Coastal is the latest indie rock project from singer/songwriter Nic Grunewald. Drawing on inspiration and musical talent from around the country, Coastal is the result of a large artistic collaboration. Including artists such as Athens-based guitarist Steven Spiegel, DC-based singer Holroyde, and a number of California musicians.In this interview, we chat with Nic about his influences, the newest project, and more.

Full Q&A as well as links and a stream of Stray Dog below.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

I’ve grown up mostly listening to indie rock. Bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Young The Giant, The Shins have always been strong influences for me so naturally I feel like my sound follows in their footsteps.

How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?

Well this is my first release under the name of Coastal but in high school I released two full length LP’s under a different name with other musicians as well.

Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?

My influences mostly come from indie rock artists like I said before. Death Cab, Radiohead, Two Door Cinema Club all influence my writing in many ways. For me the reason I keep going is because there’s no reason to really stop. I see myself writing and recording until the day I die, it’s not really all about “making it big” or anything like that. It’s just what I do.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

 Yes definitely. Originally I wanted a rusty, honesty kind of hungover sound to the music. I wanted it to sound honest above all. I think it turned out a little more poppy than I originally planned, which is fine as well.

What was the last song you listened to?

The last song I listened to was Phantom by Shirt. Great rap song I found watching Silicon Valley, real old school flow.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

I think Vinyl’s are obviously really cool cause they’re so cool but I really listen to MP3’s like the rest of the world.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

Team Spotify for sure. I tried Apple Music a few times and some other services but Spotify functions the best.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?

I think trying to get people to actually listen to your music for more than just a few seconds is really tough. I would love to have artsy 30 second intros with crazy noises and shit but it’s really hard for a new artist to attract listeners without a fast and catchy start to their songs.

Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?

I play shows mostly in the Northern California area but really this has been a recording project so fat the shows are very low key.

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?

    SoundCloud I think is the best way to hear my new stuff.

Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?

Hope people enjoy the music and if not feel free to send me a nasty letter telling me why you hate it.