What inspired Visitor?

My favorite place in the world is Smalls Jazz Club in New York. I was sitting there early last year for The Late Show and to my surprise, Ian [Hendrickson-Smith, aka The Chief] from The Roots was playing with his quartet. He started talking about one of his pieces and explained that it was about “the temporary nature of life,” and I remember being so touched and inspired by that. That’s when I started thinking about the album’s concept.

What inspired Do That Again?

The spirit of authenticity. This industry had surrounded me with people in costumes, speaking in rehearsed dialogue. While that was working for other people, I found a refreshing challenge in leaning into the essence of what has always naturally made me a rock star rather than trying to curate the stereotypical “rock star” for other people. Being present in the moment was the most inspiring art of all. My music was a snapshot inside my life as Malcolm, a freewheeling 21-year-old who doesn’t know much but loves to make music. No costumes, no alter egos, just me and my natural instincts. Take it or leave it.

What inspired “Animal?”

Megan: We really wanted to level up from our last EP and show a more intense and powerful side of ourselves. That idea of letting go, getting a little crazy and tapping into that animal-like energy, became a big inspiration for this concept.

What challenges did making “Animal” present?

Yoonchae: “Animal” was definitely challenging because, compared to some of our other songs, there are a lot more vocals and we’re dancing throughout the entire song without really stopping, so it was difficult to keep our breathing stable while performing. But as we continued practicing together, we worked a lot on building our stamina and overall performance skills. I think we’ve improved a lot through that process.

What inspired Lost Weekend?

My dad died, I fell in love and I wanted to quit music. I took a lot of mushrooms and went on a lot of long walks—I wrote most of the album humming into my phone while walking.

What’s your favorite moment on the album?

The outro of “Lost Weekend,” because during the show I just sit there and look at the lights. We sampled one of my favorite pieces of music by Paul Lansky, “Notjustmoreidlechatter.” He’s also famously sampled on “Idioteque.”