“I was feeling a bit bored of making folk music and was listening to a lot of trap music, and it inspired me to experiment more with digital recording and different kinds of production,” says Kevin Patrick Sullivan, who’s been making music as Field Music for 10 years. The result is his new album light is gone 2, out today on Run For Cover, which combines Kevin’s folk and country tendencies with a newfound knack for 808s and synths. As the title suggests, it’s a sequel to his 2015 debut full-length, but not because Kevin is trying to recreate what he did in those days. According to the new album bio, his foray into digital and multi-track recording with light is gone 2 marks a parallel to the way Kevin had embraced the world of four-track tape recorders in the light is gone days.
Helping Kevin bring his new vision to life was former Death Cab For Cutie member Chris Walla, who mixed the new album. “He’s very artistically-minded,” Kevin says, “so when I would say something like ‘I just want the vocal to feel sort of underwater but not drowning,’ he would really understand that sort of language.”
Kevin has given us a track-by-track breakdown of the new album, in which he dives into both the production and the subject matter of each song. Stream the LP below and read on for what he had to say…
“They All Seem So Happy”
song: This song came from a place of existential crisis & depressive disassociation… The second verse is about the internal struggle of turning my passion into my source of income. Trying to write music in order to survive financially when I feel like, or fear that there’s no music left.
production: I knew I needed to fit some menacing 808s into this song. I was trying & failing for a long time until I took an extended break from the song & nearly forgot about it. I wanted to make this song sound hard & sinister. I had fun completely removing the guitar after the first verse & replacing it with ominous synths. I also knew I needed to fit a beat tag into one of these songs if possible & this song presented the perfect opportunity.
“TSION”
song: The first part of this song is about accidental hijinks that in the grand scheme don’t matter all that much, but can transform themselves into much more powerful demons in the form of intrusive thoughts that will ruin entire months of my life due to my OCD. The second verse is reflecting on the lowest part of my drinking career. I wrote the chorus of this song before either of these subjects were “over now”, but I wanted to inject some level of hope & manifest a brighter future.
production: This song was written in a weird tuning & I don’t remember how to play it. I found the session with just the guitar & rough vocals along with some really bad drums. I re-wrote some lyrics, glitched out the guitar, & started adding a bunch of synths on top of the song. When I got the 808 to fit in just right I was thrilled. This session is when I first learned about tuning 808s. It changed everything for me.
“You Deserve Attention”
song: This song is about being more interested in alcohol than a romantic partner. All while having paranoid thoughts about them realizing this & potentially letting themselves get wrapped up in the attention of a better lover, but eventually realizing that that would probably be better for them as they are lovely & deserve to have a good time instead of playing second fiddle to a 4 pack of sutter home wine bottles.
production: This one started out as your typical folk song. I was obsessed with making beats with 808s when I stumbled upon this session which at the time was just a very rough acoustic demo. I re-wrote a couple lyrics & re-arranged the song a bit, then I went to work making it slap.
“Everything’s Been Going So Well”
song: This song’s about spending every ounce of my time & energy on my career & neglecting myself & relationships outside of music. Wondering why I feel so depressed when on the outside everything is actually going quite well. Spending my days alone walking around talking to myself & toiling in the studio constantly. Only feeling happiness if I make a song I like or get some hint of good news.
production: This song is composed of chords & phrasings that are all usual suspects for me. I decided to completely remove the guitar from the song to let it take on a new life. I wound up glitching out the progression & really liked how it made me feel. It kind of reminded me of this band WHY? that have always made such cool music. The most important part of this song musically in my opinion is the bass line. There is something hypnotic & weird about it… Sludgy almost. I love playing bass.
“Without You I’d Have Nothing (& I Might Even Be Dead)”
song: This song is about loving my partner & reflecting on all the various stages of our relationship & all the stuff we’ve been through.
production: I recorded the initial instrumental for this song on new years day 2021. It originally sounded like a pale waves (who I was obsessed with at the time) song. One of my friends heard it & mentioned that, so I decided to add banjo & change some things around to make it more in line with medic world. This was the first time I ever programmed drums with fills & some rhythmic variance. I was very proud of this instrumental long before I completed the song. I re-wrote the lyrics several times before I settled.
