On the Crossroads of Personal & Playful, Diners’ Four Wheels and the Truth Optimistically Rolls Along

Blue (she/they) is a musician who resembles sheer sunshine in both her personal and musical nature. She believes in the power of the whimsical tune, and she finds a deep joy in planting small references, or ‘winks,’ at loved friends, places, and memories in her songs. Don’t be fooled, the most important lyrics are sometimes contained within the most fun melodies - her songs and journal entries are written down on the same pages, woven into the same book.

I had the pleasure of virtually meeting Blue a few weeks before the release of her new album, Four Wheels and the Truth. We not only discussed all of the wonderful elements of her songwriting, but also talked about whether boomer rockstars truly enjoy their social media forays, the unwavering need of DIY musical spaces for blossoming songwriters, the indescribable charm of McCartney’s RAM, and the culinary versatilities of pancakes vs. waffles. Blue taught me that the sun doesn’t have to set if you are the one behind the wheel, and I believe hopping onto the sonic journey that is Four Wheels and the Truth is the perfect medicine on a cloudy day.

Listen to the full interview here:

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Emma
So starting off, I just want to ask you how you're doing - how has it been leading up to the album release? What are your thoughts on how it’s been going so far?

Blue
I'd say I'm doing well. Albums can take so long to make from the first studio session to actually releasing. So there are so many different phases like “oh, this is so much fun” …“this is taking too long” … “this is fun again” … “this is taking too long.” Then, there are even those times of being less interested because that's how artists are - you're always kind of wanting to be onto the next thing. So, I’m definitely excited to release it because I have all these new songs that I can't wait to record and start over. To do this whole thing over again. But yeah, so far, so good. I really just love to get reviews from my friends. If I get a text from a friend that says, “Hey, your new song is good. It's really catchy, it's stuck in my head.” That's what it's all about.

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Emma
Mhm. That's what keeps you going in what can feel like sometimes a tedious process?

Blue
Yeah, totally. To me, those are the only reviews that I even really put stock in. I just like my friends, that's always how it's been. If I write a song, and I include a line that I think is a wink at a friend or someone close to me. I like that, if they catch it. Sometimes they don’t, and then I forget. [Then, I remember and think] “oh, yeah, that was supposed to be a reference to this thing,” and of course, we all forgot, but whatever. That's just how it is. 

Emma
I love that it's immortalizing some memories like stories or jokes that you may have with people you care about. Like all art and all forms of record-keeping, it's another way to feel like you're journaling your life, in a way. Even though it sometimes becomes more difficult in the recording process when you're like, “Oh my God, when am I gonna get the song the way I want it to be,” once you really get into the heart of why you're doing it, you remember that it's all worth it. That's really exciting, I really liked that perspective on providing little hints or winks at different people in your lives and including fun and important memories as well.

Blue
Oh, totally. Yeah.

Emma
Alright, so delving into the album itself now - is there a backstory behind the name four wheels and the truth? I really like it, but I feel like it can be interpreted in different ways, and I'd like to hear your interpretation on that.

Blue
The name for four wheels and the truth is a reference to an old saying about country music, and I think there's even a bunch of songs about it. I should probably should know for sure, but [I know it] as a saying - country music is three chords and the truth. I just really liked that. I just really love that phrase so much. When I heard it, the first thing that came to mind was ‘four wheels and the truth,’ as a reaction, so I was like, “oh, I gotta include that for a song.” Sure enough, it just became the album title, and there's also a song on the album called “four wheels and the truth” that I'm very proud of. So, it feels very appropriate to have that be the name.

Emma
Yeah, it's kind of a reference to other influences of yours and different styles of music too, cool! That's actually the perfect segue. Who and What would you say your inspirations were for channeling this album? I saw that in a prior interview for one of your other albums, three, you mentioned McCartney's RAM as a major inspiration. Do you feel as if that kind of music is still just as important to you now with this album and the production of this album? Or have things changed a bit since then?

Blue
Oh yeah, it's still the same. I am such a fool for solo Paul McCartney stuff. Particularly that RAM and early wings - or even late wings - era, too. But yeah, that type of almost power pop. That type of music, I don't even know how to describe it!

Emma
It’s very distinct!

