🦉 Nocturnal Animal (Follow-Up Interview)
Instinctraps speaks on lore, loneliness, late-night rhythms, and wrestling.
Interview conducted July 2025.
1. Why the title Nocturnal Animal? What does that phrase mean to you personally and artistically?
My past works reference the night a lot. I had Late Night Sessions and After Midnight. This felt like a natural progression—to show that now I am a nocturnal animal.
Honestly, in itself there’s lore. I wrote a poem based on the name about the duality of being prey and predator at night. Enjoying the night while acknowledging you’re becoming a slave to it. You’re becoming codependent to it. That’s what it means to me.
2. The opening track, “Devil’s Here,” sets a very specific tone. What inspired that song?
We’ll get to it later, but this song was actually the final track in the SoundCloud version of the project. In my mind, it was the best track from that version—my favorite—and the one where I felt most comfortable sonically.
The original Nocturnal Animal was only on SC. It went through many changes because I couldn’t just let the music breathe. I kept wanting to evolve it—sonically and lyrically. It was my first project in 5 years. I was coming back into myself again.
To scratch that itch, I made a part two… which I renamed as part one, and retitled the original as P2. The new version went to streaming. The old one stayed on SoundCloud.
So what was originally track three—my favorite—needed to become the first thing people heard when they hit my profile. I wanted something heavy and funny to showcase me as a whole. That’s the track that does it best.
3. “John Cena” is unexpected, even funny. Why include it, and why close the EP with it?
I’m a big wrestling guy. When the song was being finished, Cena had just turned heel. For anyone who doesn’t follow wrestling, that means he became a bad guy. It was getting a lot of buzz—and honestly, I figured I could stand to gain from it, too.
Plus, “Devil’s Here” uses promos from CM Punk and MJF. So I figured I’d keep it in that world. It’s just a cool little reference in my mind—tying one of my many interests into the music.
4. What’s your relationship between poetry and rap? Do you write them the same way?
I like this question a lot. I’ve never said this out loud, but I’ve definitely thought it: Poetry and music are two separate things for me.
Poetry is where my deep thoughts go. My emotional burdens.
Music is where I let loose. Where I get to be the person I wanted to be—the version of myself I imagined growing up. Living carefree.
That said, sometimes I let a few deep or dark lines slip into the music if you’re really listening. They’re two sides of the same coin. Both are me—but very different and completely separate.
5. Nocturnal Animal is a short project, but dense. How long did it take to create, and what was your mindset during that time?
Since it was a two-part project, it took about 6 to 9 months total. I spend the most time on writing and production. It’s just me in my apartment—putting together vocals, concepts, effects, adlibs.
I try to get everything as perfect as I can within my limitations. When the inspiration hits, I don’t let go of it until I’ve got nothing left. It’s all feeling. The feelings drive the whole show.
6. What’s different about Nocturnal Animal 2 on SoundCloud? How do you see that project?
That was like doing music with training wheels. I was relearning how I wanted to sound. I’m not saying I’ve figured it all out now—but P2 was less refined than what you’ll hear on streaming. And that’s okay. It had to exist first.
7. What do you want listeners to feel or walk away with after hearing this tape?
I just want them to enjoy it. If not this, then maybe the poetry collection. I want them to feel seen or heard through me.
8. Where is Instinctraps headed next? What’s the next evolution?
I thought I had a collab project lined up, but we’re still working on that. So I’m hoping to drop one more project this year—along with another poetry collection.
Nothing is certain yet. But something’s coming.
