By Indi Tejeda – July 25th, 2026
Ask vocalist Levi Miller where a song begins, and he talks about everyone else’s ideas. Ask about the band’s sound, and he points to five different musical backgrounds instead of one defining influence. Even when we drift into conversations about touring or recording, the answers rarely settle on one person. They’re about shared instincts, shared decisions, and the willingness to let each member leave their fingerprints on the music.
That collaborative spirit has quietly become Innlet’s greatest strength. The Long Beach Island five-piece has spent the past several years building a catalog that feels both thoughtful and adventurous, not because they’re chasing something new every time, but because they’ve created an environment where every idea gets room to breathe. Ahead of the band’s latest tour, Miller reflected on songwriting, storytelling, and why the best songs often come from letting go of expectations.
Q: When everyone in the band comes from a different musical background, how do those individual influences find their way into the same song without anyone overpowering the conversation?
Levi Miller: “I think a lot of it comes from everyone in the band having different musical backgrounds and everyone bringing their own taste into things. I don’t really think we’ve found a balance between those sounds because I don’t think there needs to be one. It’s more about whatever serves the song and where that song naturally wants to go. Everyone’s separate interests come together, and I think that’s what has helped us create something that doesn’t really fit into one exact category.”
Q: “Black Horse Lake” introduced listeners to one of your most vivid stories. Have you found yourself returning to that kind of storytelling, or did that song capture a moment that can’t really be recreated?
Miller: “Not really, but I’ve definitely looked for some. ‘Black Horse Lake’ happened really naturally. Matt and I were juniors in high school, watching YouTube videos and just messing around with ideas. We kind of stumbled into that story. I’d absolutely be down to write another song like that because it was a lot of fun.”
Q: “Pawn” holds onto its central metaphor from beginning to end. At what point did you realize that one image could support the entire song?
Miller: “We all play chess, but that wasn’t really where the idea came from. I love using motifs that tie an entire story together. Once I had the chorus written and the line about ‘calling it a draw,’ everything else became about supporting that idea. The chess tattoo, the references later in the song, all of those were intentional decisions to reinforce the story that started in the chorus.”
Q: Some songs naturally become bigger in the studio than they can ever be onstage. How has performing live changed the way you think about what really matters in a song?
Miller: “We’ve talked about using backing tracks or finding ways to recreate every little part live, but at the end of the day, all that really matters is melody, lyrics and vibe. If those things are there, people are still going to connect with the song. We’d love to have every instrument on stage, but we’ve learned that the core of the song is what people remember.”
Q: Life on tour is equal parts work and friendship. What keeps you looking forward to climbing back into the van every time?
Miller: “Honestly, just being with all the boys. It’s basically like going on vacation with your best friends for three weeks. Playing the shows is amazing, but I also love looking back afterward and realizing how much we’ve grown, how many people we’ve met and how much every tour pushes us forward as a band.”
Q: Whether you’re playing a packed club or a larger room, what kind of atmosphere brings out the best in Innlet?
Miller: “Personally, I think we play our best when everyone’s packed into the same room together. I don’t really care how big the venue is. When the crowd is right there and it feels like everyone’s experiencing it together, that’s when the chemistry is at its best. Those intimate rooms have something that’s really hard to recreate anywhere else.”
Listening to Miller, it’s easy to understand why Innlet feels so cohesive. Not because every member thinks the same way, but because they don’t.
Throughout our conversation, there was an openness to every answer. Songs aren’t treated like finished puzzles waiting to be assembled; they’re conversations that evolve with every rehearsal, recording session, and performance. That same openness follows Innlet onstage, where the connection between the five musicians often feels just as important as the songs themselves.
For Innlet, collaboration isn’t simply part of the creative process. It is the creative process. And as the band continues to grow, that willingness to listen to one another may be the thing that keeps their music feeling fresh long after the final note fades.
