
The indie-folk band Lord Huron joins for a live performance of songs from their new album The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1.
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Alison Stewart
This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Ten years ago, the indie folk band Lord Huron released a song called the Night We Met. It went triple platinum and has been streamed more than 3 billion times on Spotify. Lord Huron music is full of thoughtful lyricism, memorable melodies, and a lovely Americana sound. The band's new album is titled The Cosmic Selector, Volume 1. With songs written and produced by frontman Ben Schneider. The album uses his own life and the lives of fictional characters to explore love and loss and the freedom of hitting the open road. Lord Huron just headlined Madison Square Garden last night, but before they leave the city, they were kind enough to stop by our studio for a special conversation and performance. And I think you brought everything, Ben.
Ben Schneider
I did, yeah. All the people.
Alison Stewart
Anyway, it's so nice to talk to you.
Ben Schneider
Nice to talk to you, too. Thanks for having us.
Alison Stewart
All right, the first song we're gonna start with is Bag of Bones. Set this up for us. Where's the song about? What's the song?
Ben Schneider
This song? I don't know. I had the idea of somebody who just kind of stumbles their way through life and things happen around them and somehow they make it work. And life goes on.
Alison Stewart
Life goes on. Let's hear a bag of bones.
Band Member
Yeah.
Ben Schneider
One, two, three, four.
Band Member
Looking in again Looking like rain washing so I was lifting the cold and left unseen Never seen the sky that pale at night should have known it wasn't right wander out there on my Just rattling by the. I can see you're doing just fine without me what did you say when you left me? I believe you never before without how wrong I was Thus my tale of W continues. Neither God but it should have been here. You were the only one I trusted. You left town and I got busted. Let me see you one last time. You can kiss my worthless ass goodbye. Doubt that it's been nice to know I'm going out. You best keep going back and see there's something not right about me I thought the darkness would heaven I believe you never get far without me Life is a joy with you this is how my story ends I'm stoned and broken drunk again Nothing lasts and no mistake I'm just floating on through my little road but I'll be all right living on the countryside I'll be out there on my own just to rattle bike apart There on my own just to ride on like a bone I'll be out there on my home just a rattle and fight People dying, planets turning Empire cries and falling burning Nothing lasts And no one stays me Just H off a new outer space Never seen a sky so full of stars Makes me wonder where you are I'll be out there on my home Just a rattling bag of bone I'll be out there on my home Just a ride on B Bones. I'll be out there on my home Just to ride on B.
Alison Stewart
That was Lord Huron. That's from their new album, the Cosmic Selector, Volume one. So, Bob. Sorry. Bob. Ben. Bob Schneider. He's a good musician, too.
Band Member
Yeah.
Ben Schneider
Not related as far as I know, though. We've never done the test.
Alison Stewart
That would be kind of cool.
Ben Schneider
Yeah.
Alison Stewart
Ben, would you please introduce us to the rest of the band?
Ben Schneider
Sure. Over here to my right, I've got Tom Renaud on guitar. Got Waylon Rector on guitar as well.
Alison Stewart
Nice to meet you.
Ben Schneider
Vocals, we got Brandon Walters on guitar and vocals. Misty Boyce on keys. Banjo, vocals. Miguel Brazeno on the bass. Mark Berry tapping away on the suitcase and the snare over there.
Alison Stewart
Ben, this is your fifth studio album?
Ben Schneider
Yeah, that's right. Yeah.
Alison Stewart
How have you evolved since the very first album you put out?
Ben Schneider
That's a good question. I don't know. I think we've just kind of followed whatever we've been interested in with each album, which, you know, can take you to some strange, distant places, in our case. We've always, you know, kind of been very hands on with the stuff we make. So we've produced everything since the beginning. You know, the kind of settings have changed. We've gone through different studios, we work. We've got our own studio in LA that we've worked in for years now. It's kind of our clubhouse, Whispering Pines, where we record, rehearse, make videos. Getting in trouble, like the last part? Yeah. That's just kind of been our clubhouse for the past ten years or so. So I don't know. I think really we've just tried to keep true to that ethos of following what we're interested in, not trying to follow trends too much or be too worried about what people are going to think of the things we make.
