Though the Sam Roberts Band may be named for its singer and primary songwriter, Roberts has long relied on his inner circle of bandmates to translate his ideas into sound. And on COLLIDER, that circle expanded to include Chicago-based producer Brian Deck, a veteran of acclaimed indie-rock bands Red Red Meat and Ugly Casanova, but also a seasoned studio savant who’s overseen albums by everyone from Modest Mouse to Iron and Wine to Califone to Gomez. In other words, someone who values classic pop songcraft and disorienting sonic experimentation in equal measure. “I wrote these songs in my basement,” Roberts explains, “but I really wanted to get out there and experience a different place and see how that would work its way into the music. We also wanted to work with a producer who was going to challenge our understanding of ourselves and the music we were making.