Interview: LAUNDRY DAY's Sawyer Nunes on his solo album 'Throwing Up'.

Last month saw LAUNDRY DAY's Sawyer Nunes share his new solo album, 'Throwing Up', a collection of 11 songs written after a hard period in his life following the band's tour with Clairo and Dreamer Boy across Europe late last year.

Finished during quarantine this year, the new project was written and produced entirely by Nunes alone, and includes heartfelt and reflective thoughts on friendship, romance, and growing up. In 'Extendoarm' - which now has a stop-motion music video - Nunes relatably asks, "Can you save me from an existence of loneliness?"

Coup De Main gave Nunes a series of questions to answer about the new project, which were asked in conversation by various other members of LD - read a condensed version of the interview below...

COUP DE MAIN: What was it about these collection of songs that felt like they belonged on a solo Sawyer Nunes album, instead of for LAUNDRY DAY?
SAWYER NUNES: I think sometimes when I feel like I need to write stuff, it normally ends up being more personal. A lot of times in the past with stuff that we've done, it's come out of a place of-- We're just very good at making music together. It's less of something just coming out of you. So I feel like whenever I have songs that just come out of here that need to be written, that those are stories that I need to tell all the way through.

JUDE CIULLA: What was the difference about this rhythm of songs that made you want to make an album?
SAWYER: My end of the year, and through January and February, was really shitty. It's was just very kind of shit. But mixed in with really, really good things. I liked going on tour. I enjoyed being with you guys, but as soon as I got back I was just really shitty and I was really depressed. I didn't really know what I wanted to do and then this whole quarantine thing happened... It just felt like the story I wanted to tell.

CDM: Do you think the way you approach your own music has changed since your last album 'I'll Never Be Amazing'?
SAWYER: Yes, I mean, even just listening to the name of that album makes me feel insane. If we're talking about songs that need to come out of you, there are different needs as you get older. As you get older, your needs are different and what you want to say is a little different. That album happened after a really tough summer, and I feel like after big life events, really hard moments in my mental health are when I want to make the best art. I feel like this album is so insanely different. I was just really into, like, if the song is gonna work, I'd rather just let it be very bare bones - it's a very mellow kind of album that can sit beneath the surface. A lot of times I think that's scary because you want things to be super exciting and really punchy. But I just have so much faith in the words and what it means to me.

CDM: You touch on the idea of perfection in the opening song 'Starlight' when you say, "Was it healthy? No it wasn’t / But it was perfect in a way." Do you think that 'perfection' is what you choose to make of a situation? Why do you think it's something that we strive for?
SAWYER: What my brain went to right away was this: I have a very big sweet tooth and I love eating sweet things. As a kid, I was always into things that you can't have for dinner; I was a big snacker. In that way, I knew it was always not good. So I know that's really bad, right? But there's something also, as a person, naturally I feel like I do things that aren't very smart, and who cares about the repercussions? Naturally, when I meet someone, my tendency is, 'Oh, I want to be spending all my time with you, all the time.' Whether it's romantic or friendships, I don't do moderation very well. I guess perfection is something you strive for. Or [is it] something that you create? I always find comfort in the fact that I'm the one thinking the most about myself. It's so interesting. I wish I could live a day in other people's shoes. So that helps me in a way, I guess perfection doesn't really exist because there's no one in the world you could talk to who wouldn't want to change one thing about their life.

CDM: In 'Jasper's Drums' you say, "I finally feel free / It took a year and a half, but I found peace." Why is inner peace and freedom such an important thing to find, do you think?
SAWYER: I always like to think of myself as a work in progress. Every day I'm learning new things about myself. So I feel like I am enjoying simpler things much more in my life. But I think that I'll even get even better at that, and be like, 'Why am I craving something excessive? Why am I being super indulgent?' I think everybody naturally craves attention; I find that a lot in myself. That's not that's not the ultimate road to happiness in my opinion. People can take whatever they want about how I dress and how I choose to live my life, but at the end of the day, as long as I am happy and fulfilled by what I have, that's all that matters, and I'm still getting better at it. There are things that I always want. You always want more as a person but it's important to appreciate what you have and just love it. And if you love something wholeheartedly then that's really all that matters.

CDM: You refer to light throughout the album ('Starlight', 'Sunlight', "your light" in 'Go Gold') - why do you think that imagery is something that you're so drawn to?
SAWYER: Actually, I don't know. I had that song 'Sunlight' and I didn't really know why I named it that. I feel like a lot of times when I'm writing something and I'm in the moment of doing something, I don't know why I'm doing it until a little later. I find there's always a reason as to why I'm doing it - something there that is just subconscious. I think light for me is very important. I remember we talked about our five favorite things, and I was like, 'A dimly lit room.' I thought when I made 'Starlight'... I think moonlight is very romantic. It's kind of like you're under the stars and you feel like you're in secret. I was also thinking about being blinded by the stars. Then the sun comes up in the morning and you're kind of like, 'Okay, it's a new day. I have to get myself together.' In the night you can kind of wander around, you're sleeping, there's no real responsibilities and you wake up the next morning and you realise, 'Okay, I need to grow up a little bit, I need to understand myself a little bit better.' Also, the thing about light is it can come in a lot of different waves - it can be so blinding, there could be none of it, and you can really want to see things when it's really dark. I was talking to someone about why it's called 'Throwing Up' and I was like, "'Throwing Up' to me feels like falling in love," and in a way that light kind of is like that too. It can blind you all of a sudden - you can know it's coming, like you can see it come, and you could really want it when it's not there.

CDM: What can you tell us about upcoming new LAUNDRY DAY music?
SAWYER: Who knows where we are! No one knows anything.

Listen to Sawyer Nunes' album 'Throwing Up' below...