In 2017, Richie Warwick thought he was finished with music.

After more than 25 years playing in stoner rock and punk bands, he had become burned out on everything that came with it. He was ready to leave it behind, but there was one thing he still wanted to do.

Record an album entirely on his own, just to prove to himself that he could.

It might have been his last. Instead, it became the beginning of House of Warwick.

But music had already changed Richie's life long before that decision.

Growing up, he watched friends and family struggle with drug abuse. Some lost their lives, while others ended up in prison. Richie could see himself heading in a similar direction until his grandfather took him in and encouraged him to find something he loved, something he could focus on to stay out of trouble.

“That just happen to be music.”

It became a significant part of his life for the next 25 years, through different bands and musical directions. By 2017, however, Richie had reached a point where he was ready to walk away.

The idea of recording one final album presented a different challenge. Having spent years concentrating on being a frontman, he had put the guitar aside for some time. Making music alone meant returning to it and finding his own way through the recording process.

And somewhere along the way, House of Warwick came to life.

The Freedom to Go Somewhere Else

One of the things Richie wanted from his solo project was the freedom to write without committing to a particular sound.

House of Warwick moves between new wave, post-rock and progressive influences, with a nostalgic quality that has drawn comparisons to David Bowie and The Police.

Richie acknowledges those influences, but sounding like them was never the intention.

He simply wanted the freedom to write whatever came out.

His songwriting process reflects that openness. With limited time available, sitting down with a guitar generally means recording something. He experiments, saves ideas that feel right and continues working on them until they feel complete.

“The songs never turn out how I would expect them to go based on the intro or 1st bit. Ideas feed off one another.”

Working independently also means handling the different parts himself, from programmed drums to guitars, bass, keyboards and vocals.

But having control over the recording doesn't necessarily make the emotional side of songwriting easier.

For Richie, writing with sincerity still means opening a vulnerable part of himself and allowing someone else to hear it. Depending on the subject, finding the right lyrics can be one of the more difficult parts of the process.

He hopes the result gives listeners something they can connect with — whether that means hope, inspiration, somewhere to break down or a reason to celebrate.

Another Full-Length Album

Now Richie is preparing Levitation, a new House of Warwick album expected in November.

After releasing EPs over the past few years, the suggestion to make another full-length record came from a friend at Vox + Stix.

Richie decided to take on the challenge.

This time, he is also moving away from some of the heavier guitar sounds heard on his previous releases. Not because he has stopped enjoying distortion in other people's music, but because he has grown a little bored with using it himself.

The recently released songs offer a glimpse of that direction.

There is also a personal ambition behind Levitation: to create a collection of songs he can finally feel satisfied with from beginning to end.

“Every Artist want’s to write the perfect album with no fillers. I’m no different.”

Whether listeners ultimately share that feeling is something he is prepared to leave to them.

Nearly a decade after deciding to record what might have been his final album, Richie is still writing, recording and finding new directions for House of Warwick.

There is something rather fitting about that, particularly when considering his answer to one of our lighter interview questions.

Asked about the best bad idea he has ever had in music, Richie offered just four words:

“To keep doing it.”

What began as one last attempt to prove something to himself became another chapter in a musical life that had already taken him through more than 25 years of bands, changes and challenges.

And with Levitation on the way, that particular bad idea doesn't appear to be finished with him yet.