Was it harder to create songs about somewhere you don’t know as well as your home state?

Not necessarily. It might have been harder in terms of mustering conviction for places, because there’s not a sentimental attachment to a location or event. But I kind of found the emotional objectivity a little freeing, in fact, because I wasn’t burdened by my own memory and my own nostalgia for my home.

How do you select the tings that you cover about each state?

It’ll be different for every state. For Illinois, I do have invaluable memories of visits to Chicago and Peoria that were resources for some songs. I read Carl Sandburg and Saul Bellow, Abraham Lincoln biographies and illustrated biographies of small towns to get a sense of the nature of characters and events. But what was most important was correspondence with friends and relatives who are native Illinoisians.

How does your background in fiction [Stevens has a master's degree in creative writing] impact upon writing the songs?

I’m very informed by the mechanics of fiction; a lot of my writing is narrative-based, and it had a lot to do with the style and overall tone of voice of the records. Though less autobiographical and probably less authentic than Michigan, creatively and artistically this feels more fully realised and better edited. I spent a lot more time reinforcing the songs with particulars and details.

You don’t try to reflect a state’s individual musical character. Will all 50 states sound similar, or will you be tempted to add Hawaiian guitar when you get to Hawaii?

I don’t think I did a lot of experimentation in sound on this record. For me, it was more of an exercise in form, in trying to realise certain songwriting styles I’d tried before. There’s a bit more trumpet on this record, which might reflect Chicago jazz in an abstract way. But I doubt I’ll ever do a record like this again; it was too work-intensive and exhausting. In future, I want to do more collaborations.

You evoked the industrial nature of Detroit on Michigan. Is there a rivalry between Detroit and Chicago?

There probably was, but right now there’s no competition, because Detroit is really a failed city: the population is falling – it’s less than a million now, compared to over two million in the ’50s. Whereas Chicago is sort of like Detroit’s talented, resilient, industrious older brother. It always seems to overcome its obstacles – it survived the Great Fire, and 20 years later it hosted the World’s Fair.

There’s a Steve Reich influence on several tracks. Which other composers exerted comparable influence on your stuff?

Terry Riley is another minimalist I like a lot. John Philip Sousa, the American marching-band icon, influenced a lot of the more upbeat band sounds. And there’s a Broadway musical influence. I don’t listen to much of that stuff, but I was kind of channelling that sensibility.