“When I first came to America 15 years ago, I was opening for people like the Pogues and Violent Femmes,” says Bloom. “They had very partisan audiences that were completely disinterested in me. So I took on a very confrontational disposition, and developed a one-man punk-band style of songwriting and performance. I decided I was basically going to take their heads off. Later, I thought, ‘These people have paid to see me as a headliner now, so it’s okay to stretch out and have the songs connect in a more direct way.’”

Innocence’s songs of global unity and the simple pleasures of life feature sparse accompaniment—mostly in the form of delicate guitar rhythms played on a Fender CG24SCE acoustic-electric. Bloom wrote and recorded the entire album in the living room of his Irish countryside home, but, even in that remote setting, live performance was always at the top of his mind.

“I set up a stage monitor system at home, so I can hear my live sound as I’m putting songs together,” he says. “I also really like being able to visualize performing new material for people as it’s being created.”

Prior to making Innocence, Bloom took a long break from writing—a practice which he believes is vital to recharging his muse.

“I’m wary of continuously writing, because I feel I’m going to end up always writing the same sorts of songs,” he says. “Sometimes I don’t write songs for months and months, and when I start again, it can be really scary, because I don’t know if I have anything to say. I can get very angry, frustrated, and frightened, but I counteract those feelings by just plowing through. Eventually, something happens very simply and naturally, and I find my way back into the process.”

Bloom’s songwriting ideas typically emanate from improvised guitar riffs that suggest a vocal line.

“I tend to be quite prolific with rhythmic guitar ideas,” he says. “Sometimes, I’ll play the guitar for hours and hours, and capture the results on a MiniDisc recorder. I’ll also vocalize to my guitar parts deliberately using incomprehensible gibberish to set up a groove or a feeling. Sometimes, it can take years before the music and lyrics materialize. Other times, there’s a mystical element happening, and a song can be done and dusted in 20 minutes. When I was younger, I’d wait around for the mystical stuff to happen. However, I’ve learned that it’s always more likely to occur if I’m already hard at work, and my songwriting muscles are in shape.”