The Manor Born Unleashes Raw Emotion with New EP 'see you next year' and Connects About the Journey Behind It
- STAFF
- Sep 26
- 12 min read
By: Staff
The Manor Born delivers a stunning, emotionally charged EP with "see you next year," a masterclass in raw vulnerability and creative freedom.
In the quiet, intimate spaces of northern Arizona, an artist has emerged with a sound that’s as raw as it is captivating. The Manor Born has just released their new EP, "see you next year," a project that mirrors a journey of transformation and personal reckoning. After years of navigating a life that didn’t align with their true calling, they took a leap of faith, quitting a corporate job and retreating to their mother’s house to pour their soul into this collection of songs. The result? An EP that’s as emotionally charged as it is musically bold.
We spoke with The Manor Born to delve deeper into the emotional landscape that inspired "see you next year." From the loss of a close friend to the gut-wrenching decision to leave behind a stable job, every track reflects a raw, vulnerable moment in their journey. But what does it all mean? Why that title? And what was it like to create a project so intensely personal, yet so universal? The answer lies within the music itself, tracks like "good goals" and "too late too bad" that stand out as the cornerstones of this release.
This conversation offers a glimpse into the mind of an artist who has truly come into their own. With a renewed sense of creative freedom, The Manor Born opens up about the challenges and triumphs of creating something that feels both like a goodbye and a beginning. The solitude of recording alone, the feeling of disconnect from the world, and the catharsis of finally hearing the work come to life, The Manor Born speaks openly about it all.
So, what’s next for this rising indie artist? We’re about to find out.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview:
Hello The Manor Born, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more intrigued to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Q. What is "see you next year" about? Could you share the emotional journey behind this EP? From the loss of a friend to quitting your corporate job, it seems like this release represents a deeply transformative time for you.
A. Absolutely. At the beginning of the year I decided to quit my job to pursue music again. Over the summer of 2024 someone from my past died suddenly, and I took it pretty hard because it made me think of my own life. I met this person, along with a bunch of my other friends, when I was young and thought that everything in life was in my favor. Young like when the future is bright and the world isn’t ready for what you have to offer it. At the time I was stuck in a cycle of unhappiness at my job, and things just weren’t working out. I realized that summer that I needed to quit.
Q. Why did you choose the title "see you next year"? It feels like there’s a sense of time, change, or even anticipation tied to it. What does the title mean to you personally, especially in relation to the songs and the journey you were experiencing at the time?
A. This EP or some form of it was supposed to come out in 2020. I don’t remember how many songs were originally intended for it or if they even made it on this new version of it, but the title itself is old. I have a list of titles that’s ongoing that I refer to, and that one always made the cut.
The title itself should tell a story, though I don’t fully know what that story is. I try to create with the intention of everything being open-ended for the listener. So, in that way, there isn’t one emotion or theme within the EP. Most of the songs on the EP are older, as in from my early twenties—songs that I couldn’t get off the ground with my old band. If there’s a narrative between the sequencing and the title that you can hear then I did my job. It’s not a conceptual project. The time in which I recorded certainly was a transformative time for me, and still is since I’m hitting the ground promoting it and we’re playing lots of shows. This year has brought a lot of positive change for me.
Q. After being denied a grant, you turned to a GoFundMe campaign to fund the creation of this EP. What was it like to put your faith in others for support, and did this decision feel like a pivotal moment in your creative journey, knowing that people believed in your music?
A. Well, the interesting part about putting yourself out there like that, is that truly you don’t know if anyone does believe in you or care. And to be fair, a lot of people that I know personally still don’t. That’s no dig, I get it. A lot of people who know you don’t think of you as anyone special or that you’re doing anything special until you do something “big.” It was important for me to put out into the universe that I’m making a change, and that I’m going to make art again. I didn’t know if we were going to get anywhere near the amount, and technically the GoFundMe is still up. Overall it was a very positive experience and showed me that people do care, and that people believe in me, which is great, and certainly what I needed at the time.
Q. Recording at your mom's house in northern Arizona must have been a deeply personal experience. How did the environment influence the music, or even the way you connected with the material during the recording process?
A. I wish it had more of an influence on me like I wanted, but really it was just me on my computer. I overpacked gear thinking that I was going to get all Daniel Lanois with production stuff and have this really intense, relaxing, meditative experience. The reality is that I was at my mom’s and unemployed. The weather was nice, but I didn’t have any truly transformative moments while there. I’m very thankful for having been able to do it, and I know my mom really enjoyed me being in her house again.