Alison Stewart
So each album is kind of wherever you are.
Ben Schneider
Yeah.
Alison Stewart
What the album's about.
Ben Schneider
Exactly. And I mean, you know, they are broken up into albums, but I kind of think of it as one long. One long album, you know, that started in 2010 and will hopefully go until many years into the future.
Alison Stewart
What is something on this album that you wouldn't have been able to achieve before?
Ben Schneider
I don't know. I think there's this album in particular Had a real sense of collaboration in terms of reaching out to people who maybe in the past I would have been too nervous to reach out to. There's a spoken word song on the album called who Laughs Last? And we had demoed it with my voice. At first, the story just really was wanting for a female voice. So my wife demoed it and that was great. But I kept hearing the actress Kristen Stewart's voice. I had just seen some movies she was in, some of Olivia Seis movies that she starred in. And I just kept hearing her voice and, you know, I don't think 10 years ago we would have been able to get in touch with, to be honest. But somehow, through managers and whatnot, we got in touch and she turned out to be a fan of the band and came to the studio and cut the track. That was pretty special.
Alison Stewart
You want to hear a little bit of it?
Ben Schneider
Sure.
Alison Stewart
We got it queued up. Let's check it out.
Ben Schneider
Let's listen.
Alison Stewart
After three hours at the wheel, I found myself beyond the borders of my experience. From there, it was one alien world after another. Ghost towns, painted deserts, hamburger sand, neon temples, canyons carved by patient rivers, craters gouged by giant hunks of rock flung from who knows where. The headlights quit somewhere around mile 400, but I drove on through the dark some night. Paddled down to the floor, Windows wide. Strange words repeating, repeating, repeating in my head. I kept my eyes on the long white lines. You know, I've read in a couple places that you said that you' written for characters in your. On this album. That's an example right there. What do you like about stepping out and in stepping into the role of a character when you're writing a song?
Ben Schneider
Well, my own personal experience in life is, you know, only so broad. I've only had 42 short years on Earth and I've only lived so many experiences. So I don't know, I've always found that I get a lot of value out of, well, reading fiction. And I think there's often sort of a straighter line to the truth in fiction because you can kind of just get it down to the essentials of what's true about something, strangely. So I don't know. I've always liked putting myself in other people's shoes and imagining just kind of playing out scenarios from another point of view. I think that helps have empathy for other people and also makes for better stories, you know, because you can do anything.
Alison Stewart
This is the right show. If you like music and you like fiction, because we talk about books? Yeah, constantly.
Ben Schneider
It's great.
Alison Stewart
What are you reading lately?
Ben Schneider
I've been on a big Thomas Hardy kick for the past year, kind of. My wife got me into Tess of the d', Urbervilles, which is still kind of like, I think, my favorite novel right now. But just finished Return of the Native, and now I'm starting Far from the Madden crowd. And I just think he's. He's just a really special writer because he. He writes these very pastoral stories about. About love, ostensibly. But there's always a lot of existential philosophy sort of smuggled in, which seems really contemporary, even though it's, you know, late 19th century stuff. Yeah, I've just found a lot of inspiration from those books.
Alison Stewart
How does the inspiration go from literature into a song? Just three minutes, four minutes, versus reading a giant book.
Ben Schneider
I think taking some of those ideas about trying to smuggle in philosophy and also creating a vessel where people can put their own experiences. So one of the things I've always tried to do in songs is leave space. Not be too. Not be too specific with details so that people can kind of insert their own biography in the space between the words so that they can kind of inhabit the song and ascribe their own meaning to it. Because to me, the. You know, the other half of sort of a song is the meaning that the listener ascribes to it.
