a conversation with patrick morris on his debut album as class photo, 'light years later'
Interview by Mackenzie Wagner
After years of making music with STRFKR, Patrick Morris has decided to take the lead on a new project, Class Photo. On Nov. 8, Class Photo released its debut album, Light Years Later, a funky and dynamic album. Morris took some time before the release of Light Years Later to discuss his writing process, inspiration, and hopes for the future of Class Photo.
Ease Up: How has the process of writing and recording individually been different?
Class Photo: My voice and my lyrics are all over this record. Those were areas where I was much more in the background in earlier projects (Strength, STRFKR). Voice is not just another instrument, if that makes sense. So I really wanted to get the lyrics right. I got inspiration from Bailey Winters, my old band-mate. We were in a band for ten years together, Strength, and now he is the singer in Phone Call (Portland, OR).
EU: What is the most important part of your writing process?
CP: The music has to be fun is probably the number one thing. The most inspiring artists to me are the ones who come across like they were honestly having the time of their lives when they wrote their songs. As songwriters, there is a particular “buzz” that we get during the writing process, when it feels like we’re onto something, that keeps us writing. I find that when I place restrictions on myself it has a tendency to lead me to that “buzz,” to that pleasantly “wrong chord” or that happy accident.
EU: What was your inspiration for this album?
CP: When I was writing the song “I’ve Been Cleaning Your Room,” I was playing just the guitar and singing. This was kind of like going back to the first bands that really got me interested in music- Weezer, Nirvana, The Rentals. It was freeing for me in a way to just focus on two main elements- guitar and voice. When I first got started on the song-writing process for Class Photo, I realized it was best to focus on a couple of simple elements at first, that the details come into focus later.
EU: What are you most proud of on this album?
CP: I’m proud of the production. I feel like I can’t take all the credit for it because of how much Rian O’Connell Lewis put in with his mixing skills, but it does sound like what I was aiming for. I wanted a blend of electronic production and fuzzy power pop guitar, and for my part it does just that. Thank you to Rian for adding that special ‘sauce’!
EU: Where did the name Class Photo come from? What inspired it?
CP: The name was something that popped into my head about halfway through writing Light Years Later. What’s important about it and why I think it stuck is that it’s universal, it sounds “pop,” but it also has a very nostalgic connotation.
EU: You released three singles before the album, how did you pick which songs you wanted to release first?
CP: My older brother has always had an ear for what songs might be good singles. I sent him the entire album before I knew which songs were the most ‘single-like.’ Also, Jansen Records definitely guided me and made me feel like these were the right first songs. Besides that, I just felt that "Hard Conversation" was one that I might want to ‘lead with’ because it reminded me a little bit of the previous band I was in, STRFKR.
EU: What are your goals moving forward?
CP: I want to go on tour with the new album. I’m working on booking some shows around Norway currently. I’ve also been in the studio lately, writing lots of parts and getting an idea of which direction the new material wants to go in. My bandmates have dropped in a couple times too, so it’s very inspiring (and new) to get their input.
With the release of the debut album and the potential of a tour, Class Photo is looking forward to what the future holds. Light Years Later will lead Morris on a promising track to fulfill his goals of a tour and future album releases. Be sure to stream Light Years Later!