A roof top pool party and an ice cream shop celebration that saw the creation of the Paracosm flavour (that’s raspberry with pink peppercorns if you were wondering) were just two of the “pretty interesting” ideas that Ernest Greene saw realised during the Los Angeles and New York promo tour of his sophomore LP.

It’s not exactly the sort of escapades you’d expect from the thirty-year-old musician, who would later confess his discomfort down the line from his home in Athens, Georgia of the two year touring jaunt for his debut release, Within And Without.

“I think it feels like a dual life in some ways. It’s kind of funny. The touring life means you’re constantly moving, constantly surrounded by people, you’re constantly in the public eye.”

Greene, who grew up in Macon, Georgia, speaks in a Southern drawl that isn’t exactly reminiscent of the man who helped define ‘chillwave’.

I could deal with it,” says the musician on taking his debut across the world in 2011. “There are parts of it that are really fun, but I think I would much more prefer to be at home and be creative and make new music and art.”

Unfortunately for Greene bunkering himself down in Athens isn’t particularly financially viable and it’s in that sense that Paracosm sees the introvert extroverting himself.

“At the heart of it I think I really love pop music.  I like the idea of a simple song resonating with a lot of people.”

“That reality has changed how I view Washed Out. I doubt that I would be making this kind of record with this very band influence if I were just at home making records.

“It’s a weird thing for sure,” says Greene on his extroversion. “But at the heart of it I think I really love pop music, not all pop music, but I like the idea of pop music having a simple song resonating with a lot of people and be very simple to understand from the get go.

“So I guess in a weird way I’m cool with putting myself out there,” he reasons.

Using Greene’s writing process as another example of his own exhibitionism there is a positivity of his words that are easy to latch onto.

This is witnessed most notably by the lead single ‘It All Feels Right’ where Greene sings, Call your, friends, I’ll call mine, we’ll head out for a long ride, sun is coming out now, it all feels right”.

“I definitely wrote it to be performed in front of a lot of people,” admits the musician.

Although Greene reveals how difficult the process was when he concedes – with more than a touch of self-deprecation – that he “Ain’t no Bob Dylan”.

“That was the challenge initially. The songs are very simple and repetitive. How do you make it interesting for a huge festival crowd for an hour and a half?”

It’s a challenge,” he repeats, “(but) I feel that this record varies a lot more because of that idea”.

While the songwriting on Paracosm adheres to Greene’s love of pop simplicity there are “also layers of complexity underneath that are subtlety there.”

If you thought subtle complexity could never be achieved through the use of fifty different instruments and with a host of samples on a pop record then Greene is here to prove you wrong.

The musician became fed up with the full on sampling approach to music that characterised his entrance into indie notoriety from not just his debut album, but also the Life Of Leisure EP, which was released in 2009.

The attention that came after that EP, which included ‘Feel It All Around’ being used as the theme for sketch comedy series Portlandia, forced Greene to get a band together and head out onto the road. Naturally the more he dabbled in keyboards, guitars and other instruments his skills as a technical musician improved.

“[The album] was almost more inspired by classical music where a lot of these signifiers are there in a place for a reason, to tip you off to this theme.”

“I guess I wanted to showcase that a little bit more,” says Greene on his decision to make Paracosm more expansive.

“Also the freedom that it allows you when you’re just playing an instrument for songwriting,” he pauses before continuing, “When you’re working with samples its like you’re kind of a collagist.”

“There’s not much flexibility,” he explains.

When asked if he had plans to head to Australia to promote the latest album, Greene replies; “Yeah I think we’ll put something together for like early next year. So we’re excited about it.” Early next year? Perhaps for a certain Laneway Festival, which takes place in February annually? “I don’t know if we’ve confirmed anything or the exact time of when we’re coming over but its definitely going to happen at some point, probably in the first couple of months of next year.”

“It’s a long journey to get to Australia but its always a pleasure,” added Greene of an impending visit. “I think every time we’ve been, its been like Winter here in the States so its Summer down there with you guys so its always like a breath of fresh air getting off the plane and going to the beach.”

Paracosm defined is a fantasy world created by children and while Greene is no infant returning home bursting with creative energy was essentially escaping from touring into an artistic paradise. “I think where I drew the most inspiration from was just that big lifestyle shift,” he justifies.

The title track and ‘Great Escape’ are where the record’s theme of escapism is most prominent Greene’s concentration on how music affects memory is ultimately what allowed for Paracosm’s ability to pull you into its world.

“A lot of sounds that I chose have a resonance with,” he begins before choosing a specific example. “A harp which kind of starts the record which has this huge run down the scale reminded me of Disney films where it’s always used to signify that you’re flipping into a dream.

There’s a lot of stuff like that. It has a particular association to a certain mood or idea that I wanted to use very strategically to tip the listener off.”

Greene’s tactics were undeniably effective. On early listens Paracosm sounds nostalgic even though you’re yet to form a proper emotional connection with the record.

“It was almost more inspired by classical music where a lot of these signifiers are there in a place for a reason, to tip you off to this theme,” says the thirty-year-old.

The purpose of Paracosm is obvious. Greene wants the listener to escape for the full 40 minutes just like he did when he felt liberated after retreating home from the two-year tour.

And what better way is there to withdraw from reality than submerging yourself in one of the year’s most beautiful records?

Paracosm is out now through Pod/Sub Pop. Check out our review of the album here.

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