Q. Having no outside influence on this project seems to be a significant factor in its creation. How did you manage to push yourself creatively without anyone else in the room to offer feedback? Were there moments of doubt, or did the solitude ultimately strengthen your confidence in your decisions?
A. I think ultimately it strengthened the project. Normally, with my old solo work and writing with my old bands, stuff gets changed a lot. I’m always open to that, but this time it being just me, I was able to just do whatever. If a song sorta dragged on, normally someone else in the room would suggest making edits to make things more palatable, but I just left whatever I felt like. I think it came out a lot better because of it, and I really needed the experience of engineering and producing by myself again, because it had been years since the last time I had done anything like that.
Q. You’ve mentioned that the tracks "good goals" and "too late too bad" stand out to you. What is at the core of these songs, and why do you feel they best represent this new chapter of your life?
A. I think I like them because they’re faster paced and there’s an urgency to them. I like listening to music that has an urgency to it, and those two have it, and I’m proud of the compositions and the sounds.
Q. The nostalgia of the Colorado River and small-town America seems to hold deep meaning for this project. Can you describe how growing up in Laughlin, NV shaped the artist you’ve become today, especially in the context of this EP?
A. Laughlin is a pretty town and when I go back to the area I totally understand why people live there. It’s quiet, it’s safe, and there’s really nothing going on. It’s a simple existence. I didn’t really understand that charm when I was growing up. When you’re young living there all you see is that nothingness, and you really want to get out.
The school I went to was both middle and high school, with a total of 400 kids. It was too small for anyone to blend in, and most of the people I went to school with grew up together since elementary school, so they had these strong relationships that I was just entering into in 9th grade. Moving from San Diego to Laughlin was a huge change, I was really lonely, and the weather sucks. I remember riding my bike when we first moved there and my nostrils would just burn from the hot, dry air. I was born in Barstow, so I was unfamiliar with desert life, but the change was really crazy for me at the time.
While I was in high school I really couldn’t wait to get out. Growing up in small town America is just as you would think, there’s lots of racism and a lack of empathy for other people, and a general lack of understanding for other points of view. There’s a real sense of like, “where is there to go other than here?”
The weirdest thing about small town living, and especially visiting, is that despite what I just said about it that’s negative, most people are outwardly pretty friendly. It’s very interesting. I’d go to bars and restaurants when I was recording and people would ask what I was doing in town, and when I told them the reactions were always very positive.
Q. You worked with Logic for the first time during this project. How did that feel, especially considering you were without a producer or engineer? Was it empowering, or was there a steep learning curve that shaped the sound of the record?
A. Mostly empowering. It had been a long time since I engineered myself, and years ago I learned how to do everything on Ableton. This was well over ten years ago. But Logic is easy, and I had worked within Logic in my other bands and some of my own solo stuff, so it was easy to navigate. I mean, essentially it’s expensive Garage Band. I did have some moments where I had to search what the hell was going on and why it wasn’t working. Almost always it was user error.
Q. Recording alone in a spare bedroom gives the music a raw, intimate quality. Were there any specific moments where you felt an unexpected, deep connection with a song during the recording process?
A. I tried really hard in the composition of “see you next year,” the title track and the only instrumental one. There’s lyrics to that song but they never really worked out, and I’d been wanting to try to just compose stuff without lyrics. I kept taking the song back and adding and taking away layers, and using what little amount of musical theory I have to try and craft a really compelling work. I think it could be in a movie or in TV.
“too late too bad” is another one where I thought to myself “this is really good.”
Q. When it came to the sound of this EP, what new elements or techniques did you experiment with that you hadn’t tried before, and how did those experiments impact the final outcome?
A. Hmm. Probably mainly using plug-ins for sounds. Back when I first started recording, we were still mic’ing up amps. Now it’s all within the program and sounds better than if I tried doing that.
Q. You’ve been writing music since you were 16 and performing since you were 19. Looking back, how has your approach to writing and performing evolved? Is there something new you're bringing to your live performances now that feels different from when you first started?
A. Hopefully my songs are better than when I was 16, hah! I used to tell lots of jokes between songs when I was younger, and I don’t really do that now. I just want to get up and play. I’m lucky to have a really terrific band playing with me right now, so that’s drastically different than when I was younger, and we’re all on the same page with stuff which is very different from my experiences in my 20’s.
