Q&A: Postcard Boy Releases His Latest Single on the Feeling of Ending Something Before You’re Ready
THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO — when you know it’ll be over soon but you aren’t ready for it to end. There is something special about that fleeting moment: recognition of conclusion yet the desire to savor every last drop. This is what inspired Postcard Boy’s latest single, “when tomorrow comes, we’ll be nothing but a fading feeling.” Also known as carwash or Garrett Seamens, Postcard Boy released the single on June 29 alongside a special music video for the track, which Seamens directed himself.
The video shows the singer-songwriter as a postman driving a postal truck (which was Seamens’ childhood dream), with Wes Anderson–esque shots and coloring. The music video is encapsulating up until the final scene, in which Seamens’ mailbox bounce house is burned down, a bounce house that’s been a common thread in his previously released projects. The visual perfectly matches the energy of Postcard Boy’s single, which is sonically upbeat and catchy, juxtaposed against the more introspective and thoughtful lyrics. The music video teeters on both sides of that coin, being both silly and intense during certain moments.
“When tomorrow comes, we’ll be nothing but a fading feeling” heads the release of Seamens’ debut album, Somewhere on a Hillside, which will be out on July 28. And while this latest single has more of an electronic indie pop-edge, the album itself will share a somber tone more similar to his previous hits such as “I Hope the World Never Ends,” and “Flight,” which have each reached over 3 million listens on Spotify and established a community of listeners that eagerly await Seamens’ next move.
Read below to learn more about Seamens’ latest single, his vision for his music video, and what he is planning next.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of your latest single, “when tomorrow comes, we’ll be nothing but a fading feeling.” It’s a wonderfully catchy song that hits on the fleetingness of moments. What inspired you to write this song?
POSTCARD BOY: It kinda evolved from when I started to when I finished it. In short, it’s about recognizing that something is coming to a close before it’s over and not wanting to see it go. I’ve made a lot of close friends throughout the years who live in different cities than me. Having to say those goodbyes without knowing how long it’ll be until I’d see them again is what sparked this song, initially.
LUNA: Absolutely obsessed with the music video — I love the Wes Anderson–esque shots and coloring and that you were inspired by your childhood dream. Can you tell me a little bit about how the music video idea came to be?
POSTCARD BOY: I’d always wanted to do something with a postal truck since I’d been in high school, and I knew this video was going to be the last of the singles so it was now or never with that idea for me. We didn’t end up getting access to a real postal van, but I think redecorating a ’60s ice cream truck actually turned out cooler than if we had gotten the real deal.
LUNA: The music video ends with the inflatable house burning down as you watch it. Can you tell me a bit about what this artistic choice means to you?
POSTCARD BOY: Within the theme of the song, it was just meant to show that all things come to an end. Even things you consider the foundation of who you are sometimes leave. Being the visual center of the project and the other videos, burning the mailbox bounce house was as sentimental as it could be for this album.
LUNA: What was one of your favorite memories while making the music video for this song?
POSTCARD BOY: I think driving the truck while Joey zoomed the drone around the truck. He had to be flying it at, like, 60 mph. It was the most crazy thing. I’d be hanging out the side of the door and Joey would zip it by within feet. It was an adrenaline rush. Ironically, my other favorite part nearly didn’t make the final edit. I learned to sing the song in reverse so we could then reverse the footage later and make the envelopes look like they were ascending rather than falling. There were some serious good laughs at me learning how to sing the song in gibberish.
LUNA: “When tomorrow comes, we’ll be nothing but a fading feeling” feels a little more alternative than some of your more moody indie songs. Was this an intentional choice when you were writing this track?
POSTCARD BOY: Not intentionally at all. If anything, to me this one is one of the more electronic-influenced tracks on the album, with the garage drums and some of the vocal processing. Guitar is definitely the main instrument I use and manipulate, though, so that alternative sound will always bleed through a little bit.
LUNA: Can you tell me what your process was like when creating “when tomorrow comes, we’ll be nothing but a fading feeling”?
POSTCARD BOY: It started one night when my friend Kali and I were trying to make music together for the first time in 2021. We spent more time chatting and cooking dinner than doing music, but that’s how it usually goes for me when I try to make music with someone. His vocal, which starts the song and is kinda the hook, was recorded that night, but everything else on the track came later. I just used his voice as a sample and ended up fleshing the song out with my other friend Lucian, who helped produce a lot of songs on the album with me. He lives in New Zealand but we work really well sending things back and forth, and he always knows what kind of sound I’m trying to make. I took a trip to New York last fall, and coming home from that gave me the last little spark to finish writing it.
LUNA: You are set to release your album, Somewhere on a Hillside, on July 28. Is this single an accurate representation of the vibe and genre the rest of the album is going to have?
POSTCARD BOY: I think this song adds a more upbeat dimension to the project, along with the singles out so far. However, I made the album with dusk and dawn as the main times of the day [when] I’d love for people to listen to the project. Those are my favorite times and colors of sky. I’d say the rest of the project has a more somber overtone to it and is a bit more brooding with splashes of light here and there with these singles. I like to think of it being a deep blue, like post- sunset, blue hour.
LUNA: This is your first album you are releasing following some EPs and singles — congrats! How are you feeling about the upcoming release?
POSTCARD BOY: I’m just really excited for it to be out. I’ve never sat on songs or worked so long on something, so it has been a bit of a patience test and learning process for me. I’d wanted to complete a full project like this for Postcard Boy for years, so it feels really relieving in a sense as much as it is gratifying.
LUNA: What is your favorite part of being a musician?
POSTCARD BOY: I’m a fan of music before I am someone who makes it. I love the sensation of getting goosebumps when I hear a song and it being able to rush me back to that feeling over and over again. Finding people who obsess over the same music is one of the greatest things in the world, too. As for me being a musician myself, there are times where I get completely emotionally overwhelmed while making it and I’ll just collapse in my room. These brief moments don’t even have to make it into final versions of songs — often it’s just the right place, right time, right mood, right random musical decision or accident, and it’ll be so freeing. I’ll just leave a part on loop. It’s so pure. Music is the best. There’s nothing else that does that for me or has brought me together with better people.
LUNA: With your freshly released single and an upcoming album, can I ask what your plans are for the rest of the year?
POSTCARD BOY: My plans only go as far as this album, if I’m honest. I’m organizing an album release show, [an] interactive art installation in LA where I’ll have the mailbox bounce house there, the postal truck, the kite envelope, and some other fun goodies. I’m playing a live version of the album there [from] top to bottom, too. I’d love to tour the songs if that opportunity comes up. (The Japanese House please take me on tour with you in the fall). Shameless. Love her music. There’ve been a lot of changes in my life throughout the rollout, and I’m just really excited for the music to be in the world and to move forward. I’m driving across the country and moving to New York two days after the album is out. I’ve only ever lived in California so it’ll be a huge change.
I’m excited for whatever it is I do next, but I have no exact idea what that will be, and I like that a lot. It feels like everything can be new again.
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