In 2019, when he was still in high school, indie pop singer Spencer Barnett proclaimed, “No one falls in love at 17.” Five years and three albums later, Barnett has a more nuanced understanding of the fickleness of love, a sort of acceptance that permeates his confessional lyrics and melancholy melodies. As the lead single off his upcoming album Jigsaw, “Chocolate Pretzels” embodies the sort of twisted situationship that makes you want to laugh in elation one moment and grind your teeth the next.

“Tell me something other than it’s always been easy,” Barnett implores in the opening verse, the lilting, acoustic arrangement answering in turn. In many ways, “Chocolate Pretzels” is Barnett at his most stripped down, his lead-guitar punctuated by minimal drum fills and bass lines. A brief instrumental break is peppered with some more retro synth accents, though the track primarily relies on Barnett’s vocal ability and lyricism. He continues to narrate a capricious relationship, airing his grievances during the lines “She turns the engine off and music up as I keep on speaking,” an observation which quickly shifts into a change in perspective, “You turn the car back on and whisper ‘skin on skin.’” And so the cycle of obfuscation and redirection continues. 

Compared to the brighter sound of Barnett’s previous single “Lost Boy,” “Chocolate Pretzels” remains down to earth, an acknowledgement as opposed to a declaration. This is mirrored by the minimalism of the single’s music video, filmed from an empty, concrete-floored house, made more inviting by dapples of sunlight, exposed wood beams and Barnett and company’s performance. Throughout the video, the lens is rarely less than a few feet away from Barnett, emphasizing the singularity of “Chocolate Pretzels” in the context of his discography.

Just as Barnett has matured since his teenage years, his sound has become more individualized, his music more sure of itself. In anticipation of Jigsaw’s release on October 25, FLAUNT asks the musician about his sonic evolution and sources of inspiration.  

How does Jigsaw differ from your earlier EPs? Is there a certain evolution you noticed as you were making the new album?

Absolutely. I think it’s different in both process and feeling. My previous EPs were all made start to finish in a week. I enjoyed putting constraints on the creative process to see what happened. And because I think that focused time — forcing yourself to push through any barriers instead of just trying when creativity sparks — can be fruitful. Though, this also made it difficult to experiment. And so, with Jigsaw I did the opposite. I took a lot of time to experiment sonically and land on the next phase of the project. And then I made the album and sat with it for a bit. This new process made the record feel quite different. It’s much more intentional — both lyrically and instrumentally. The details were obsessed over, and so I think it sounds like it was taken one step farther than the EPs — in terms of the songwriting, production, and engineering.

You’ve mentioned the organic feel of your new single “Chocolate Pretzels.” How does this song’s unique sound set the tone for Jigsaw?

Some of my favorite records ever — Big Thief’s Capacity, Alabama Shakes’ Sound in Color, and The Velvet Underground’s Self-Titled among others all accomplish this near-impossible balance that I kind of think of as “polished patina”. If that makes any sense at all haha. The songs are perfect, the parts are incredibly thoughtful. But there is a patina either through the recording or the improvisation that makes them feel so raw and special. I really tried to celebrate these raw moments in Jigsaw rather than burying them in the mix.

How did you go about developing the concept for the “Chocolate Pretzels” music video?

Funny story, actually. I didn’t at all. We were supposed to shoot a live video that day. All of the mics were set up, mix was sounding killer, and 20 seconds in all of the recording gear just shut down because the heat was 100+ degrees. We were screwed! We wound up deciding to pivot and shoot a video for “Chocolate Pretzels” with the exact same camera angles and set up as the live vid and it came out sick! Huge huge shoutout to Pat Shahabian and Driely S for being the most talented and flexible peeps in the game.

In a previous interview with FLAUNT, you mentioned how you drew inspiration from London while writing your album I’m Fine. Does Jigsaw derive influence from a particular place?

It feels like a lifetime ago, but I wrote I’m Fine in the UK and it was hugely inspirational to the sound of the project. Although I am definitely still inspired by the crazy talented people out there, Jigsaw was definitely born from the woods and campfires on the east coast of the U.S. I moved east around the beginning of the project and that choice most certainly influenced the sound of this project.

We asked you about the most surreal moment in your career back in 2023. Is your performance at Outside Lands still the highlight of your career, or is there another special experience that tops it?

Ha! That definitely remains one of the most surreal moments for me since it was all so new. This may not seem as exciting to others, but something did just happen recently that was pretty surreal. I have been playing Fender guitars and amps since I started playing guitar at 8 years old. A few months ago, Fender reached out and built me a 1 of 1 custom guitar. Little 8-year-old me would be freaking out and big me is still freaking out. Huge love and thanks to the amazing team at Fender.

If each of your albums represent phases of your life, what era does Jigsaw represent?‍

That’s a great question. I think that Jigsaw marks the span of a pretty big transition for me from boy to man. I mean, I’m definitely still just a big boy, but I think that I experienced so many firsts since I started Jigsaw and documented all of those in the project. It’s also the first time I think I’ve been completely honest with myself in my writing. I used to write aspirational songs about the person I wanted to be but in the present tense. On this one I just wrote about who I am and really hope that people connect with that in whatever way they feel it.