West Chester native Pat Graham, the bassist for indie rock band Big Nothing, discussed how he and his bandmates wrote and recorded their newest album separately during the pandemic. And it ultimately led to a creative and musical shift, writes Chip Midnight for The Big Takeover, a bi-annual music magazine published in New York City.

When non-essential businesses like recording studios shut down during the pandemic, the members of Big Nothing took to sending files to each other digitally to create their album, Dog Hours. 

Coming from indie and punk backgrounds in the Greater Philadelphia area, the members used this experience to explore what it means to be writing songs as a pop-punk band.  

“We’ve shifted from writing songs so we can play them live to becoming songwriting nerds,” said Graham, who has been playing in shows for 15 years. “We’re focusing on the songs. We’re already writing new songs, that’s something we’re excited about.” 

Before, members used to meet at a rehearsal space to go over lyrics and sounds in person. Graham said it was a defining moment when he realized how hard it was to not have each other or an engineer to help. 

“We still love playing shows, but I think it was a shift,” he said. “For my mental health, writing music is the most important thing.” 

Read more about Pat Graham and Big Nothing in The Big Takeover.