I started writing a new album this week, with the hope of writing 12 songs total. The songs are going to center on the theme of connection: how we make connections, how we miss them; how we reach through time, and distance, and technology, and our personal differences, to make contact with each other in an age of isolation.

I'm writing this because of Los Angeles. Although it's a cliche to say that Los Angeles is an isolating place, it is. Your mid-20's can be an isolating time, too: you're no longer in college (thank God), but you're not quite in a career. Having left home years ago, you're not sure where you're supposed to set your roots. And what about romance? Are you supposed to just have your fun, or is it time to get serious?

Anyway, being someone who doesn't connect with people easily, I'm fascinated with how people do it. I think I'm writing this in order to discover for myself how people reach out and find community. Still, I'm not aiming for catharsis. My favorite songs are ones that embody a fictional (or not-so-fictional) character rather than preach a message or just spill shapeless emotions.

So, characters, if you care to be vulnerable, here's a question you might answer to inspire me: what's a connection you've missed in life—one that you still regret?