Kyle Meredith with… is a new interview series in partnership with Consequence of Sound.

It was 1998 and Semisonic were finishing up with their sophomore LP, Feeling Strangely Fine. They had some momentum after a critically acclaimed debut, and while the batch of songs the band turned in included “Closing Time,” “Secret Smile,” and “Singing In My Sleep”, the record label told them that the album didn’t have a single on it. So we know how that turned out. Kyle Meredith gave Dan Wilson a call to talk about everything that happened next, stories behind the songs (“Secret Smile came to me in a dream”), and some discussion on the tracks that didn’t make the cut.

Feeling Strangely Fine turns 20 on March 24.

Listen to the interview above and then check out the classics below!

Further listening: Kyle & Dan spoke last year about his Re-covered LP.