When my last breakup hit, my friends intervened with a playlist. It is one of those mixtapes-turned-playlists that has been quietly passed from one broken heart to another, picking up new songs like battle scars along the way. Somewhere in that lineup, between the obvious Taylor Swift anthems, were a few tracks by Prateek Kuhad. Songs like ‘Kasoor’, ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’, and ‘CO2’ have quietly become the soundtrack of heartbreak for an entire generation. The singer-songwriter who found global recognition with his 2018 song ‘Cold Mess’ — a track that made it onto former US President Barack Obama’s Favourite Music of 2019 list is back with his latest album, Full Moon Chamber, four years after his last album, The Way That Lovers Do. On a balmy Chennai night, I caught up with Prateek over a call from Los Angeles to talk about his latest album, the stories behind the songs, the creative process that shaped the record, and this new creative chapter unfolding in his musical journey.Recorded between New York and Los Angeles, the album digs into love, identity and belonging through writing that feels more personal, more unguarded than anything that he has put out before. Released via Atlantic Records, the album traces a journey from inner turbulence towards a quieter place of calm, love, balance and self-reflection. “Most of it was written in Los Angeles while I was here for writing trips. It was only later, when I looked back at everything I’d written over the last few years, that the themes kind of formed,” says Prateek. Los Angeles, where he now spends most of his time, seeped into the record in many ways beyond simply serving as a backdrop. “LA has a very different kind of energy,” he says. “There’s a big community of musicians and producers here, and I worked with a lot of people on this record,” says Prateek.Several of the album’s producers, including Nick Ruth, are based in the city, but Prateek insists the influence came as much from the collaborative environment as from any one artiste. The collaborative side of the album marked a noticeable shift from his earlier work. While most of his previous records began with him writing a song before moving to the production, Full Moon Chamber evolved differently. “I almost intentionally stepped back from the production side of things. I wanted to work with other people,” he says. Melodies and sonic textures took shape simultaneously. “There’s no set process. Every time it’s a little different,” he laughs.