Alison Stewart
Think about your songs. What's one where you had to smuggle in some philosophy?
Ben Schneider
I think every single one, I try to put a little something, even if it's kind of a straightforward tune like this next one, Nothing I Need, which is kind of just about. I think everybody has a moment in their life when they realize something they've been pursuing out of want is maybe not exactly the thing they need, which is like a simple life experience. But I kind of took that as a starting point and just explored the dimensions of that. That a life can. Can go through.
Alison Stewart
Well, you just did my job. For me, that was a segue. Of all times.
Ben Schneider
I've always wanted to be a radio personality.
Alison Stewart
There you go. Yeah. Lord Huron, they're going to perform Nothing I Need.
Band Member
One, two, one, two. I fell asleep When I woke up I was over Simply back to lane and my blood ran cold I got a feeling I just had to get away I left it all behind on endless road and I see her face everywhere I go I got everything I want and I got nothing that I. I got everything I want and I got nothing that I need I fell asleep and when I woke up she was there with her long black hair I could stay. She made me wish that I had never let her go. I love God damn little I see your face everywhere. I fell in deep when you fell out of love with me. Got everything I want and I got nothing that I need. If I believe you fall back in love with me Now I got everything I want and I got nothing that I need. I got everything I want and I got nothing that I need. I fell asleep when you fell out of love with me. Now I got everything I want and I got nothing. Just say the word and I will change a lot out here and I will put you away to work just to keep you moving. I give up everything I've got just to stand you. You're the one I'll never get. And you're the one thing Sam.
Alison Stewart
That's nothing I need. My guest is Ben Schneider and his band Lord Huron. They are playing songs from their new album, the Cosmic Selector, Volume One. We'll have more after a quick break. This is all of It. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest is Ben Schneider and his band Lorde Huron. They're in studio playing songs from their new album The Cosmic Selector Volume 1. This produced or co produced with Matthew Nabor, right?
Ben Schneider
That's right, yeah.
Alison Stewart
He produced Role Model and Lave Leve.
Ben Schneider
Yeah, he's done a lot of stuff.
Alison Stewart
What made him the right collaborator for this album?
Ben Schneider
I actually met him through another artist named Alison Pontier who sang on our last record and she was doing some songs with him in LA and then called me out to help write some stuff and I don't know, I just hit it off with Matt. He seemed to really understand where I'm coming from creatively and have the right skill set to sort of support the things I'm not good at, which is a lot of technical stuff. Yeah, I don't know, we just. We just hit it off and kind of like hit the ground running in terms of how I wanted the record to sound and what he could bring to it. So that was a really fruitful collaboration. Just like a good friend now too, you know, which is always the best thing.
Alison Stewart
It's interesting. Producers are always supposed to bring out the best in an artist. A producer in radio or a producer in tv. What did he bring out the best in Lord Huron?
Ben Schneider
I guess. I don't know. I mean, I guess the band can speak to this a little bit too. But I think he's just really good at Encouraging us and letting us take the time that it takes sometimes to get to the right thing, which, you know, some producers have more of a philosophy of hurry it up, because the. I don't know, maybe something's most original at its genesis, which can be true. But I think we're kind of more tinkerers, naturally, and we just like to kind of, you know, take our time.
Alison Stewart
Who tinkers the most out of this group?
Band Member
I don't know.
Ben Schneider
Mark can take his time tinkering, that's for sure. But I think all of us like to kind of dig in and play around with. With sounds. And we're not like analog purists or anything, but we like to mix it all together, you know, I think digital stuff has its own sonic signature. That's interesting, too. And trying to incorporate all the latest tech with all the old tech is kind of fun.
Alison Stewart
What was the latest tech that you were like, oh, that's okay. We can do that.
Ben Schneider
Speak and say, no, Just kidding. I don't know. I mean, just the fact that we're using, like, simulated amps and stuff, those have come a long way in recent years. I mean, even with our live show now, we're using a lot of simulation amps rather than old tube amps to make it easier for the crew. And just because you can do a lot of. There's a lot of versatility in it.
