Mayer Hawthorne Where Does This Door Go?
Mayer Hawthorne preps fans for the release of his forthcoming LP Where Does This Door Go with the official tracklisting for the project. The multifaceted music man stands atop a catalog that is equal parts hip-hop, rock and classic soul - a sound he moves to expand upon with the 14-track release that includes an appearance from Kendrick Lamar as well as production from Pharrell Williams. Mayer Hawthorne broke the album and down during a recent interview with Life + Times that included a peek at his creative motivations and the handful of heavy hitters that contributed to the LP he says he modeled after Michael Jackson's Thriller. Check a bit of what he had to say about the project:
Life + Times: Regarding Where Does This Door Go, you stated that you were going for a fun approach. What was your favorite part of the development of the album?Mayer Hawthorne: I think my favorite part was getting rid of all the rules. I used to say shit like “I can’t use any synthesizers” or “I can’t use any samples.” For this album I threw all the rules out and I just had fun.
L+T: At SXSW, you premiered some of the tracks from Where Does This Door Go. If I’m not mistaken, you originally didn’t know if you were actually going to release some or all of the tracks as an EP or album…or even release them at all. Is that correct? Was there a determining factor that led to your decision to create a LP?
MH: I recorded over forty songs for this album. It was really tough to narrow it down. The track list changed every day. In the end I decided to keep the album short and try to release the rest later. I really wanted to make a party record like [Michael Jackson's] Thriller, where every song could be a single.
L+T: You worked with a lot of industry heavies on the new album. For example, “Wine Glass Woman” has Pharrell written all over it. How did you come into contact? Did you guys mostly see eye-to-eye on the production of the tracks?
MH: I think I first met Pharrell on stage at a Snoop Dogg show. We both have a deep appreciation for rap music and Steely Dan, so when we got in the studio it was definitely magic. [Pharrell] had this vision of me as a sort of stadium rock artist, which I didn’t necessarily agree with 100%, but it was really fun to experiment with that vibe.
Check the tracklisting for Mayer Hawthorne's Where Does This Door Go below. Read the full interview with Mayer Hawthorne at Life + Times.
'Where Does This Door Go' Tracklist:
1. Problematization
2. Back Seat Lover
3. The Innocent
4. Allie Jones
5. The Only One
6. Wine Glass Woman
7. Her Favorite Song
8. Crime (with Kendrick Lamar)
9. Reach Out Richard
10. Corsican Rosé
11. Where Does This Door Go
12. Robot Love
13. The Stars Are Ours
14. All Better
