Kiwi musician Andrew Keoghan inspired by time spent in New York

Andrew Keoghan finished off his second album in New York.

Piha is a long way from New York, in a lot of ways. There are a few more people, a few more buildings, trains, noises, possibly a little more self-absorption and a touch less friendliness.

At a stretch, they're both jungles - one of them made out of trees, and one of concrete.

Kiwi musician Andrew Keoghan moved from the former to the latter to finish off his second album, Every Orchid Offering. New York was, in his own words, intense.

"On my first night, I was lying in bed and I couldn't sleep. There were two couples on the floor above me making love in a very New York, no holds barred way. I was worried the foundations would slip."

The multi-instrumentalist, classically trained singer and violinist spent three years in New York, absorbing the densely creative, sonically rich, and perpetually heightened atmosphere.

After a visit to the Big Apple for a music festival, he wrote half of the album during a reclusive three months in Piha, West Auckland, before moving over permanently.
New York was, in a word, different.

"I felt like I did have a lot to write about. I was trying to work out this jungle, this big heaving behemoth, and trying to find my way as an ant in it. It just never really felt permanent for me, and I was kind of looking for that. It always felt transient. It was exhausting. But I don't want it to sounds like 'poor me'. It was an amazing, intense experience."

He finished the album, released late last month, and last night played the final show on his six date tour around the US, in his new, adopted home, Los Angeles.

The album is undeniably pop music, driven by a synth-heavy but diverse instrumentation.

There's rarely a four-bar stretch where a track isn't embellished with a new sound or flourish, but Orchid manages, despite sometimes feeling busy, to also feel restrained and cohesive.

In search of something a bit more permanent and homely, Keoghan packed up and moved to the friendly climate of Santa Monica, west of LA. Many of his friends had already moved to the Pacific coast, and his brother Phil, host of the The Amazing Race, lives there too.

"It's always sunny, I live by the beach, it's slower, it's more chill and it's closer to New Zealand."

But experiences, and the emotions they bring up, drive Keoghan's writing. He said the strength of the LGBT community in the US - despite the often toxic bigotry that still exists in parts - was inspiring.

"I'm interested in people who are proud and who express themselves, and who are unhindered, who choose not to conform, because that's one of the really exciting things, that while it's still extremely difficult for people, more people are proud of who they are."

The album involved more than 30 Kiwi and international artists that Keoghan incorporated during the recording process. Most notable are the features, including Kiwis Lawrence Arabia, Tiny Ruins' Holly Fullbrook, the Ruby Suns and a standout vocal feature from Claire Duncan on Stuck in Melodies - a track recently nominated for the APRA Silver Scroll songwriting award.

A sparse, delicate back-and-forth between an estranged couple, Keoghan and Duncan's intertwined vocal lines rise and fall in a stunning, poetic duet.

Compositionally, Keoghan said much of the inspiration for the arrangements was derived from largely electronic artists, including David Bowie's Heroes, German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, and Brian Eno.

"I was really inspired by these albums that seemed to be equal parts pop music, instrumental music, orchestral music and soundscape, and I thought that would be a really fun thing to try and make."

"I have always loved a good song, with a good hook and a good chorus I can sing to. Yes, I love interesting arrangements, but I always gravitate towards something that catches my ear."

- Every Orchid Offering is out now. You can find it on andrewkeoghan.com, music stores or Spotify.