ROBERT ALFONS of TR/ST

BUDS: Performance takes your sound to vibrant new heights. There’s an immediacy to it like the dream quality of your music has been crystalized in a new cinematic way. Were you conscious of this when making it? If it were to soundtrack an experience or scene, what would that be?

ALFONS: I was definitely conscious of the editing aspect of this record. I wanted it to have a concise mood and not ever feel like it was dragging or too indulgent. I also thought of it as being more textural but that's cool to hear you think of it as immediate.

BUDS: There's a throughline of darkness and introspection in your work, combined now with more immediate and visceral pleasurable music than ever. Tell us about that juxtaposition. How do those emotions play into your life? And what is it like to transfer them into such muscular music?

ALFONS: I'm really grateful to have somewhere to put all the emotions and mess. I often wonder what would I do if I didn't have this outlet? I really love the touring and performing aspect, but I really love making recorded music most of all.

BUDS: When you started writing the record versus where it ended up, can you share what you wanted from it versus where it is now?

ALFONS: Well I think upon reflection I made the record I wanted to make. It was meant to be sort of textural, and gummy and hazy. To sort of bury the vocals so the message wouldn't be slapped on top literally.

BUDS: How does it compare, for you, to your previous work? Where do you hope it’s taken you? Where do you hope that it leads?

ALFONS: Well I was able to work with some great new people on this album... Nightfeelings, Cecile Believe, Chris Coady, Chicken. I think I learned a great deal from each of them.

BUDS: Where did the title Performance come from? What meaning does it have for you with this collection of songs?

ALFONS: A friend suggested it when I was brainstorming for a title. I suppose I was searching for something that was a bit grand and overly saccharine. I like that it has many meanings, but to me it spoke of velocity or speed which I thought fit well with the music.

BUDS: Boys of LA is a gorgeous, mysterious track with a great title. It’s a feeling captured in a bottle. Can you tell us the story behind this song? You’re originally from Toronto but have been living in LA for some years. What is the queer scene like there?

ALFONS: Well I see the humour in it but I had this song title for a while and always wanted to use it. One of my favourite things about LA is walking around the hills at night with music. So I guess it's love song to that whole experience.

BUDS: One of my favorite things about your music is these bursts of industrial sounds melting to reveal raw emotion. Can you elaborate on your relationship with the sonic textures in a song like “Clowned”?

ALFONS: I've always been obsessed with music that is noisy and beautiful. I suppose this isn't a new concept at all, but I think I the blueprint for a song like this is just my continued exploration of trying to create that mood.

BUDS: The album cover features the word FAG in big, bold signage atop a building in what seems to be a snowy parking lot. It’s at once empowering, comforting and a little lonely. What is the story behind that image?

ALFONS: Well it's a real place that was discovered by accident, so naturally I needed a photo in front of it!

BUDS: How much does queerness contribute to your work?

ALFONS: I mean I'm truly so grateful that I'm gay. Like it's the best thing that has ever happened to me.

BUDS: What’s your relationship with your songs? They all have a dream-like quality. I have a memory of your sitting at a piano, entranced. Can you walk us through where they come from?

ALFONS: I think the songwriting and creative approach I best connect to is that I'm only the vessel for the songs to come through. It's not really about me. Like I show up open and sometimes things come, sometimes they don't, but you just keep showing up.

BUDS: Creativity in turbulent times – How do you navigate / find the drive to keep creating and sharing your work with the world?

ALFONS: Music is forever, and if I zoom out, then I realize even more that art is so important. That's where I put my focus.