In terms of music, what sounds do you want to hear more of next year?

I like pop records with experimental interludes, where you get to see a big artist flex being human. I feel like people are probably sick of that by now, but I still think that's really cool. I like living in that world. They create an environment, where there's feet on dirt, and people talking. It makes you feel like you're in that space, and then when you enter into an actual track, it feels closer to you. I really liked the Jenny Hval record [for that reason]; I think that came out last year.

I think it's really awesome that more women are producing — carving out that kind of agency for themselves. I hope that continues. I'd love to see a new Empress Of record. I got to meet her in L.A. recently. I'm such a fan.

Like you mentioned, you kind of cut your teeth playing with your band Little Big League in the “emo scene.” It’s a pretty dark place right now, with some of the biggest names in that world being exposed as sexual predators.

I grew up on the indie pacific northwest version of emo, which was more like indie rock, like Built to Spill and Death Cab for Cutie and Elliott Smith. We fell into the [northeast] emo community because we played with a lot of those bands. I really appreciate the fans. They are people that support new music without any kind of hype, way before anybody else. That was a really giving community for us. I still stay at the house in D.C. of the person who booked our first [Little Big League] show, because he was a fan of emo music. He'll always put us up. Emo is a really strange world that doesn't get that much broad press; it's very specific, but the fandom is so intense. You go to a Modern Baseball show and it's like, Where did all these people come from? It's a community where people really show up.

It's weird to me when [abusers are exposed] in that community, but it's not surprising. So many of those fans are really young, and it's so male-dominated, and it's so white — fuel for toxic masculinity. I think everything that's evil can be contributed to that kind of abuse of power. [What came out about] Brand New was a huge deal for a lot of people. I feel like there's just so many more stories like this that are going to come out. I hope it makes a way for a new wave of artists. I think that's already happening already, and it's really exciting. I hope to see all of these abusers pushed out and replaced by these talented, amazing people.