Adrian Galvin shares his five most inspiring places—from where he wrote his last album to the place he goes to unwind.
Adrian Galvin has been making music for…forever. He grew up in a creative (and extremely successful) family and has been playing in bands his entire life. He was a part of Yellerkin and Walk the Moon, and in 2016, Galvin took the leap towards his solo project, Yoke Lore. Last year he released his fourth EP, Meditations.
His cover of Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply” has garnered a healthy audience (and with reason), but it’s Galvin’s own lyrics, vulnerable and expansive, that has defined Yoke Lore, and what keeps us coming back for more. Songs like “Beige” and “Chin Up” take his audience through the gamut of human experience, a staple in Galvin’s storytelling ability and a talent he doesn’t shy away from.
A native New Yorker who plans on sticking around, Galvin talks about the place he calls home along with the places in between that keep his inspiration alive.
Joshua Tree National Park
This is where I wrote my last album. Nothing is supposed to live in the desert. So when you do exist there and try to create there, you encounter a really specific existential dissonance that conjures very interesting and unusual parts of yourself. It’s a good place to explore.
New York, New York
My song “Concrete” is about NYC being my home and knowing that I belong there, but, at the same time, understanding my body and mind’s necessity for a partnership with nature. I often feel bereft of each when I’m not enmeshed in one or the other. I travel to find a balance ’cause I know I need both.
Astoria, Queens
I go back to the studio when I finish an album. I tour to take breaks from the studio. And when I’m not in the studio, I’m writing demos and recording them on my phone or computer. I have a studio that I work out of in Astoria, Queens, where producer Ariel Loh works and lives.
Sharon, Connecticut
To write, I like to go to a little studio in the woods in Connecticut that is an old converted barn. There is nothing around for miles. There is a small kitchen in the front, with a bathroom in the back, and air mattresses to sleep on, and a projector to watch Korean revenge films on. I go there for a week or two at a time, and I just live, sleep, eat, and create there.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles is a relaxing place to me. I grew up in NYC with its harshness. I always tell people, although I’m not there right now, I plan on dying in New York City, but I like to bask in LA and its softness.