Alison Stewart
I like saying the title of your album, the Cosmic Selector, Volume One. I'm not sure what it means. What does it mean?
Ben Schneider
So that's the name of a jukebox that has appeared. It's kind of been showing up in our videos and stuff for, I don't know, five or six years now. It's kind of a character, and it's the idea of this jukebox that kind of just appears here and there. Nobody really knows where it came from or what it does, but it seems like you can kind of change your fate by what you select on this jukebox. And. Oh, yeah, it's just kind of a thought experiment to think about if you could do that. And I think with anything like that, like any good Twilight Zone episode, you know, there'd be a downside. There'd be a Faustian bargain that you'd have to enter into in order to use that thing. So. So what happens? What's the dark side of. Of being in control of your own destiny? I think it's an interesting thing to consider.
Alison Stewart
My guest is Ben Schneider, and the band Lord Huron were playing songs from their album. They're playing songs. I'm listening. It's called the Cosmic Selector, Volume 1. I want to talk a little bit about the night we met when that first song first hit and it really took off. Reflecting back on 10 years 1. How do you think that song changed the trajectory of your career?
Ben Schneider
Well, it's interesting because we, you know, even at that point we'd already done a pretty good job getting out there and getting a fan base, so we had a good starting place. And I think that was crucial because I think there would have been the risk of falling into one hit wonder territory, which of course we're very thankful for the success of the song, but we don't want to just be defined by that one moment in our career. So I think, I think what it's done is just made us more secure that and we can keep kind of experimenting without feeling beholden to anybody. You know, it's given us creative freedom, which I think we would have insisted on anyway. But at least this way we can be, you know, a little more comfortable and not worry too much about record sales and stuff like that, which has been great. And you know, we'll take, we'll take all comers in terms of who's coming out to show. So I know that's made things like Madison Square Garden even a possibility.
Alison Stewart
Well, it's interesting because it's got a whole new audience because of TikTok.
Ben Schneider
Yeah, it's gone through these phases because it was the original sort of boost it got was it was used in a. In a Netflix show. But then, you know, kind of saw that hump and then it kind of faded off again and then people started using it and yeah, the tick tocks.
Alison Stewart
And what's it like to see your music find new life online?
Ben Schneider
I mean, it's really cool. It's exciting, you know, I mean, like I said, it is. I think we've always been. We're not interested in being. Or at least I can't speak for everybody, but I'm not interested in being famous myself. But I really want our music to be famous and as well known as possible. So, you know, the fact that it's just the song is kind of the thing that's. That's known throughout the world. That feels good. Not our latest relationships or anything like that. Not on the COVID of OK Magazine. It's cool that it's just the music is the focus.
Alison Stewart
You've been on a lot of tours, a lot of interviews. What's something you haven't been asked that you've Wanted to just talk about. I'm curious.
Ben Schneider
I mean, people ask pretty good questions lately. I think that's good. Yeah, it's been nice that sort of some of the subtler aspects of our music that I think we've just kind of been really consistent with but are maybe, I don't know, less apparent at first are being more recognized now. Like, not so much what I haven't been asked, but the stuff that I am being asked now about just kind of some of the more existential elements of our music. I think that's. That's interesting to me. I think the mystery that's kind of the common thread that runs through our music is something I'm really interested in talking about. Just because I think lately, especially later in life, I'm realizing how mystery and beauty are so intertwined and they're almost like the same thing. Thing to me now. And I think exploring those things is really kind of the most interesting aspect of life.
Alison Stewart
Are you having a better time writing songs in your versus?
Ben Schneider
Yeah, I am. It's. I don't know. It's not. It's like the mysteries of the world just keep unfolding as I go through life. And I think that's really great. They don't. It gets deeper as you get older, I think, and you have more experience and more. More things to ponder. And you know, those. All those big mysteries, love and consciousness and the cosmos, they all just seem to become richer the older I get.
