motel void

MOTEL VOID: You’re based in Tiny, Ontario. How would you describe the current music scene in this area? Do you feel that you’re part of it?

JAMES WYATT CROSBY: I live mostly in Tiny but there’s little to no music scene there because it’s pretty rural. Maybe a few cover bands here and there but I’ve never actually seen any bands in the area. I have my bandmates in Toronto who I play live with sometimes so I have to drive a few hours to practice and do shows. There’s also a handful of Toronto bands that I know and have played with, but I feel kind of removed the music scene there because I live so far away.

MOTEL VOID: Could you name your favorite local venues and artists?

JAMES WYATT CROSBY: In Tiny there really isn’t much. In Toronto I recently played at Dakota Tavern which was pretty fun. I’d like to play Houndstooth maybe? I’ve heard it’s good.

Angel Apricot is a favourite Toronto act & I just played a show with my friends in Tractor Beam. Nutrients is also a Toronto band I like, Luge are weird and good, Packs has a new record out too that sounds pretty good. There seems to be a bunch of good stuff coming out of Toronto these days, but like I said I’m living far away so I’m not super connected to it.

MOTEL VOID: Your debut album ‘Twins’ featured really popular singles like ‘Deep in Yr Mind’ and ‘Lights Out’ with over 4 million streams only on Spotify… did this streaming success have a big impact on your career?

JAMES WYATT CROSBY: It definitely helps to get some additional income from streaming, so I’m really thankful for that. And it’s amazing when people reach out and say they like something you’ve done. It feels good for sure.

I do think it maybe warped my process a little bit though. For a while, if I’d release a song and it didn’t get “big numbers” it felt a little disappointing, which is kind of sad. It slowed me down for a while.

For these newer songs I’m about to release, I feel like I was able to get lost in the process and just to love them and obsess over them in a more personal way that goes beyond metrics and all of that kind of stuff. I took my time with these songs, I just really wanted to do them justice.

MOTEL VOID: You’ve just released a new single ‘Happy Memories’. Will it be part of your new record?

JAMES WYATT CROSBY: The album is called “Happy Memories” and it also has a song called “Happy Memories” on it. The singles so far have been “Ashamed”, “For the Last Time”, “Watcher” and the last single is called “Something Missing”. I’m looking forward to getting it out there, it feels like my best stuff so far.

MOTEL VOID: Could you tell us more about the recording and writing process of your songs?

JAMES WYATT CROSBY: It happens differently each time. Little melodies come together and the lyrics are usually semi-autobiographical. Then there’s always a lot of obsessive rewriting. I usually make a lot of versions of songs to help me figure out what I like best. Trying out different arrangements, different keys, different tempos & styles. Stuff like that.

MOTEL VOID: Your plans for 2024?

JAMES WYATT CROSBY: A music festival in Indonesia reached out to me so we’ll see if I play that this year. Maybe a little spring or summer tour too. I’m also working on a soundtrack for a documentary, some collaboration stuff singing for different artists and I hope to release an ambient album too.