Hamilton Leithauser is chilling. For today’s session, we reached the multi-instrumentalist from his studio in Brooklyn, affectionately known as “The Struggle Hut,” to talk about his latest solo album, This Side of the Island.

Chill was the vibe when it came to making this record, as some of the songs’ origins go back almost a decade. It’s also another strong record from the co-founder of indie rock band The Walkmen.

Leithauser talks about how Aaron Dessner of The National helped everything fall into place, and he reflects on his longtime friendship with Richard Swift. It’s an unfussy, laid-back conversation. Like we said, chill.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.