Amid career takeoff, Medium Build trades Alaska for Nashville, discusses album 'Country'

Musician Medium Build spent the morning of his 33rd birthday in Nashville's Percy Warner Park, chatting with The Tennessean after a long run.

"I definitely did a birthday around here probably 10 years ago," Carpenter said, referring to his time at MTSU, where he attended college to study songwriting.

"Realizing that I feel physically better and probably mentally better today than I did 10 years ago is kind of insane," he said.

The alternative-indie singer-songwriter Nick Carpenter, better known by his stage name Medium Build, released his new album, "Country" in April. The album has already garnered widespread acclaim.

"Crying Over U," "Stick Around" and "Knowing U Exist," have joined his other top-streaming songs, like "Cocoon" and "Never Leaned To Dance."

Carpenter followed his brother to Anchorage, Alaska in 2016 after living in Murfreesboro and Nashville during college. On the last frontier, he saw his career start to blossom. He released four albums; his last one in Alaska was "Wild" in 2019.

A breakup and a taxing tour rehearsal schedule caused Carpenter to move back to the Lower 48 and take up residency in Music City again.

Now, he's focused on keeping his health kick going. It's a difficult task in the midst of a career takeoff—Carpenter spent most of his birthday in rehearsals for tour.

After moving back to Nashville in August, the Georgia-native has barely had time to settle in among all of his tour dates.

Among his flurry of tour dates, including gearing up for Bonnaroo in June, Medium Build sat down to discuss his newest record with The Tennessean.

Medium Build discusses writing and recording his album 'Country'

Medium Build's fifth album, "Country," is a 12-track collection of songs that showcase descriptive lyrical storytelling while reflecting on love, childhood, maturation, queerness and loneliness.

The record oscillates between lo-fi, chill tunes and a rumbling tracks that pull from rock 'n' roll. Listeners hear emotive crooning and husky, soul-stirring belting. It's anything but simple.

Here, Medium Build runs down the album in his own words.

Tennessean: Tell me about writing "Country."

Medium Build: We recorded most of it in Nashville. I wrote a lot of it just all over the place.

I wanted it to feel live and raw. We got this like really cheap room on Music Row, and it was like you can use this, no one uses this room.

This sounds stupid to say, but like Nashville was not my first pick. It's not my favorite culture. You can make peace with something that is not the dream job, the dream car, the dream location.

A lot of people in my position get caught on like aesthetics: 'Oh, if we're gonna make an epic album, gotta make it in like a place that feels epic.'

I'm prone to being sensational...everything has to be crazy and so extreme. Like, no, I can make a great album in a sh***y room with bad lighting in a town I kind of resent.

Tennessean: What do you mean, resent?

Medium Build: I can try to shed the wounds I have from this place. I can grow up, realize that I can't stop the gentrification of East Nashville and maybe I'm part of the problem...

All these things that I thought I could stop or control, or gatekeeping myself, I can't.

Tennessean: Let's discuss some individual tracks. Let's talk about "Crying Over U." It seems like that might have been the runaway from this album. Why is that?

Medium Build: I think people love just an acoustic cruiser. It's just sad enough but it's got enough major chords in it...it scratches some brain (itch).

It's also so simple. I wanted this person, feels like I can't have it. I've moved on, but I haven't moved on. I think everyone has that experience.

The payoff of that song is that the tempo and the melody, match the feeling of song. It's not desperate. It's just so hurt and a bit apathetic.

Tennessean: "In My Room" is about sitting in your childhood room alone, what drew you to write this now?

Medium Build: That song came from a writing prompt, the prompt was your childhood room. I wrote that in 10 minutes.

I was a very passive kid and my parents were chaotic church people. I spent a lot of time alone.

It's kind of a sick, cruel trick. As creative kids, you grow as a thoughtful, quiet person. And then once you're successful, people are like, 'Do you want to never, ever want to be alone or thoughtful ever again? We love that thing you made when you were still! Do you want to never be still again?'

People obviously connect with that. I've had parents tell me that they love that song because it helps them understand their 12 year old kid currently.

Tennessean: The last song I'll ask about is "Known By None." What's the song about?

Medium Build: I was this lonely kid. I wanted to be popular and like found every way to do it, right? Being funny, being creative, volunteering, going to church, being helpful...Eventually, you get really good at that.

Then you're like, 'I want to be one person's entire world.'You meet somebody and you like really try you do their thing. You like sleep over their place on Saturday night, you guys walk to brunch...

Then whenever the first one ends, and you're like, 'Whoa. Was I ever in the driver's seat? Am I known by anyone?'

And then I started to notice that pattern. I think I think we try to just have little frameworks that feel livable.

"When I was young, I wanted everyone to know me / Eventually, one day, I wake up alone on a couch / Now you've got the house and the dogs, and I just keep on runnin' / Yeah, I got what I want, now I get to be known by none."

It's the realest thing on the record. It's like truly the past six months of my life.

Tennessean: The album has been out for over a month now. How has it been perceived?

Medium Build: I think it's been overwhelmingly positive. I'm really excited to play the songs live. I'm really excited to kind of start making more s***. Let's keep the pace up.

I don't want to just like sit back and say, 'Will it turn into a "Blonde" if I just do nothing?' (Carpenter is referring to Frank Ocean's acclaimed 2016 album).

I get catharsis from writing and I'm going through probably the weirdest time in my life.

Tennessean: And why did you name the album "Country?"

Medium Build: I just think it's funny. We made it on Music Row. I've made it the joke at shows for years, Medium Build is just country music for queer people.

I like pitched (the name) to my producer and he was like, 'That's so stupid.' And I was like, 'Hell yeah, that's exactly what I want!'

To learn more about Medium Build, head to mediumbuildmusic.com. He will be performing at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN on June 13.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville musician Medium Build talks career, new album 'Country'