For the first five years of Pete Yorn’s career, the singer-songwriter released three albums. During the past 15 months, he’s unloaded three more full-length efforts.
“Temporary insanity,” Yorn said during a recent phone interview, explaining his recent output.
Yorn’s most recent, eponymous album dropped on Sept. 28. This follows 2009’s “Back and Forth” and “Break Up,” which he recorded with actress Scarlett Johansson.
“I’ll call it growing pains,” continued Yorn, who performs Wednesday at the Black Cat. “I had this crazy burst of angst and just feeling things really heavy. I ended up writing a lot of material, and these are all outlets for that material.”
Yorn’s self-titled release is 11 tracks strong, with a noticeable tight, rocking attitude. Frank Black, of Pixies fame, produced the album.
“I had strong ideas and he helped guide the project where it needed to go,” Yorn said. “I can’t say enough good things about the guy. He’s a really cool guy to work with.”
Yorn and Black were introduced by a mutual friend, and the pair worked for five days in Oregon. Fans of Black and the Pixies will notice those influences in the new Yorn album.
“You kind of just go into something with hopes of things working out,” Yorn said about the experience working with Black. “I really hadn’t any expectations with the result. I remember thinking, even if we didn’t get any really good music, it would probably be an interesting experience to learn from. He just really had great ideas in the studio as a producer, really helped me make sense of the material I was writing. We talked at length about what was going on in my head and what I was trying to get across. He was also like a therapist in a way. He really helped me understand where I was coming from, which was really interesting, especially from someone you respect.”
Yorn, 36, came to national prominence in 2001 with his breakthrough album “musicforthemorningafter.” He’s best known for his hits “Life on a Chain” and “Strange Condition.”
The current mini-tour features a four-piece band, including Yorn, and only has seven dates at smaller venues such as the Black Cat. Yorn fans will have to hope for a more extensive tour sometime next year.
“This is just kind of a celebration,” Yorn said. “These shows are a just like a chance for us to get out and play the new material, reacquaint ourselves with the fan base, and get out there and play in smaller rooms.”
