To create his new record, Secret Pop, former Ape House frontman J. Forte took three years of home-recording in his apartment, playing most of the instruments and using a digital recorder that captured everything from his music to background noise like muted voices on the television. The result? A charming lo-fi record that plays off the synth-like stylings of Ape House, but in a darker and more subdued manner.

Lyrical subjects from the always-popular alcohol and disintegrating relationships to a ditty about a doomed satellite in “Come Back Now Baby (Your Data’s Good)” make appearances on Secret Pop, highlighted by fuzzy guitars and Forte’s sweet but hushed vocals.

Live, Forte is accompanied by four other multi-instrumentalists, and when I saw them at DC9 a few weeks ago, they were all switching up instruments like it was going out of style. Which makes sense — Forte is no slacker himself in that department, being local band Lejeune’s resident multi-instrumentalist expert. At the show, the band alternated between more upbeat electro-pop and mellow, quieter tunes that, while lovely, could have used a shot in the arm of some musical energy.

Forte took some time to speak with DCist about everything from his home-recording process to how his experience with Ape House and Lejeune influence his current music. Read on!