In this interview, The New Citizen Kane reflects on “As Within, So Without,” exploring love as refuge and illusion, emotional duality, instinctive songwriting, and how inner healing shapes the album’s broader perspective.
1. “As Within, So Without” explores the idea of hiding inside love as a form of escape. Was there a specific personal experience that sparked this emotional duality?
Yeah, I wrote this song reflecting on a relationship I was in 13years ago. we both came into the relationship a bit broken from previous experiences, and it was a high intensity relationship. And looking back now I understand the intensity & volatility of it much better than I did at the time… the foundation for a strong, healthy relationship wasn’t there because we hadn’t taken the time to heal ourselves before coming together. So it was exhilarating, love felt like a refuge, but one that was built on quick sand.
2. The song feels both cosmic and intimate, with imagery of imploding stars and shattered fears. How do you balance such expansive symbolism with deeply personal storytelling?
I try to write from an honest place, singing about feelings as they are, not idealized but humanly flawed, full of contrasts. And sometimes falling in love, and falling out of love feels so great and unexplainable that only that kind of magnitude really captures the essence of those feelings, for better and for worse.
3. You describe the relationship dynamic as building “everything on quicksand.” At what point did you realize this theme needed to be central to the track?
I can’t say there’s a conscious moment I choose a theme, when I write it’s instinctive, the words come before any realization or reasoning. That comes later when I’m building the track list & running order of the album, but the writing? That’s almost like a subconscious action.
4. The re-worked version leans into synthwave with touches of electronica and trip-hop. What inspired this sonic shift, and how does it reshape the emotional impact of the song?
As Within, So Without is my favourite song from Peychedelika pt.1, and probably one of my top 5 songs I’ve ever written. The album version is gentle, mystical, reflective. I feel like reworking a single released after the album comes out is always a good idea in general, to give people something new while still promoting the album, but as a single leaning harder into the push-pull dynamic through also felt more compelling in this case, sonically replicating the emotion that was lived through rather than reflected upon 13 years later.
5. The addition of a French verse changes the texture and mood. What motivated that creative decision, and what does the French language bring to the narrative?
French has such a suave, mystical and seductive sonority to it, especially when sung. I felt it added to the duality being explored lyrically.
6. As this release continues the journey of Psychedelika Pt. 1, how does “As Within, So Without” reflect the broader emotional or philosophical arc of the album?
At its core, Psychedelika is about perspective. How the mind bends, how love evolves, how the night hides as much as it reveals. Every track is a different lens — some playful, some devastating all rooted in a refusal to look away from life’s contradictions. As Within, So Without is about the illusion of love, and lovers, as healing or safe spaces, it’s a reminder that healing only comes from within, and love can only blossom once we’ve healed & loved ourselves first.
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