The LA-based artist Dylan Thom’s music has a certain rootsy luster. The artist, who started playing in bands before he was a teenager, has spent his young life in the indie game. Both slacked-up and winsome, his newest release, last fall’s seven-tracker T, combines delicate songwriting with a canny production touch. For fans of Alex G, for fans of The Microphones, for fans of melancholily looking back at your childhood: It’s a big go. Read our interview with the artist below. For those in Los Angeles, Dylan performs this Friday at EL Cid, presented by Pretty But Wicked. 

You started playing in bands when you were really young. What was your first band like? 

Dylan Thom: I joined my first band when I was 11. It was called Jumbo Shrimp. The music was pretty good honestly. I was the youngest by 3-4 years, so it was three 15 year olds and little me. We were going for 2010 Phoenix/Young the Giant. I wasn’t the main songwriter, more so a guitar/keys player. 

Do you find yourself looking back at your youth as a source of inspiration, either lyrically or musically?

I definitely find myself looking back at my early childhood. I think that the music you fall in love with from around age 7-13 becomes very personally potent to you, and kind of shapes your taste in music for the rest of your life for better or worse. I think the same goes for the things you feel and the experiences you have. Your creative spirit is very untethered when you’re young, and so I think a lot of music making for me is just trying to catch a glimpse of or get back to that state of mind.

You recently played your first NYC show, right? How did that go? 

Yes, it was such a blast. I mean, New York is one of those places where if there’s anywhere an artist can have a show it’s probably there, but it still felt really cool. Also, the whole band flew out with me to play it so it was also just  a really fun time with them.

What is “Vaseline” about?

Vaseline to me is a song about love and companionship. I like how it is broad and can mean different things to different people. I feel like everyone has or will experience a relationship that brings them to the point of contemplating their place in the universe and their mortality. 

Could you talk a bit about the “DCC” video? It’s really good. What’s up with the guy who stars in it? 

It is sort of the perfect story of how I found him. Hannah, who sings on and co-wrote Vaseline, is a director and photographer. She was casting for a very professional shoot where she was in need of an older man. At the same time, I had come up with this strange concept of putting an older man into these sort of compromised time-warped positions of where a child would usually present - acting like a soldier outside, being at a pizza party or what have you. Essentially Andy had applied for Hannah’s music video, and instead of getting an offer for the professional music video shoot, he received a questionable email with the concept of DCC from me. He was still into it and I am really grateful he was haha. We love Andy forever.

You have a nice production touch. How do you know when a song needs addition or subtraction?

90% of my time producing has been spent adding way too much to a song until the song’s original charm/meaning is completely lost, then walking it back and removing until it hits again. My ethos about producing now is really like dream up what you want the song to be, and try to get there in the clearest way possible. Adding more parts doesn’t necessarily make something better, it just kind of blurs things. 

Who are a few of your favorite cutty 90s or 2000s alternative rock bands? 

I don't know if it's considered alt rock, but The Microphones and Rocketship are like top tier for me.

What is the best place to eat in LA after midnight and why?

I honestly wouldn’t really know this because I go to sleep kind of early haha. My version of after midnight is after 10 p.m., and for this I would say either Lucky Boy or La Estrella in Pasadena, or obviously In-n-Out.