"Nocturnal" [ft. the Weeknd]

Pitchfork: The opening track feels like a statement in that it sounds more like big pop than house. How did you end up working with the Weeknd?

Guy Lawrence: We’ve been fans of each other’s music for some time. We didn’t really know what he was like as a guy, but he turned out to be so safe and cool and chill—but not arrogant in any way. We wrote that song in Jungle Studios in New York, which is probably the coolest studio that we’ve ever been to. It has this panoramic view of Manhattan, so that informed the vibe.

Pitchfork: There’s a synth part in that song that sounds like a nod to Frankie Knuckles’ house classic “Your Love”?

GL: That’s a tribute to Frankie. We started making that beat around the time he died and wanted to put a little bit of Frankie into this album—so we thought we’d rip him off! [laughs] The “Your Love” synth has been used in many songs, but that’s basically how the verse started. We didn’t think it would turn out to be a six-minute, 45-second track. It’s the longest song we’ve ever made, but when you listen to it, it all flows. To put it first was a bit of a bold decision, but it sets the tone for the record so nicely. It’s the exact right vibe to establish what’s changed from the first album to this album: It’s more R&B, it’s slower, and it’s more about the songwriting rather than the club.

"Omen" [ft. Sam Smith]

Pitchfork: You previously worked with Sam Smith on “Latch”, but what was it like working with him again after he reached a new level of fame?

Howard Lawrence: We’re really close with Sam and we share the same managers, so it wasn’t too hard in terms of linking up the date. As a guy, he’s not changed at all—he’s the same Sam that we met four years ago. We’ve all just improved and have a lot more experience with writing with other people as well as on our own. In that sense, it was different.

Pitchfork: What are you better at now?

GL: Well, I saw some YouTube commenters arguing about “Omen”: One guy said it sounds bigger and better, and this other guy’s like, “Oh yeah, they sound bigger because they’ve got all these guys making their tracks and the label is pumping more money into it.” But it’s like, “No man, that’s just the result of practice and growing up a bit and learning more things.”