With their debut album just out last fall, the pairing of multi-instrumentalist Xian Hawkins and singer-songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs, aka Bell Horses, is an eight-song set that showcases the ability of digital-age musicians to collaborate no matter what the distance or conditions.

Recorded while Hawkins and Youngs were in different cities, the indie-pop set, titled This Loves Last Time, veers between downtempo and organic chill via songs like the string-laden "Small Hours" and the multi-layered "Still Life," all diluted through Youngs' unique vocal ennui. Hawkins, on the other hand, is the man behind the electronica; we talked with him about the band's origins and Bell Horses' multi-city recording process.

Q: So Xian, your band name paints an interesting visual; what is the name derived from?

Xian Hawkins: The name Bell Horses is taken from a turn of the century tale about horses passing in the night, strung with bells so as not to collide. It's kind of a nice image, and it seemed an apt analogy for the process of making this record.

Q: How did each of you find the experience of collaboration on this album, as opposed to your usual work as a solo musician?
 
Hawkins: As we were never in the same room while recording (or writing) this was new for both of us. Oddly, it actually enabled more focus and simplified the process in that we avoided getting caught up in each others neuroses about how something was going to turn out - a high level of trust developed by default. Our influences and backgrounds are really different, and this record is something that pushed us both creatively in directions we might not have gone on our own.

Q: I understand the production was largely done with both of you in different cities; could you tell us a little about how you made that work?

Hawkins: The humorous part of it might be how long it all took - kind of laughable really. We would email files back and forth or snail mail CDs. Due to working separately and both having other projects, tours, and such going on, things dragged when it came to the finishing stages. With the lag time from start to finish, other influences start to drift in and you have to resist suddenly wanting to make the whole record over or adding bagpipes to every song. 

Q: Does the album itself have a theme to it, or is it more a collection of standalone singles?

Hawkins: The theme might be mostly in the mood of the record rather than something literal. I did my best to create a kind of sound-world for the vocals, almost like a physical space they could inhabit. The intention was to make an album where the songs belong together and it's something you want to listen to from beginning to end - not just a bunch of singles. We intentionally kept it sort of short for that reason; there were at least 3 other tracks that we cut just to make the sequence of the record feel right.

Q: Did you work with any other musicians on this set, or was it solely the effort of your two talents?

Hawkins: Alexander Ericson from the band Alberta Cross and The Northern Territories sings on three of the tracks, while violinist Eve Boltax played on almost all of the  songs - her string parts were edited and tweaked a bit but they really add a lot to the feel of the record. Michael Lerner, drummer for The Antlers played additional percussion on two of the tracks, and will be working with us more on the next effort.

Q:  And can you tell us a little about your forthcoming plans for touring?

Hawkins: We would really like to tour and flesh the songs out in a live setting - it's in part a matter of making our schedules cooperate. We're working on new material right now and trying to change up the writing process a bit so the songs are developed with performing them in mind. For the immediate future, there's a remix record in the works, which hopefully will see the light sometime early next year.