Blue
Yeah, it's kind of funny. It feels like it's in its own world a little bit, especially RAM, and so I love RAM. That's an album that I can listen to forever, over and over and over again. But definitely is an influence for this, the way that I didn't want the album to feel overly produced, I wanted it to feel like it's a band playing it. It’s not as produced as the last record that I made, but more a step in having a band-in-a-room type sound.

Emma
That's cool, too, because it also goes back to the three chords and the truth type idea where, with folk and country music - folk, especially - it does have that raw sound to it. [That sound] that's very profound and emotional. When you overproduce something, some of that can be lost sometimes. Other things can be added of course, but that emotional quality [can be lost]. Sometimes it feels less intimate because it doesn't necessarily feel like you're just next to the person in the room, right? There's not that feeling of being there with them.

Blue
Totally, yeah. It's always difficult for artists - most artists I know are having to work a couple jobs in order to afford recording their music, and some people record it all themselves. But, how long you work on a record makes a big impact on the way it sounds, so I really wanted to record the record as fast as I could. I wouldn't say at all that I recorded it quickly - I think it took about 10 days to record most of it, and then I think I spent another couple of weeks just in my room occasionally recording a guitar or a vocal take, but I really wanted the record to feel like it was done faster and was more of like a snapshot of where I was. I think when we work on it for so long, it's no longer a snapshot. It's something else, and it can be a little less intimate.

Emma
For sure. I think that it’s the same with writing. When you have too many people look over your writing and edit it, provide feedback, or even just going back over it yourself when you're at a different point in your life and changing it - it just becomes something that’s totally different from what it used to be. Maybe it's just as good, but it's not as authentic to where you were at the moment. That's really cool, and I do really feel that Paul McCartney-quality in your music. It's hard to explain as you're saying, but it does feel like a very different world. I love that album as well, and the instruments he uses, his voice - it just creates this type of music that I have never really heard [anywhere else]. It's not a prevalent genre, it's just him and people influenced by him - and maybe some other people around that time. I don't know, it feels very unique to him, and I hear that in your music as well. It has a whimsical quality to it as well. Also, an airy quality. Not airy in that it's lacking substance, but in an exciting, playful way. It's so hard to explain!

Blue
It’s very playful, and that's a word that I will use often when I'm working on something. That's what I love about music; when it's playful. I mean, I love all kinds of music, but when music is being playful, that is when I feel the most engaged in it. It might not be the coolest kind of music - it doesn't always lend to what is necessarily cool all the time, but I just love it. I love people having fun with music and celebrating music.

Emma
Yeah, it's an instant mood booster too. I also think that in a world like this, these days, sometimes it's all you really want to listen to! You don't want to listen to something that is completely depressing and complex, even though there's a place for that music as well. Sometimes you just want to have an escape where you can just feel like you're in a daydream of sorts, so I love that.

Blue
Thank you, yeah.

Emma 
So now, going to your album cover - I want to hear your opinions on the story behind the album cover. From what I can remember, it's a photo of the sky. Would you say it lends to the idea of the daydreaming, head-in-the-clouds type sentiment?

Blue
Hmm… now that you say that, yeah! It's so funny because my best friend, Patrick, made the album art, and it's just a photo that he took. I just responded to the photo when I saw it - I really, really loved it. His photography is pretty cool. He does all kinds of art, and I'd say that photography is his new thing. When I see the photo, I feel something more than I see something, which is a weird way to say it. But yeah, it's sentimental to me because my friend made it too. I kind of pick things without thinking about them too much, honestly. 

Emma
It's nice to be able to do that - [choosing] by the feelings that are evoked from it - because then every time you see it, you're just gonna be happy that it's out there. Now that it's being released, every time you see the album cover on a different platform, it’ll be a reminder of that relationship, so that's really nice.

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Listen to "Four Wheels and the Truth" now by clicking here or Diners' album cover below.

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Interview by Emma Shahin

Emma graduated from the college of William & Mary last May, and is currently working at Columbia University’s substance abuse treatment center. In college, she found joy in creating collages & writing /editing pieces for W&M radio’s music mag, Vinyl Tap. In her free time nowadays, she enjoys sporadically posting on her crafting / music content page, listening to sad songs, scarfing down gyros & people watching. She is very much looking forward to having a wonderful reason to write again & joining the lovely Giving Room Mag staff!