A Chat with slowdrip (22.07.26)
With ‘Nightflower’, slowdrip continues to carve out a space where vulnerability and atmosphere coexist with remarkable subtlety. The new single finds Teddy Reimer leaning further into themes of presence, healing, and emotional ambiguity, delivering a song that reveals more of itself with each listen. We caught up with Reimer to discuss the inspirations behind the track, personal transformation, and the evolving creative world of slowdrip.
OSR: ‘Nightflower’ explores the idea of feeling like an alien in your own world. Was there a specific moment or realisation that first inspired this concept, and how did it evolve as you wrote the song?
slowdrip: To me, it’s the quintessential search for belonging. I’ve had an exponential disconnect with what we are told we are supposed to be here – in a scheme that’s essentially made up. Definitely can mess with my head when I don’t feel inspired to run at everything the majority does. It was natural to superimpose those feelings into what I’m making right now. I of course know I’m not alone in this. I tend to kiss the night, and that’s when this song found its beginning
OSR: Presence seems to be the emotional cornerstone of your upcoming work. In an era dominated by constant stimulation and digital distraction, what does being truly present mean to you today, and has your definition changed over the past few years?
slowdrip: You hit it, tryna touch something that isn’t force-fed to me on a screen, reminding ourselves of the weight of a hug, the sound of water, eyes up shit. The nuance of love, loving each other, and finding a real experience that’s spontaneous and uncharted or crafted. I’m happy there is noise happening right now pushing towards this idea. As a kid, independence, free-spiritedness, and freedom was a kingdom. Unfortunately, the world does a lot to rip that sense away, but I’m tryna get back to the euphoria centered there.
OSR: Your music often feels deeply personal without being overtly autobiographical. How do you decide which experiences become literal stories and which are transformed into metaphor and imagery?
slowdrip: Ah, thank you. Most of the writing is woven from personal stories. Everything has a note of the real storyboard, but I’m really interested in putting almost all into metaphor – keeps my brain moving for some reason. I’ve definitely questioned if that’s me hiding from trying to write very literally in case I’d be bad at it. I have friends who are so prolific at this style. It’s so fucking cool, but I really do feel like I’m curious about words and sounds and feelings that maybe aren’t the first to be chosen.
OSR: You have spent years behind the scenes as a Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter, and touring guitarist. How has stepping into slowdrip changed your relationship with music compared to creating for or alongside other artists?
slowdrip: There was a flow state I was having a hard time finding. I really didn’t feel like it was a strong skill of mine, and I would end session days feeling pretty low. Let me be clear, I’m so fortunate to be a part of anything thus far in my career, and so much that has happened is because of people giving me an opportunity. Collaborating is so sick and still very much a part of me. I felt like I needed to switch seats though; there’s an untethered and somewhat boundless vibe tryna make slowdrip stuff, and that’s got my mind occupied right now – no shade anywhere but I had to honor that intuition and at least give it a proper try
OSR: Nature and isolation have clearly influenced your creative identity, particularly growing up in northern Minnesota. Do you find yourself still returning to those landscapes mentally when writing, even if you’re physically somewhere else?
slowdrip: Definitely. There’s a somatic response every time I find those landscapes in real life or in my head. Having that routed so firmly also makes anything happening in the now thread through my genetic coding, and it often nestles within those origins and inspires me to make things. Sometimes that shit just makes me sad too, and I binge TV and eat pizza.
OSR: Your production feels incredibly intentional, balancing spaciousness with intimacy. When building a song like ‘Nightflower’, do the sonic textures or the lyrical themes typically arrive first?
slowdrip: This one in particular started with the synth bass and drums, and the little noise I make in the chorus (whatever the fuck that is). It was very deep into the early hours of the morning, and that completely set the identity of how I wanted the song to feel. From that point, lyrics and instrumentation were built alongside each other. I really like the idea of someone thinking, how the fuck did they make this, so there’s a blend of deep searching for sound but also letting whatever blossoms in real time have its moment. It can get confusing to discern, but that’s where we are right now.
OSR: Recovery and emotional healing have informed this new chapter of your life, but they never feel like the sole focus of your music. How do you maintain that balance between honesty and allowing listeners to discover their own meanings?
slowdrip: I feel that. I never wanna announce my shit as some sort of platform or gimmick for attention. But the reality is gatekeeping some of that misses a real chance at connection; mental health and substance abuse recovery is very frontline for me. This new wave of music is attempting to channel that and give someone the chance to ask a question. And I’m at a point where I’m ready to share my story in a deeper way through stuff like this, and then I’d hope the music will in turn become more vast
OSR: Artists like Bon Iver, James Blake, Phoebe Bridgers, and Sufjan Stevens all embrace vulnerability in different ways. Beyond musical influence, what have they taught you about artistic courage?
slowdrip: I like the specificity, the way they see the world. They command attention but not in a loud fucking frat boy way. They care about feeling. There’s a silent assassin vibe happening, and I really attach to that.
OSR: You’ve described these upcoming songs as peeling away the toxic layers of the human condition. What do you hope remains after those layers are stripped away, both personally and artistically?
slowdrip: I want to make things from a pure place, no chase for anything. It’s not a new recipe but simply remembering the beauty or art and no rules; that alone informs a lifestyle I wanna live and everything else follows
OSR: Looking beyond this next collection of music, what do you hope listeners understand about slowdrip that perhaps they haven’t fully seen yet?
slowdrip: I want to invite them into my story more – share experiences – and build an atmosphere of good vibes and inclusion; everybody tries so hard, it drives the melancholy. I think the live show will help translate the bigger picture too; it’s meant to be loud and wrap a person up exactly where they are. Honestly, I’m grateful to anyone paying attention; I’m very lucky to be giving this all a run.
Many thanks to slowdrip for speaking with us. Find out more about slowdrip on his Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify.
