Songfacts®:

• For his 12th studio album, indie folk singer-songwriter Josh Rouse decided to explore the musical influences of his youth, namely the synth-laden pop hits of UK acts like The Blue Nile, The Style Council, The Cure, and Roxy Music. He told Songfacts: "It's very different sonically from the last decade of work I've put out but it does share some harmonic genes with my first two records which were more British influenced. The biggest challenge was and always is making it simple and minimalistic and enjoyable!"
• Rouse was also inspired by Leonard Cohen's post-acoustic output. He explained in an interview with Forbes: "About a year before Cohen died I read Sylvie Simmons' biography on him called I'm The Man. I really liked it and I related to it cause I lived overseas where I fell in love with a girl from Spain and was kind of isolated over there for a long time. Coming back and forth, touring, in some ways I related to his life. So I started listening to those records he did with kind of the cheesy keyboards and stuff and I said, 'Well, this is really good.' His lyrics and delivery of the song is so well done it could sound like a great karaoke band backing you up. So on the song 'Love in the Modern Age,' I said, 'I'm gonna try one lower register,' almost a baritone register, really quiet. That was definitely influenced by listening to those records and trying to walk that line in between singing and talking."
• Rouse explained the title track is an encouraging mantra for people pursuing their dreams, whether it's the "lovers who stick with it" or the "actors who burn the script." When asked what inspired the tune, he said, "Dating apps! Long relationships and the movie Her!"
• Rouse on the moment he knew the album's '80s-themed concept was going to work: "I think when we put the sax on 'Love In The Modern Age,' we were just thinking of 'Walk On The Wild Side.' I like to hear music like this when I go to a place or after party of anything. It sounds different to me than anything else I was listening to so that was the first song that kind of shaped the record."