Alison Stewart
Can we hear another song?
Ben Schneider
Sure.
Alison Stewart
This is going to be used to know. What's the song about?
Ben Schneider
This song is about mystery. It's about those. Those elements that transcend time and space and maybe even the grave.
Alison Stewart
This is Lord Huron with used to know.
Band Member
I saw you in the distance so lovely and far away. I wondered where you came from. You waved your bed, you called my name and time was running backward towards us. I started running after I saw a ghost you look the same as me. If I ever give back what you gave me take it and run away as far as you can go. If I ever come back from the graveyard tell me I reminded someone used to. You seem so far away I can't endure the waiting my mind will say my heart will break and time is running backward towards you I can't deny I'm looking for answer. Go easy girl your heart will break back. If I ever give back what you gave me take it and run away as far as you can go. If I ever come back from the graveyard, tell me I remind you someone used to grab your s. Let's get a move on. We better go before they turn the lights down. Dark silhouettes of the future you tried to forget If I ever give back what you gave me Take it and run away as far as you can go If I ever come back from the graveyard tell me I remind you somewhere used to go If I ever give back what you gave me Take it and run away as far as you can go If I ever come back from the graveyard tell me I remember someone you used to know.
Ben Schneider
That.
Alison Stewart
Was used to know from the album the Cosmic Selector, Volume one. My guests have been Ben Schneider and his band Lord Huron. Thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.
Ben Schneider
Thanks for having us.
Alison Stewart
Really appreciate it. Since WNYC's first broadcast in 1924, we've been dedicated to creating the kind of content we know the world needs. Since then, New York Public Radio's rigorous journalism has gone on to win a Peabody Award and a Dupont Columbia Award, among others. In addition to this award winning reporting, your sponsorship also supports inspiring storytelling and extraordinary music that is free and accessible to all. To get in touch and find out more, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.
Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart – Featuring Lord Huron's New Album "The Cosmic Selector, Volume 1"
Release Date: July 31, 2025
Introduction
In this episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart on WNYC, listeners are treated to an in-depth conversation with Ben Schneider, the frontman of the indie folk band Lord Huron, along with his band members. The discussion centers around their highly anticipated fifth studio album, "The Cosmic Selector, Volume 1." The episode not only delves into the creative process behind the album but also explores the band's evolution over the past decade, the impact of their breakout hit "The Night We Met," and their philosophical inspirations drawn from literature and personal experiences.
Journey Through "The Cosmic Selector, Volume 1"
The episode kicks off with Alison Stewart setting the stage, highlighting Lord Huron’s success with their previous hit, "The Night We Met," which achieved triple platinum status and amassed over 3 billion Spotify streams. She introduces the new album, noting its thematic exploration of love, loss, and the freedom of the open road, all crafted by Ben Schneider.
Quote:
Alison Stewart [00:08]: "Lord Huron’s new album, The Cosmic Selector, Volume 1, uses his own life and the lives of fictional characters to explore love and loss and the freedom of hitting the open road."
Ben Schneider elaborates on the album's depth, emphasizing the blend of personal narratives and fictional storytelling.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [01:07]: "I had the idea of somebody who just kind of stumbles their way through life and things happen around them and somehow they make it work. And life goes on."
Band Introduction and Evolution
As the conversation progresses, Ben introduces the talented members of Lord Huron, providing insight into the band's dynamic and collaborative spirit.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [05:51]: "Over here to my right, I've got Tom Renaud on guitar. Got Waylon Rector on guitar as well. Vocals, we got Brandon Walters on guitar and vocals. Misty Boyce on keys. Banjo, vocals. Miguel Brazeno on the bass. Mark Berry tapping away on the suitcase and the snare over there."
