A. Wesley Chung engages with his Pacific Ocean blues on rousing new solo single "Restless"

The first taste of Neon Coast comes in the shape of "Restless"; coming in on handclaps and Chung's wide-eyed vocal before adding rousing brass, gorgeous harmonies and Golden State guitar twang, the track takes that age-old trope of the voyage of self-discovery to the west coast of the USA (a journey taken by dozens of writers and musicians over the decades) and plants it firmly in the 21st century.

Deserts and Laurel Canyon and realizations attained through chemistry are replaced by the bustle of streets, the constant and immediate need for approval and success, and a landscape which never sits still. Chung channels both the loneliness of the modern Pacific coast and his homesickness through a series of lyrical vignettes (a simple yet moving couplet like "beige stucco walls / wash them away"), soundtracked by his interpretation of the Golden Age of modern American music. "Restless" is both uplifting and blues-inducing, but as a glorious whole it's a moving tribute to missing the lonesome crowded west.

Ahead of the release of Neon Coast we spoke to Chung to find out a bit more about "Restless" and the forthcoming album.

BEST FIT: Can you tell us about the single?

A. Wesley Chung: “‘Restless’ is about the underlying restlessness of Southern California and is a main theme of the album. Modern life gives us a lot to be anxious about, but I think SoCal in particular is the epicenter for restlessness on the West Coast. Los Angeles and Orange Country symbolize success, fame and self-actualization for a lot of people and that creates an environment for comparison anxiety, unhelpful expectations and depression. I think that our deep human search for meaning/self can become an obsession with self-actualization, and when that is fueled by our fear of death, it pushes us further into our desire for recognition which only leads us deeper into our selves, thus creating a lot of isolated, self-absorbed people all stuck in traffic together. Hahah, sorry I've painted such a bleak picture.”

What do you feel is the difference between this solo record and The Great Albatross?

“I very proud of both albums, but with The Great Albatross record we approached it more meticulously, trying to make things sound as perfect as possible. With Neon Coast, I wanted to make this perfectly-imperfect album that focused more on getting the vibe right than the parts or performance (a main reason we recorded most of it live). I wanted to create a mid-tempo album that unfolds and reveals itself in its own time, while still being vibrant enough to engage on first listen. Both albums are really engaging, but this new album has a bit more indirect charm.”

What was influencing you when you made the record?

“The biggest influence for making the record was a homesickness for California that I was feeling while living in Glasgow. As I started writing songs about the West Coast, three main themes started emerging around freedom, lonesomeness and restlessness, and so it seemed fitting to make an album that was more alt. country inspired being that those themes fit so comfortably within that genre. So over that year of writing these songs I started listening to more country music and golden oldies, re-reading Steinbeck, watching western films, and reflecting more on the culture I grew up in.

Road trips, landscape and West Coast cultures where a large influence on the record as well. I'm a huge fan of making mixed tapes/burned CDs for the roadtrips my wife and I do when visiting back home, so I wanted the album to have the same eclectic vibe as a mix tape as well as reflect the diversity of cultures that make the West so unique. So, in fact the album is a loosely inspired alt. country record, filled with a collection of sounds and styles that make up my experience of growing up in the West Coast.”

You’re a Californian in Scotland; what do you miss about west coast USA and what do you love about Scotland?

“I miss tons of stuff from the West Coast, I'd say: the sun, Pacific ocean, food and the diversity of cultures. And the things I love about Scotland are: the unique traditions, the humour and a country that doesn't take itself too seriously.”