Three years after their critically acclaimed 2018 debut, their new album Modern Fiction is an exuberant reflection on decay that came together in the face of separation. One of the singles on the album — “How Lonely Are You?” — speaks directly to the literal distance between them as the two collaborators were separated for an extended period of time over the course of the pandemic. 

Like any self-respecting indie band on a budget, they recorded the album themselves in a warehouse basement. We connected with McGreevy to discuss his friendship with Lewis, the thesis for their new album, and the benefits of recording music at your own pace, even if it means having to take it underground. 

You guys recorded your new album in a basement. How did that come about? 

We just asked. Thank you to Jeff, Evan’s boss. It was very kind of him to let us use it. We set up in a corner and could really take our time. We both had experiences where you do the more traditional studio setup, and then you’re stuck with what you did there. We wanted to be able to set up for a long period and not worry about time.

What was your first memory of meeting Evan?

We talked about our mutual immigration experiences and how we were both applying for permanent residency. Evan is from Australia and I mostly grew up in the States but I was born in the UK. 

How would you describe your artistic relationship?

I think we are opposites and in a way that works well. Evan is very disciplined, organized, and into the process. He’s really good at thinking about the bigger auditory picture; what the feel should be, and how to create that feel. I don’t think about things in that way. I’m more interested in the feeling of a song while I’m making it for like an hour and a half, and then I move on. It’s a good relationship. We have a mutual understanding of what things are supposed to sound like, but we come at it from two different directions.