“The Look On Her Face Like A Reoccurring Dream”
song: This song is about seeing someone & feeling like you know them somehow or that you’re meant to meet them &/or have a future together. Sort of a song about infatuation & fantasy. It’s dedicated to all the cuties out there.
production: It took many tries to get this one right. There is a reggae/house version of this same song. Figuring out how to transition from the first section of the song which has iron & wine acoustic stylings, to the second half with the beat & funky bass line was a challenge for sure. I’m not sure why I felt compelled to do ridiculous autotune harmonies on the second verse & third chorus, but once I tried it I was hooked. I really loved building this one out & I go crazy when the beat drops.
“Mass Market Paperback”
song: This song is about being deeply unsettled about something that no one else seems to think is a big deal. This experience can be crazy-making & lead to dreaming of being “normal” & not thinking or feeling the way that you do.
production: The lion’s share of music on this track is actually loops from splice. I made the beat one morning when I was very hungover. I only composed the bass & drums. I really liked that twinkly acoustic guitar loop & so I just built around it. It sounded like a cute 2006 myspace instrumental, so I cranked the autotune & sang in the vocal stylings of those times. I really enjoyed making this song.
“iwantthis2last!”
song: This is a meditation once again on neglecting everything in life except for the pursuit of a career in music. Feeling like your well has run dry because the only thing you’ve experienced lately is playing the same songs night after night on stage that you’ve been playing for years. Dissociative experience. Afraid to tell other people on your team or in your life that you may need a break to get your shit together mentally, but afraid that if you stop you’ll be forgotten & lose your only chance.
production: I originally wrote this song singing the verses normally… It sounded off for some reason though. I laid the guitar part down & decided to started building out the drums with some sweet gated snares & kicks & it instantly it became a new wave banger. I was thrilled. I then speak sang the verses in that low voice & really enjoyed the contrast between that voice & the high singing vocal style of the chorus. All that was left to do was add the tambourine.
“Empty Arms”
song: This song’s about working on getting your mind right & it’s still not working. Once again turning to music & art as the only salvation… Sacrificing your life for its creation. Feeling like you’ll always be the entertainment & never feeling like a “real” person. Imagining dying with a song on your lips instead of a lovers kiss. But, it’s all that you know.
production: I’ve always wanted to make a song with just keys & no guitar. I pieced these chords together on midi so I actually don’t know how to “play it”, but It was really fun to be able to build a full song with piano chords & I look forward to teaching myself how to play it for real.
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Field Medic is also gearing up for a tour with Olivia Barton (one half of corook’s viral “If I Were A Fish”). That hits NYC on October 2 at Bowery Ballroom. All dates:
9/12 – San Francisco, CA at The Independent *
9/15 – Vancouver, BC at Fox Cabaret *
9/17 – Seattle, WA at Neumos *
9/18 – Portland, OR at Aladdin Theater *
9/21 – Denver, CO at Marquis Theater *
9/23 – St. Paul, MN at Amsterdam Bar & Grill *
9/24 – Madison, WI at High Noon Saloon *
9/25 – Chicago, IL at Lincoln Hall *
9/27 – Hamtramck, MI at The Sanctuary *
9/28 – Lakewood, OH at Mahall’s *
9/29 – Pittsburgh, PA at Bottlerocket *
9/30 – Philadelphia, PA at First Unitarian Church *
10/2 – New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom *
10/3 – Cambridge, MA at The Sinclair *
10/5 – Washington, DC at The Atlantis *
10/6 – Durham, NC at Motorco Music Hall *
10/7 – Atlanta, GA at The Masquerade *
10/9 – Austin, TX at Parish *
10/10 – Fort Worth, TX at Tulips *
10/12 – Phoenix, AZ at Rebel Lounge
10/13 – San Diego, CA at Quartyard
10/19 – Los Angeles, CA at Teragram Ballroom *
w/ Olivia Barton