“把水開著 (Loose Faucet) imagines my mood and emotions as drops of water,” Hogan T. tells Apple Music about his debut album. “I’m a faucet that’s not fully shut off—ideas subconsciously drip out in various situations. When they’re ultimately observed, they’re a reflection of my overall state of mind.” The album’s 13 tracks record the artist’s mind over a relatively long period, including early demos as well as recent forays into sophisticated arrangements, but remain a coherent conceptual whole. “They may be temporally and emotionally distinct, but what’s interesting is that they all echo each other,” he says. The Taipei-based singer-songwriter—aka Zou Xu—is keyboardist for jazz-hued indie-pop band Norton Street and brings a similar genre adventurousness to his solo work. From the spare acoustic guitar of “Mind” and prog stylings of “Wish I Had Something to Say” to the hypnotic R&B of “趁雨下” (“When It Rained”) that builds like a storm into a funk-flavoured extravaganza, his soulful voice and penchant for tight harmonies put emotions at the forefront. The instrumental “Loose Faucet” and the slinky, insistent jam “把水開著” (“Let the Water Run”)—the two tracks that he sees as summing up his self-portrait—close out the album and also serve as its English and Chinese titles, respectively. Below, Hogan T. shares with Apple Music some of his thoughts behind each track. “序” (“Intro”) “One of two instrumental tracks on the album, the intro ‘序’ draws many of its sounds from my mental impression of water in its many forms, from rushing torrents to scattered drops. One section has a repeated melody that also appears in the last two tracks as an Easter egg—it’s the theme I’ve created for the album, which I like to think of as being like the main motif of a movie.” “趁雨下” (“When It Rained”) “The first song I created entirely on my own, it describes the regret experienced when affection withers away. I wasn’t weighed down by anything when I made it, so now it sounds like a huge expression of personal style—like I love quoting ancient poetry or using especially gaudy or modern arrangements.” “Through the Night” “When I wrote this song, I was imagining the wet Taipei streets (around Zhongxiao East Road) in autumn or winter, with all that was on my mind only exacerbated by the gloomy weather. But in the still of the night you can be cut off from the world, if only for a time. And if you focus on the moment, the rare empty street scene and the night are yours to enjoy.” “夜行” (“Night Drive”) “I thought of this song on the road one night. It was raining and the streetlights were dim and you couldn’t even see the ocean off to the side. It mainly depicts confusion: how despite all the beauty around you, when you’re so focused on something unreachable in the distance, you forget how wonderful the experience itself is. Joshua Lee took this song to another level—and it was really eye-opening when he brought in Ku Hao to sing backup.” “Way/Wait (feat. Flowstrong & someshiit)” “The first incarnation of this track was done online by my friend Flowstrong and me when we were studying in Taiwan and Hong Kong. We shared a similar uncertainty about the future, which meant that in the space of a few hours, without being aware of each other’s situation, we happened to write pretty much the same thing. The coincidence surprised us both. The song sat half-finished for almost two years until we got our friend someshiit to put the pieces together into a complete whole.” “Mind” “This track was written quickly in my room during Covid as a way relieve the pressure of physical and psychological confinement. I later had Osean and Lim Tiok come in for arrangement and production, which refined and seasoned the song.” “也許阿” (“Maybe”) “A simple, charming song of unrequited love. It was also written in a single burst one night. It lay quiet for a long time before I suddenly realised that ‘maybe’ doesn’t only apply to emotion—pursuing a goal that’s out of reach or choosing a future can both be expressed by the exclamation, ‘Maybe!’ So even after I wrote it, the song itself managed to give me a new way of looking at things.” “Rocketship” “This is a collaboration with Flowstrong. The idea was to create a low-key, cool dance feel. In other words, it’s a dance track that’ll make you bob your head, not a fiery showdown for loud movement. The point is to make the listener unable to unable to resist the rhythm, like a lingering compulsion or a minor itch that’s readily soothed. The lyrics have a similar aim. It’s a low-key, slightly naughty love song that remains well mannered—a really satisfying song that’s secretly frisky.” “忘記了” (“Bet”) “My friends call this song ear candy. There’s a reason for this—my friend Willy and I put all kinds of strange sounds, tones and effects into the mix. But they occupy the corners of the auditory experience so unless you listen closely you’ll only feel little tickles—and you can’t get rid of that sensation. That’s the feeling we’re aiming for. As for the lyrics, it’s actually a sad song expressed in a relaxed, humorous way. “As a whole, the song says I’ve forgotten you and everything about you. But the low murmurs at the end say that I’ve actually forgotten nothing—I’m just lying to myself. Although the song attempts to satisfy through the music alone, it offers another level of enjoyment to someone who listens carefully to the lyrics.” “Wish I Had Something to Say” “I asked Joshua Lee to produce this track too. I wrote of the desperation of wanting out of a relationship, no matter the cost. It’s the one track on the album that’s entirely in English. To me, the lyrics are clear and straightforward, which is something new for me. Joshua’s production—and the solo from a guest guitarist at the end—elevate the track’s emotional resonance.” “眼鼻口” (“Veil”) “This is another song I was inspired to write as autumn was turning to winter. Covid, stresses like school pressure and anxieties about the future, and Taipei’s damp weather all combined to make me feel really agitated, as if the slightest disturbance in the hectic rush of outside information could send a severe tremor through the base I had so painstakingly erected in my mind. And all of a sudden I realised that if I didn’t protect myself physically and mentally, I could easily be affected.” “Loose Faucet” “This one was made in the living room of my house on the piano I played growing up and was recorded on the microphone I use for demos. It incorporates the theme from the intro. To me, pure instrumental music is sometimes better able to depict abstract feelings—and so it is with this track, which gives voice to the feelings that trickle out across the whole album." “把水開著 (feat. 吳仲棋)” (“Let the Water Run”) “This is my entry for the 37th NCCU Golden Melody Awards. So it’s not just the conceptual core of the album; for me it has narrative and historical significance. The GMAs opened up a lot of valuable music relationships for me, so nothing could be more appropriate than to close with this track.”