Owl City, aka Adam Young’s swift rise from the unknown into chart topping success saw his debut album - the lush, lovingly created Ocean Eyes, which was released by Island Records in February 2010 - certified gold or platinum in nine countries.
The album spawned the quadruple-platinum debut single ‘Fireflies’, which was a No.1 smash hit in 24 countries including the UK (where it remained at the top spot for 3 weeks), and sold more than 12 million downloads worldwide. Its eye-popping success made Owl City an international phenomenon.
Two and a half years later he’s preparing to release his new album, The Midsummer Station. When it came time to record the album the Minnesota native set himself the following challenge: "Over the past several years I'd become fascinated with trying to capture magic in a jar through simple, concise pop songs," he says.
"I saw it as a great challenge to try to come up with catchy, unique, and memorable songs because it was a new method of songwriting I'd never approached before. I believe artists should never look back or repeat themselves and this was a new frontier for me."
To create the instantly memorable, feel-good moments he envisioned (like on ‘Shooting Star’), Young sought out co-writers and outside producers for the first time, enlisting his friend Matt Thiessen (Relient K), Stargate (Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa), and the team of Josh Crosby, Nate Campany, and Emily Wright (the latter known for her work with Dr. Luke).
The process enabled Young to tap into collective human experiences in his lyrics and connect on a larger scale. "I’m known for creating music based on whimsical ideas and concepts from my own headspace, and another set of parameters I set for myself was to write about things people might relate to better," he says.
Young is particularly proud of ‘Embers’ in which he acknowledges that everyone goes through dark days, but the trick is to stay focused on the light up ahead. ‘Dementia’ documents the 'crazy, schizophrenic thoughts and feelings' Young dealt with in the wake of the success of his chart-topping 2009 platinum debut album Ocean Eyes, while ‘Gold’ serves as a reminder to never forget your roots.
Then there’s ‘Dreams and Disasters’, which Young says sums up the core theme of the album. "Life is full of dreams and disasters," he says. "When things go right, you feel like you're on top of the world and when things go bad, you're heartbroken, but you've got to figure out how to press on regardless of your situation because life is all about the journey."
Young’s willingness to collaborate on The Midsummer Station also opened new sonic avenues. The album retains Young’s synth-driven melodic pop sensibility but majorly ups the rhythmic ante.
Songs like ‘Shooting Star’, ‘Dreams and Disasters’, and ‘I’m Coming After You’ pulsate with euphoric dance beats that will appeal to fans of house, trance, dub-step, and other styles of EDM. "I grew up listening to dance music and I've always wanted to make a dance record," Young says.
"European dance music has so much influence over pop right now, so it made sense to me. I admire a lot of the great trance DJs of the past ten years, guys like Armin van Buuren, ATB, Above & Beyond, Tiësto, and Ferry Corsten."
Other tracks, like ‘Embers’ and ‘Dementia’, follow on the more rock-inspired sounds. ‘Dementia’ even features guest vocals by one of Young’s heroes, blink-182’s Mark Hoppus.
On the album’s first single, the incredibly infectious pop gem ‘Good Time’ which is released on 17th September, Young is joined in a duet by Carly Rae Jepsen whose debut single ‘Call Me Maybe’ has been a global hit - it held the No.1 spot in the Official UK charts for 5 weeks.
Young being a fan of Jepsen, reached out to her about collaborating on a song upon learning that she was also a fan of his. This mutual admiration and excitement to work together can be heard on ‘Good Time’ - an undeniable summer anthem.
Young has come a long way since his days posting the musical experiments on MySpace and YouTube that launched his swift rise to global success. "I don’t think of ‘Fireflies’ as something I have to beat because that isn’t really the point," Young says.
"The point is to inspire people. I want my music to be the first thing people reach for when they get home after a good or bad day. I want it to be a refuge or a "way out" in the same way my favourite albums have been for me over the years. If I catch myself trying to write songs just to break records, I realise I’m doing it for the wrong reasons."
Click here to buy Owl City - The Midsummer Station Album
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