Birmingham, Alabama-based artist cae delves into the influences, creative process, and personal transition behind new album Alt Girl Encounters. We chat with cae about developing his lo-fi, rock-influenced sound, finding inspiration in new musical discoveries, and embracing a more fluid vocal approach.
What initially drew you toward the style of merging lo-fi production with experimental rap?
Lo-fi music was becoming popular around the time I started making music, so I’ve always been interested in that production style, but I guess the pieces just fell together at the right time.
Your album Alt Girl Encounters came together during a period of transition, skateboarding, and taking a hiatus from releasing music. How did stepping back from the release cycle influence the creative energy behind these songs?
It allowed me to just live and gain new experiences. It’s hard to be a songwriter and not step away from music since you need something to pull from.
During the creation of this project, electronic and rock music became major focal points. Which specific artists, records, or subgenres were in heavy rotation during those recording sessions and the overall creative process?
I listened to everything. It’s hard to even pin it down, but I would say Deftones, Hozier, and maybe Death Cab for Cutie had the biggest impact. I also was catching up on Aphex Twin’s discography and just listening to all the music I’d always wanted to hear but never got around to.
This project marks a clear move toward a more fluid, rock-influenced vocal style compared to traditional rap delivery. What was the process like experimenting with that dynamic in the studio?
It took a lot of hours just listening back to the recordings and to different reference points from maybe a song or video I saw and trying to recreate that voice and keep iterating until I got better at it.
Tracks like “r u ai” and “her past’s ur present” touch on themes of modern connectivity, detachment, and romance. What is the usual entry point when translating those specific personal feelings into songs?
I don’t always approach the song with a theme in mind. A lot of times it just comes out in one session and you wrap it up and compile it all after. In cases where I am trying to push a certain theme, I think it’s sort of the same way in that you have to just spitball all your ideas out and then reiterate and try to weave all the ideas together and wrap it up. It’s just that more inspired work, that spitballing process is just more natural and raw.
Handling both production and vocal duties allows for complete creative control. How do you balance building out dense, panoramic instrumentals with leaving enough room for minimalist vocal takes and whispers?
My workflow is very production first, so I build the track first and if it allows me to be quieter, I’ll write the song that way and vice versa. I just try to use the vocal delivery as kind of an instrument that you’re adding to the track. The message can still be sent lyrically no matter how you say it.
The breakout track “crave you” resonated with over 15 million listeners across platforms. How has building such a dedicated online audience impacted your approach to songwriting and vulnerability?
I kind of compare it to when an athlete wins a championship earlier in their career. It gets the pressure off of you in terms of having a big song, and now you can just focus on making what you like and improving every day. I also know now that a larger level of success is possible while being indie and that I can do it. I just have to put all the pieces together again.
If you could collaborate with any artist, alive or dead, who would it be?
If there wasn’t any controversy, I would probably work with XXXTentacion, but for someone alive, it would be nice to work with Julia Wolf or something.
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