When asked about the band's evolution over their five albums, Ben reflects on their commitment to creative authenticity, avoiding trends, and continuously exploring new musical landscapes.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [06:25]: "We've always just kind of followed whatever we've been interested in with each album... We've produced everything since the beginning. We've got our own studio in LA that we've worked in for years now... We've just tried to keep true to that ethos of following what we're interested in, not trying to follow trends too much or be too worried about what people are going to think of the things we make."
He envisions the band's discography as a continuously evolving narrative, likening it to one long album spanning from 2010 into the future.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [07:25]: "I kind of think of it as one long. One long album, you know, that started in 2010 and will hopefully go until many years into the future."
Inspirations and Songwriting Philosophy
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the band's inspiration from literature, particularly the works of Thomas Hardy. Ben shares how novels like Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd have influenced his songwriting, infusing his music with existential philosophy and narrative depth.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [10:51]: "I've been on a big Thomas Hardy kick for the past year... He's just a really special writer because he writes these very pastoral stories about love, but there's always a lot of existential philosophy sort of smuggled in, which seems really contemporary."
Ben emphasizes the importance of leaving space in songs for listeners to infuse their own experiences, fostering a personal connection with the music.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [11:42]: "I've always tried to leave space. Not be too specific with details so that people can kind of insert their own biography in the space between the words."
This philosophy is evident in songs like "Nothing I Need," where he explores the theme of unfulfilled desires and the realization that what one wants may not align with what one truly needs.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [12:30]: "Every single one, I try to put a little something, even if it's kind of a straightforward tune... It's just about... someone realizing something they've been pursuing out of want is maybe not exactly the thing they need."
Collaborating with Producer Matthew Nabor
The episode delves into the collaborative relationship between Lord Huron and their producer, Matthew Nabor. Ben explains how their partnership was formed through mutual connections and a shared creative vision.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [17:35]: "I met him through another artist... We just hit it off and kind of hit the ground running in terms of how I wanted the record to sound and what he could bring to it."
Matthew Nabor's role in encouraging the band to take their time and his support in exploring new sounds are highlighted as key factors in the album's development.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [18:34]: "He's really good at encouraging us and letting us take the time that it takes... We're kind of more tinkerers, naturally, and we just like to kind of dig in and play around with sounds."
Impact of "The Night We Met" and New Audience Reach
Reflecting on a decade since the release of "The Night We Met," Ben discusses how the song's enduring popularity, particularly through platforms like TikTok, has expanded their audience without confining them to a single hit.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [21:31]: "It's given us creative freedom... we can keep experimenting without feeling beholden to anybody... that's made things like Madison Square Garden even a possibility."
He expresses gratitude that the song's fame centers solely on the music, allowing the band to maintain their artistic integrity.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [23:00]: "It's cool that it's just the music is the focus... not our latest relationships or anything like that."
Exploring Mystery and Beauty in Music
Ben shares his fascination with the interplay between mystery and beauty, a theme that permeates their music. He believes that as one ages and gains more experiences, the depth of life's mysteries only intensifies, enriching their songwriting.
Quote:
Ben Schneider [24:58]: "The mysteries of the world just keep unfolding as I go through life... those big mysteries, love and consciousness and the cosmos, they all just seem to become richer the older I get."
Live Performances and Song Highlights
Throughout the episode, Lord Huron performs live renditions of tracks from their new album, including "Bag of Bones," "Nothing I Need," and "Used to Know." These performances offer listeners a firsthand experience of the album's lyrical poignancy and melodic craftsmanship.
Conclusion
The episode concludes with Alison Stewart expressing gratitude to Ben Schneider and Lord Huron for their insightful conversation and performances. Listeners are left with a profound understanding of the band's artistic journey, the philosophical underpinnings of their music, and the promising trajectory of their new album, "The Cosmic Selector, Volume 1."
Quote:
Alison Stewart [29:29]: "Thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it."
Key Takeaways:
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essence of the All Of It podcast episode featuring Lord Huron, offering listeners a rich understanding of the band's latest endeavors, creative philosophies, and the profound themes woven into their music.