Michael Wavves – Purple Heart

By starrymag | September 13, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) Where did the idea for the EP title Purple Heart originate?

 

A) Around three years ago my now fiancé and I had broken up due to self-destructive and selfish behavior on my part.  At that time in my life I was pretty depressed and I kind of hated myself for a while.  All of the songs on Purple Heart were birthed out of that time period in my life.  The tracks are slower and more melody driven than any of my past releases, so I wanted to make sure I grouped them together on one project since they were all centered around the same story and time in my life.  As I put together the EP and pieced together the concepts, I kept comparing what I went through to a shipwreck – like I was the captain of my own ship (which is metaphorically my life) and I and sunk my own ship.  After I crashed my ship, I had to try and survive and salvage what I could.  I also really liked the name “Purple Heart,” which I came up with simply because I noticed I used the purple heart emoji in my text messages a lot.  So, I named the ship “The Purple Heart,” which you can see on the side of the ship in the EP cover art.

 

 

Q) What are some themes that the EP explores?

 

A) The EP has a nautical theme throughout based on that metaphorical comparison to a shipwreck.  My engineer Eric Fletcher and I added various sound bites of ship horns, waves crashing, underwater sounds and rescue helicopter sounds that kind of narrate the journey and story behind the project.  Songs like “SOS” and “undrwtr” dive into the more depressing and self-hate side of the emotions I felt during that time period in my life.  Then, a song like “Mirage” is more of a transitional song that goes from the sinking ship theme to the survival side of the story.  Then, the EP ends with the tracks “These Girls” and “Up Too Late,” which is like the conclusion to the story and picture I was trying to paint.  But, overall in terms of themes, the project touches heavily on depression, self-hate, temptation and reflection; all wrapped in a nautical/shipwreck theme. 

 

 

Q) This album has more melody driven songs. What made you decide to place that as your focus?

 

A) Just what I was going through in my life.  These songs came from depression and a negatively introspective place, which naturally comes through in a slower, more melody driven fashion in these songs.  There were a lot of nights where I cried alone in my bedroom and just sat in the dark, which I can visualize when I close my eyes and listen to the songs on Purple Heart.  So, I didn’t really specifically and consciously focus on being more melody driven and darker. It just naturally came through in the music based on the emotions and experiences I was talking about in all of the songs. 

 

Q) With songs like “SOS” and “Sailing With Sirens” how did the idea of a shipwreck inspire this album?

 

A) The entire EP is centered around that theme, which I did on purpose.  I wanted to create a story around what I went through, something that was almost a movie plot written about those experiences. I also wanted to create a project that you can play all the way through and it just flows naturally and almost seems like one long song.  So, Eric and I added those ship horns, wave sounds and things like that to create that themed playthrough feeling. 

 

Q) The EP also features artists like Ivan B, Abstract, Linda Lind, Jerome and J-Wright. How did you come to collab with them?

 

A) The internet. [laughs] Coming up in the music industry and making certain types of moves lead you to be talked about in certain scenes and bubbles of people.  I’ve always loved working with other artists and collaborating on ideas and seeing what stories they tell.  That being said, I had some fans message me and tell me to work with some of the artists that ended up being on Purple Heart.  I am also fans of all of the artists that are on the EP, which makes those collaborations so exciting for me.  I will definitely be working more with them moving forward, along with several other artists I am a fan of. 

 

Q) The album debuted at #12 on the iTunes R&B charts. How did that make you feel?

 

A) Accomplished and more driven than ever.  When I refreshed iTunes and first saw it at #12 I didn’t really know how to react initially.  My first EP Nights on Vine debuted at #54 on the iTunes hip-hop charts, which was a great feeling as it was my first project release.  But going as high as #12 with Purple Heart was definitely something special to me.  I struggle with overthinking pretty often and self-doubt on and off, so debuting that high on the charts was one of those things gave me that sense of confidence that I need sometimes and pushes me to continue working as hard as I can to make this happen.

 

Q) You recently toured with Cryptic Wisdom. Where were some of your favorite places you preformed?

 

A) On this tour we hit ten cities in eleven days, which was grueling but I loved performing in South Burlington, VT and Harrisonburg, VA the most on this tour. All of the stops were awesome, but Vermont showed so much love to me and Harrisonburg went so hard.  I can’t wait to get back there, see the fans again and play them the new music.  Shouts to the fans that came out and partied with me!

 

Q) What do you hope listeners really take away from pressing play on Purple Heart?

 

A) I hope they can relate to the emotions and stories I talk about.  I really opened myself up on this project and talked about some of the deepest and most emotional things I’ve been through in my life.  My goal was to open myself up and lay those emotions out on the table, allowing my fans and new listeners to connect with those emotions and help them get through their struggles and low points.  

 

‘Purple Heart’ Spotify