Throughout the various interviews I have done for Culture Cabinet, it seems no matter how hard I try, I can’t escape saying some variation of the phrase, “I love talking to artists because I want to know what it’s like to hear music in your mind that no one else has ever heard before.” While true, I find myself quietly cringing every time I say it. 

But, when I sat down to interview Evan Westfall in promotion of his recently released album, Is This Our Exit?, I couldn’t help but feel like this phrase needed to be said. Given that the album is a purely instrumental album, my questions came quickly to my mind. What is it like to hear a never-before-heard instrumental song in your mind? How do you title that? Where can you create a story when you lack words to guide it? 

Lucky for me, Evan Westfall was delighted to answer these questions for me. 

Westfall is no stranger to making music. He’s best known for being a founding member of Columbus-bred folk powerhouse CAAMP, which can boast over a billion streams, sold out concert shows, and performances on major TV late night shows like Late Kimmel Live! and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

While Westfall is continuing to enjoy his work with CAAMP, he is also stepping into the world of solo work with Is This Our Exit? 

The albumnwas a result of what Westfall simply cites as “boredom.” Having finished touring with CAAMP, Westfall found himself looking for a new project. “When I’m home, I’m always playing guitar,” he explains. “I as literally on the couch just watching the seasons pass by. I was just at home playing guitar and trying out different things on the acoustic and electric guitar, and that helped me approach the instrument in a different way. Before I knew it, I had a batch of tunes, and my wife, Averi, encouraged me to do something with them. That’s all I really know how to do, write and record, and I love to do it as well, so it was as simple as that.” 

Is This Our Exit? features seven tracks of purely instrumental songs that evoke feelings of instant comfort. In listening to them, you can simply imagine yourself driving through backroads of the mountains on a fall day, or sitting in your coziest chair as you watch the rain fall outside. Each track evokes a sense of nostalgia for nothing in particular, and a inexpressible sense of familiarity. The perfect album for anyone looking for some cozy ambience.

Westfall drew inspiration from his surroundings, particularly his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. 

“I think any Midwest artist would agree that there’s not a lot to do, and when the weather’s bad and most of us are kind of hunkered down inside and just bored. I think a lot of great art comes from that, that feeling of being stuck somewhere. People write to escape that feeling, and some people write to describe that feeling. I didn’t seek out to write about Ohio or anything, I just subconsciously leaked that into what I was doing.” 

While boredom may have been what fueled Westfall to create the album to begin with, his process for creating it was anything but. He tells me about how he came up with the song titles by playing around with crossword clues, or gathering inspiration from something his wife has cooked, or referring back to tidbits he’s written in the Notes app on his phone. Even the album title itself came from his reflections on traveling on the road with CAAMP while on tour, and hearing someone ask the phrase, “Is this our exit?” 

When it came to the actual recording process, Westfall sought the assistance of Bushwick-based band TOLEDO, having heard their 2022 album, How It Ends. 

“I forget how I stumbled onto that album, but I loved it,” he says. “I didn’t know anything about them at the time, but it seemed like it was a home recorded album, and I just really loved the production and their instrumental choices and songwriting. I loved their melodies and everything, too. So, I’d thought in the back of my mind that it would be awesome to work with these guys at some point, and then I just DM’d them one day. I introduced myself and asked if they had any interest in working with me on this project. We hopped on a call and just went from there. We were in their apartment, and it was the first time I had brought these songs in. But, I trusted their instincts based on their album that I loved, and I gave them a free for all. Like, anything they wanted to hear, try it, go for it. I wanted it to be super collaborative and I didn’t present many production ideas or anything. I let them take the reins on everything, and it ended up being a true collaboration within the studio, which was really fun.” 

There’s a lack of ego to Westfall that makes it seem only natural that he would enjoy a collaborative environment. He has a very down-to-Earth (dare I say, Midwestern) air, and our interview is one of those great experiences where it feels more like a conversation instead of a traditional interview. And, while he already has quite a few accolades to boast on his resume, his future is all but bright. 

“There’s so much more ahead,” he says, when I ask what’s next. “Even if it’s just learning a new instrument, because learning new instruments is super beneficial to songwriting. I want to grow as an artist and try new things. I try to never be stuck in the same box. It can get a little too comfy sometimes to do the same thing over and over again, even if it’s working and is successful. That doesn’t excite me as much. I want to continue to try new things and allow myself to grow as a songwriter and musician.” 

You can stream Is This Our Exit? below.