently.It was in the 1900s for sure.
But societies are like that.
You think youre doing something good.
Your intentions are good.
The people who are trying to overturnRoev.Wade, in their minds, theyre saving babies.
In their mind, theyre at the forefront of this kindness.
They dont want to understand the reality of what it takes to go through giving birth.
They dont have depressed lives.
Anti-choice extremists arent thinking about them.
And well never be able to convince them because, to them, its a noble course.
Im too cynical about anti-choicers intentions.
And these are people who have themselves probably paid for quite a few abortions.
And they will deny that abortion to somebody whose life is going to change for the worse.
While, of course, they will hire somebody privately in a second for their own daughter.
I think weve missed some kind of very important off-ramp.
Were planting our feet deeper and hating each other more.
The song starts off pretty and yearning; its about loneliness, and thats sympathetic.
And if you follow a thread, then youre making art.
And you have to accept what happens in that thread.
Or you might see the underbelly of something wonderful.
I dont make universal art.
I dont make universal statements.
Im not a thought leader for large groups of people.
Im much more interested in the gray area.
And so you cant really be fully committed to a group because you have to stay an individual.
Im not trying to, with this record, make you think something or change your mind about something.
Because its so confusing here.
I could sit here and be really intolerant of people, but where is this gonna get us?
And you are just the best kid ever.
I just love you so much.Thats what he wants.
Meanwhile, hes got endless hatred going toward him.
This reminds me of what you were saying about demonic and selfless people in the world.
The album has these themes like Without night, is there morning?
on Through a Door.
When youre making something, youre just enjoying the ride, or at least I am.
It feels very fulfilling to just be making it.
Because Im not always.
So in those moments where I am, Im just happy.
A lot of the time, I just have no idea what the next word thats coming out is.
Thats kind of like the moment where Im talking to you.
Its a funny experience.
You were quoting certain things from the songs, and Im like,Oh!
She heard it!Because I dont know that many people will have listened yet.
Its such a privilege to be a part of things, and its not wasted on me.
They dont get to have a little welcome banner, and I do.
So Im definitely grateful for it.
Youve always done interesting things with rhythm, with the phrasing in your singing.
I change things and go through things for a long, long time.
So if youre hearing it, that means I truly believe in that particular clothing for that song.
I myself have gone back over many, many songs.
Just because I feel it in the moment doesnt mean Ill feel it in a year.
In that way, Im very excited and happy.
That being said, if everybody thought it was just sucky, I would definitely be disappointed.
I would still love it.
I really do love the production on this record so much.
Will I love it in a year?
I have no idea.
We were actually due to start recording together in person in New York City right as COVID hit.
We had to cancel it.
Let me rerecord this because I love what you did there, and I want to reflect it more.
I want to accentuate it.We did this back-and-forth thing, which I just thought I could never do.
And it ended up being a lot more exciting and new.
The lesson that I keep learning is that limitations will sometimes make for exciting ways of trying something new.
I really love new experiences.
I dont want to have deja vu and make the same record over and over again.
That would drive me crazy and be depressing.
I tend to sometimes jump the gun.
If I dont like something, I take it away right away.
I dont tend to live with it.
Its really hard to know sometimes if this foreign thing will grow on you or if its just wrong.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
