Casual Male

A South Jersey native, Lappin's journey to becoming a solo artist—under the moniker Casual Male—has been fueled by his background as a bassist and years of performing in/with various bands across genres.

With the release of his first full-length record, Lappin has finally carved out the time and space to attend to the burgeoning feeling that he needed something to call his own—an obedience to the impulse so many of us feel yet so rarely address. The result is an arresting new self-titled record that serves as a result of following that energy—a personal milestone if nothing else.

In our latest feature interview, Lappin takes us into the emotional and creative energy that went into making Casual Male and details the intensity of the process and the sense of fulfillment that comes with seeing his vision take shape.

Analogue: So tell us, how’s this month been for you? You released the album and then had your release show. How are you feeling in the aftermath?

Tim Lappin: Good question. It’s been kind of a whirlwind, honestly. So much emotional buildup over the years went into this album, and once you finally get it done, it’s like, ‘Okay, that’s one mountain climbed.’ But then you realize there’s still a whole business side to it—organizing, handling logistics, setting up a show. When you’re making art, especially something this personal, it’s all-consuming.

This is my first full-length solo project, and while I’ve been in bands and played a lot, this experience has been different. I’m not only doing the music but also handling all the marketing, social media, and rehearsing with the band. So, yeah, there was this massive emotional and mental buildup, and now it’s out there, I’m finally able to exhale. It’s cathartic, honestly.

Analogue: I know there have been singles and EPs but the way you talk here... do you feel some kind of romantic pull toward the full-length format itself?

Ti m: Definitely. I’m old school in that way. I grew up listening to entire albums, and that’s how I connected deeply with artists. A single can make an impression, sure, but an album? It feels like a deeper story, a more complete experience. I love that there’s a deliberate order to things, a sense of thought behind the package. For me, it makes for a stronger bond between the artist and listener.

This record clocks in around 30 minutes, which I like because it reminds me of the old Weezer albums. They’d pack everything into these neat, concise records—no filler, all killer, right? I think the shorter format lets you sit down and really take it all in as a cohesive piece.

Analogue: You’ve worked with and in bands before, so has the impulse to make your own music been hiding there for some time? Or is it newer?

Tim Lappin: That’s a really good question. My background was always as a bass player. I actually went to college as an upright jazz bassist. Through high school and college, I played in all kinds of bands—punk, ska, jazz gigs, musicals, you name it. So yeah, I was always playing music, writing for bands, but my entry point was being a bassist. I think the “aha” moment came years later. It just hit me: ‘I need to make something that’s mine.’

I always wrote in some of these bands, but for this, every day I’d sit down and write something—I wrote hundreds of songs, all of which were terrible. They were really, truly bad. But eventually, I got a few that I thought were good, and that's when I did the first EP. So yeah, there was a drive at some point. I know I can do this. I know I have something to say in me. I just wanted to look into that and see what I can get out. Even if it's the worst thing that's ever made, I have to try.

Analogue: You talked about all of the bad songs you made, so let’s change our focus. What’s the source of greatest pride on this?

Tim: It's not my style to be proud of it, but I just love everything about it. There isn't really anything about it that I would've changed looking back now that I have a little space from it. I love the production, which has a lot to do with Abe Seiferth (Nation of Language), who I've worked on all this stuff with. We took the time to get it to sound the way we wanted, to carve out what the sound was.

And, you know, I'm really proud of the songs themselves. It's going to sound kind of self-indulgent or something, but I think the songs themselves are really, really strong and stand up individually, but also together.

Analogue: Given your background as a bassist, it made me curious how that alters your approach to songwriting? I'll interview drummers who turned to songwriting later in life and that background is an important differentiator.

Tim: I think in some ways, yes. Like, maybe not specifically the bass, but I would say that the groove comes first. As a bass player, all enjoyment for me from playing a gig comes down to the drummer I'm playing with. Ninety percent of the gig for me is, 'Do I like this drummer?' And if I do, when we walk up, I'm happy. Everything else can be whatever, but if those tempos feel right, the groove feels good, and we're locked in, it's the best.

I actually tend to write the bass line last, because it's the easiest part for me. I can just do it in a second, really. But I start with the drums a lot of times because I feel the groove and the tempo are so crucial to the identity of a song. How we identify different songs, I think, comes down to that aspect. Like, how fast is it? What's the vibe? What's the groove? What's the feel that the drums are giving? So, that usually is where I start a lot of times.

Because melodies and stuff are not my strong suit, or don't come easy to me, I can get into a groove. I can get into a feel. That's a place where my imagination can kind of jump off from and I can see the whole picture. I can see the bigger picture when I have that in place.

VISIT: Casual Male