Lucky Duck spent six years making “SANITY,” an album tracing the experiences of their early-to-mid twenties through songs about faith, relationships, and burnout. Recorded in Queens with Denise Barbarita, Steve Jabas, and Benhú, it brings together the trip hop influences of “only 1 me,” the country and hip-hop combination of “well shot and a beer,” and the intensity of “2STRONG.”

The recordings also preserve a voice changing over time, with performances drawn from different stages of that six-year stretch. With “SANITY” now released, we caught up with Lucky Duck to discuss the sessions, choosing which personal experiences to share, and revisiting songs written years earlier. We also talked about the influence of boygenius, Clairo, and beabadoobee, everyday writing habits, and where their music might go next.

Hi Lucky Duck! It’s lovely to have you here and talk about your music. How did music first become part of your life, and what led you from listening to other artists to writing and recording your own songs?

“SANITY” has been six years in the making, which is a substantial stretch of your life to put into one album. Take us back to the beginning: what were you working on then, and how did those early sessions grow into the record you’ve released today?

You’ve described the tracks as chapters in a personal memoir covering your early-to-mid twenties. How did you choose the experiences that would become part of “SANITY,” and what helped you find a starting point for writing about them?

There’s a wide range of sounds across the album, including the trip hop influences on “only 1 me,” the country and hip-hop combination on “well shot and a beer,” and the intensity of “2STRONG.” How did that range of influences find its way into the album, and how did you approach bringing all those different sounds together?

You recorded “SANITY” in Queens with Denise Barbarita, Steve Jabas, and Benhú. Which moments from those sessions stand out when you look back at making the album?

The recordings capture your voice at different points across those six years. How did you decide which takes belonged on the finished album?

Your songs touch on experiences that can be deeply personal, including faith, relationships, and burnout. Has your perspective on the experiences you wrote about changed since you first turned them into songs?

You’ve mentioned boygenius, Clairo, and beabadoobee among your influences. How have their music and songwriting shaped your own sound?

I’d love to hear a little about your everyday creative process. When you have time to work on music, where do you usually begin, and what helps you follow an idea through to a finished song?

Now that “SANITY” is out, you have six years of work available for people to discover. Where would you like to take your music from here, and what are you curious to try as you begin the next chapter?

*This review was made possible by MusoSoup