In 2014, Devin Abrams took a big step and quit the hugely popular Shapeshifter.
It was the band he co-founded, but after 15 years he was ready to focus on his solo project, Pacific Heights.
"It was the hardest decision of my life to make," Abrams says. "But they say that quite often the hard decisions are the right ones."
Those lively, dancefloor anthems of Shapeshifter were replaced with the subdued sounds of Pacific Heights.
While Abrams went solo, he wasn't alone. His new album The Stillness, which comes out on Friday, is just as much a musical offering as it is a visual one.
Designer and friend Mathew Eales set out to do an album cover but ended up creating artwork for every track. They were displayed in an exhibition in Auckland on Wednesday evening.
"The idea behind all the pieces is that you can take every song and create a narrative," Eales says.
"I liked the idea that you can take a bird and imprint emotion onto it. It's an animal you don't often see having a lot of personality."
"It was so reciprocal," Abrams says. "I took a lot of inspiration from his art. He'd send me sketches and I'd send him demos. Lots of tracks made me think about the construction differently."
Abrams says he was going through a hard time personally when he started the album. While he won't reveal why, he says the finished product is extremely intimate.
"It's such a beautiful thing, music," Abrams says. "I can give you something so positive out of something so negative."
Despite working together Abrams and Eales interpret the music differently, and hope others will have their own take on the project too.
One thing they do agree on though is music collaborations are not just for musicians.
Newshub.