Q. This is your first release since 2014. What is the personal significance of that gap, and do you view this release as a reawakening of your musical identity, or is it a more evolved version of what you were doing before?
A. A little bit of both. I do feel like this is my comeback. The only significance behind that long gap is that I went to college and tried out different bands and genres. During my return to college I put out a mixtape, graduated, and joined another band all within that time frame. I’ve done a lot of searching during this gap, and I know a good majority of it was very musical even if maybe I didn’t want it to be. It just didn’t make sense or work out until now, I guess. I’m better for it. Getting older is really great.
Q. In an industry where many musicians move quickly from one release to the next, you’ve taken your time. How did stepping away from music shape you, and what did it feel like to return with something so personal and meaningful?
A. I think I need to say that I didn’t want to take this much time in-between. That was totally not intended. But in that time I graduated from college, got to play in other bands, and try out the whole experience of having a “good” job. This project is meaningful because of all the time I had to take, and the people surrounding me right now are really positive.
Q. Performing at venues like the Rialto Theatre and DUSK Music Festival must have been huge milestones for you. How do you approach these larger shows compared to the intimate, solo recording sessions at your mom’s house? Is there a shift in energy when you transition from a bedroom studio to a full crowd?
A. Not really. As I’ve mentioned, I have the best band of my friends helping me out. Shout out to James, Jeff, and Nick for being in the band with me. We’re writing an album together now, so next time we speak there might be more than one person answering these questions. But truthfully, and I don’t mean this as any sort of flex, but I really don’t get nervous before playing. So, bigger venues, so far, haven’t really made that much of a difference. I mean, they make us look good and they lead to bigger and better shows, but I’m just there with my friends trying to have a good time. I still play solo as background noise for people drinking and eating sometimes, so there’s never a point where we’re just doing one type of show. You just have to know what the environment is asking for and do it.
Q. You mentioned the loss of a friend and the plans you had with a group of people who were all supposed to be “famous together.” How has that personal loss influenced your vision for the future, and do you find music to be a way of processing that grief, or do you still find yourself reflecting on it in other ways?
A. Well, when you’re young you assume everything is going to work out for you. When my friend passed, one of my best friends called to let me know. Truthfully, me and the friend that passed weren’t terribly close, we just shared many mutual friends. It just made me realize that life is short and can be taken away from you at any time, and it was a reminder that nothing is guaranteed. His passing made me think of myself and if that young version of me would be satisfied with where I was at. It was a significant wake up call because I felt very stuck at the time.
Q. Looking back at the entire process, from quitting your job to releasing this EP, would you do it all again? And what advice would you offer someone who’s contemplating their own leap toward something more fulfilling?
A. I would’ve tried to save more money at my old job! But when you’re unhappy you do things to get dopamine that you likely wouldn’t be doing if you weren’t feeling so sad, so in hindsight I know I wasted a lot of money buying stupid shit thinking that it would make me feel better. I was totally stuck in a cycle. I would do it again and again ten times over just based on how much happier I am now as compared to a year ago, absolutely. I don’t know if I’m in any position to give advice, but I do know that life is too short and that you just have to try things. Even if they don’t work out, you’ll feel better for having tried. Failure isn’t such a big deal. I’ve failed a lot and right now I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
Q. You’ve mentioned that this EP represents a new sense of freedom and creativity. How has your relationship with freedom evolved over the course of this journey, both personally and musically?
A. I mean, you can have freedom in a few different ways, and right now I have more freedom with less money. That’s why people always say that you’ll be broke if you want to be an artist, I think. Right now though, I’d much rather be broke and happy than busy with a shitty job that I hate, and on top of that not be creating. At least right now I’m able to create and hang out with my friends in my band. I feel more free now than ever before, but it took age to make me appreciate everything I have at this moment. It’s just not worth it to make yourself unhappy with your surroundings.
Q. The Manor Born, we can’t thank you enough for sharing these intimate details! So, what's next? Can you give us the inside scoop on your upcoming projects and what fans should be excited about? We’d love the readers to hear the news directly from you!
A. If you’re in Tucson, as we’ve mentioned already, we’ll be playing DUSK in November, and we’re working on an album to be out early next year. We’re also working on a tour to help promote the EP and the upcoming album. I think we’re all pretty excited about the direction of everything. So, tour, new album, all in 2026. So please go stream and buy the EP so we can do it! I’m kidding, kind of.
The Manor Born, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared The Manor Born’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
