10 Questions with ... Tom Higgenson

1) Since we've hit September, we'd love to know what YOUR favorite song(s) of the summer have been?

You mean besides Plain White T's "Your Body?" I've been loving the new Drake album. "Mob Ties" and "Can't Take A Joke" are my faves off it. The new Panic! At The Disco album is great too. "Roaring 20's" and "Dying In L.A." are my faves off that album. I also started a label called Humans Were Here that released a few cool things this summer, like the song "Our Little Secret" by the group Fairview, and an EP from the artist LIIV. All of that is up on Spotify and all the platforms.

2) How has 2018 been treating you all? What is one musical goal that you have had for this year?

I just wanna put out cool shit. We've got this new Plain White T's album, Parallel Universe, which just came out. I couldn't be more proud of this album. Also, I started a label called Humans Were Here, which has had three releases already this year, including my side project TLB, which is such a fun album ... I'm just so excited to be making and putting out music right now!

3) How do you think your hometown has influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group?

Chicago! You know, no matter where we go in the world, all the traveling, all the different cities, countries, etc., Chicago still feels like home. Chicago is like the underdog to Los Angeles and New York, and sometimes in this band we feel like the underdogs. But people work hard in Chicago. People are authentic in Chicago. We wouldn't be the band we are if we grew up anywhere else.

4) Let's talk about "Parallel Universe." What was it like putting this one together? Did you approach the making of it any differently than your previous albums? How would you describe your new sound on this new collection?

Best album we've made so far. Most of the songs came so easily in the writing process. Even the recording process was so easy and fun, with such a good and positive flow. There were times when I almost had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming because things were going so smoothly! We took the best approach possible with this album, which was basically screw everything we've done before ... We don't have to sound a certain way, we don't have to look a certain way ... Let's just make a bad-ass album that will screw some stuff up and that we will all look back on and be proud of. And the crazy thing is? We did just that.

5) Why did you decide to rejoin Fearless Records after a 13-year break? Why do you think they are the right place for you and your music now?

Ha! That 13-year break consisted of us being on a different label. We started on Fearless and it was obvious that we had to go back to Fearless. Lots of mutual love there, to say the least.

6) What was it like making the music video for "Your Body?" What do you think is the best and most challenging part about making a music video? How creatively involved do you all get with the entire process?

Videos are one of my favorite parts of being in a band! I'm a huge movie buff, so I get super into making the videos. So far we have shot four videos for this album and I have written the treatments for all of them. The guys are getting annoyed with my obsessiveness but it's so fun! Making "Your Body" was fun but very uncomfortable. I had to walk around with blacked-out contacts and a very uncomfortable robot suit all day. It was rough, but all worth it once I saw the final cut of the video.

7) Where do you think you are all happiest -- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

My favorite part is the writing process. Then again, videos rule. Playing live rules ... but there is something about the buzz you get from creating something out of thin air. A song that didn't exist an hour ago, but now it does. That feeling is my favorite.

8) What about upcoming tour dates?

We're so excited to have this album! I'm also excited to play a bunch of great radio shows. We've got dates both this month and next. Then in early November we are doing some West Coast dates where we play the Roxy in L.A. (which we've never played) and the Brooklyn Bowl in Vegas! Gonna have some good times for sure!

9) How do you think being musicians and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today?

We are so lucky to be able to do what we love for a living, and we never take that for granted. A big thank you to everyone out there who appreciates what we do by listening to the music and coming to the shows!

10) Who would you love to work with in the future? Who are some of your favorite artists right now? What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this group?

Oh that's impossible. You never know what kind of magic would happen if you get some crazy combos together. Favorite artists? The Weeknd, The Strokes ... I love Skrillex and everything he has done for music.

If you guys were all going to be stranded on a deserted island, what musical item would you want to take with you and why?

Musical item? I mean, a guitar I guess ... then I could just fumble through all my favorite songs all day..