Q and A with Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck

Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck writes contemplative songs with a heavy focus on his distinctive warble and tattered instrumentation. He has never been content to be defined by one genre. In 2010, he released the countrified and more rock-oriented Here’s To Taking It Easy, an underrated LP with songs such as “It’s Hard to Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama)” giving a generous nod to heroes like Willie Nelson.

Last year’s Muchacho further propelled him into indie rock royalty, thanks to performances on shows such as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the album’s lead single, “Song for Zula,” being featured here, there and everywhere.

While the most recent album flirts with electronics and bigger orchestration, Houck still knows his way around a lonely tune. His talents will be on display Thursday at Spanish Moon. Doors open at 9 p.m. The local folk/rock act Minos the Saint will open the show. Tickets are $15.

In the midst of a year-and-a-half-long tour in support of Muchacho, Houck discussed over the phone what informs his songwriting and what’s next.

How are you holding up these days?
Matthew Houck: Well, I could handle getting off the road. (Laughs.) I obviously love doing this. I’ve been doing it for a long time, but it comes in stages. We’ve been on the road for the last year, year and a half. I’m right at the point where I’m ready to be back in the studio. It’s two different jobs, really—being on the road and then being in the studio. It’s exciting right now, thinking about getting back to the studio. After being there six months, I’ll be sick of that and ready to be back on the road. Lucky for me, both of those jobs are polar opposites.

What’s coming up next? An album, an EP?
Houck: I’m working immediately with the idea of an album. I don’t know, though. There’s always a period of exploring in the studio, picking around the ideas.

Looking back on Muchacho, how do you feel about the record?
Houck: I’m still really proud of it. I think I’ve gotten a lot better at getting that sound I hear in my head to actually be on the record. Earlier records had that capacity and had to hint at the sound I was going for. This one is the closest I’ve gotten to what I’m going for. As far as the way these songs get written, the subject matter, that stuff is a little bit of a mystery to me as well.

Is it primarily still you creating the entire record these days?
Houck: The creative part has been solitary. I’ll take the time myself to scope out the rough stuff. Once I know what the thing is going to sound like, I know there’s definitely a far better piano player I can call these days. (Laughs.)

What makes that solitude a comfortable atmosphere for you to write songs?
Houck: That’s something I think about often. For whatever reason, or at least what I’ve come to right now is that the emotional state is a vulnerable state. It’s raw. I don’t think it equates to day-to-day life. It’s a little too vulnerable and requires that solitude. You can’t really access those kinds of things, as far as I can tell, while someone else is in the room. You need privacy and concentration. I never really spent a lot of time doing meditation, but I consider it to be my form of that.

It seems like there is always something specific that you’re writing about but you keep it at a distance in the songs. Is that a safe assumption?
Houck: That’s a very good way to put it. There’s normally some initial catalyst, some event or thought that ticks off the whole process. Then, at that point, it becomes the craft. The way I feel about it is absolutely trying to get some distance from that first thing to broaden the scope of it so it’s not quite so laser-focused. I think that’s what art is. You make something bigger than the impetus for doing it, round it out and make it a little more widescreen.

Hear Muchacho below: