Nick Winfrey is a perfectionist. Over the course of the last five years, the man behind Adult Books has been meticulously etching away at an album that would turn out to be his sophomore full-length, “Grecian Urn,” which recently dropped on Taxi Gauche Records. Containing new and old songs reworked into a cohesive energy of focused sound, the album is self-assured and seemingly flawless, which makes sense once you find out that Nick side hustles as a copywriter. The vocals, in classic Adult Books style, are evocative and pleasantly haunting, as if echoed through the lava lamp of my teenage bedroom. It’s stripped down yet booming with intricate details that reveal themselves more and more with each listen. So how did Nick get here? Releasing an album after this long, on the tail end of a pandemic? Perfectionism. And dedication. “The whole course of the band's history has been this process of streamlining down to what I really want to do,” Nick told me over the phone a couple weeks ago. “I definitely feel more confident than ever in my own songwriting abilities.” And it shows. In technicolor.

This interview first published in Bummer Issue 0002.

INHERENT BUMMER: Tell me about the album. When did you guys start working on it?

NICK WINFREY: Well, I guess I would say it's been a long time coming. We started working on it probably in 2017. We were doing edits on it up until 2019.

Why’d it take so long?

Just over the past couple of years there’ve been a lot of curve balls, but I’m glad it’s coming out now. It's the record I've been wanting to make for a long time, because some of the songs go back even farther than [Adult Books]. And they didn't fit for whatever reason on past records, and I wanted to really do them justice. So I feel like this album... I think it does that. And I'm glad we waited and I'm glad that they're coming out now.

So some of the songs on the album are old? How old?

It's a mix. Half are new, and then half go back as far as 10 years, before the band was even a band, when I was recording at home. At that time I didn't really have people I was playing music with, and I entertained myself by making music a lot at home. And so it's honestly special to me in that way.

How does it feel putting these ten year old songs out into the world?

It's exciting, for sure, just because my home demos are so different from what they became. I think the reason it took so long to put them on this record is because we were learning how to play them as a band, and getting the vibe right. Not sacrificing the original quality.

Where did you record the album?

We recorded with Johnny Bell, at Jazzcats Studio in Long Beach. He's got a really cool set up in a back house. He's got lots of cool gear. And he's got chickens.

When did that start?

We started in 2017 and then it just ended up taking a lot longer than I expected. I have a hard time letting things go and being done with something, so it kind of dragged on for a while.

Well you were trying to make it perfect. When did you know you were finally done?

I think at a certain point, things had to be done. There's things still that are here, in the mix, like "Oh, I wish I would have done that differently," but at some point it gets a little obsessive.

“GRECIAN URN” ARTWORK BY MATTEA PERROTTA

What was it like in the studio when you first started recording?

The whole band was in there for a couple of days. And then a lot of it was just me and Johnny, doing stuff together. So that's why, you know, the three-day recording session turns into weeks of recording. I underestimated that. The same thing happened with the first record. I'm not a fast studio person.

Why is that?

I prefer it that way. Because of my job as an editor, I'm naturally really nit picky about things. That carries over to music as well.

So how does it feel to finally release it to the world?

It feels good. You know, it's a funny thing because I felt so wrapped up in it, for so long, that it sort of stifled my creativity in other ways. I went through probably a year, two years, or more, where I wasn't really writing any new music because I was just so obsessive over this record, and editing it, and getting all of the other random stuff involved with it squared away. So already, since it's been in motion with the label and it's out of my hands, it feels awesome. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders. And I've been writing a lot of new music.

What’s it like writing music during this time?

Honestly, kind of awesome. I mean, I've just probably been at home more than I have been in–

Ever in your life?

Yeah, probably. And it's nice to have lazy days where I can just play guitar and record demos. And it's nice to take a step back from social things, too, in a way. I mean, I definitely miss hanging out with people. We have a small group of friends that we do hang out with, but I have so many more free nights where I can work on my own creative projects.

Are you putting out the album on the same label as last time?

No, we're doing it with a label called Taxi Gauche Records. It's run by my friend, Piet, who lives in Zurich. Piet is an awesome guy. He books shows in Zurich, but he's also a pilot for Swiss Air.

What. That’s insane.

We've gotten to know him really well over the past few years, because up until a year ago, he was always in LA flying and stuff [laughter]. But he's the nicest guy, he's been a huge help. Up until the pandemic, he was in LA fairly frequently. Not all the time. But yeah, it's funny because we... I was out in Zurich a couple of years ago. And hanging out with him there, he was just the dude in Zurich. He's this big tall guy. He's just front row at shows and he knows everybody. He's a pretty classy guy.

How’d you guys get connected?

I actually reached out to Piet. He had just done the last Tracy Bryant record, and Tracy had nothing but good things to say about working with him, so I thought it might be a good fit. I think he immediately agreed to do the record without even listening to it, but I told him to check it out and think it over. Thankfully, he loved the record and we got the ball rolling immediately. It's been a super easy process ever since.

I haven’t heard the record yet either, but I’m hearing positive feedback. [I have since doing this interview and it rules.]

Yeah, the feedback has been good. It's kind of funny because it's been a while since we released anything new so I was a little unsure, you know, would anyone still care or listen? But it's been really good. It's different than the last record, but I think it's also a continuation. I think it’s a more thoughtful record.

Why do you say that?

The whole course of the band's history has been this process of streamlining down to what I really want to do. [Adult Books] started out as this loud, fast, punk band because it was a safer place to be [at that time]. And now I feel like three records in, we can do something. We have the ability. We're willing and we're able to make something that's more adventurous. And it feels good to do something that has a little more space to be free. It feels more personal.

Almost like you guys are finally creating...not creating your own sound, but coming into your own?

I definitely feel more confident than ever in my own songwriting abilities. So in the end, I feel like, yeah, I think I have kind of found my voice. I found what I like personally, and I think it works for what I want to do.

Do you feel like you just came to that realization, or has it been building?

I mean, I would say for a long time, I've had this feeling when I write a new song, like, "Oh, that was the best thing I ever wrote." You know? If you don't feel that way, then I don't know what you're doing.

For sure. You need to be stoked on yourself first and foremost.

The whole fun of music for me, and the reason that I love it, is because writing music is this sort of cathartic thing where I can write the song that I want to hear, and then just listen to it, or play it, and feel good. I would say in the past couple of years I feel like a little bit of that struggle of songwriting has left. I mean, it's still there, and I think it should be a struggle in a sense. It’s not easy. But I do feel like I've come to a place where I can say, "I know what I want to do and I know how to do it.”

Listen to Adult Books here.