‘Desperate and Emotional’: Tyler Thomas on Finding the Sound for Gods Only Villain

What does it take to create an album that feels like the most important work of your life? For Tyler Thomas, a music producer and close collaborator of rapper Gods Only Villain (Heath Mays), the answer lies in wanting “to get some things off our chest and make something beautiful.”

The upcoming album Good for Nothing, set to drop on October 31st, is more than just another release—it’s a personal and career-defining project for both G.O.V. and his creative partner. In our new episode of “10 Minute Chats,” Tyler opens up about his journey from self-taught drummer to hip-hop producer, and the emotional process of bringing Good for Nothing to life.

— How did you get started in music and producing

— I’ve been a studio drummer for years. I started playing drums when I was three. My dad kind of brainwashed me into music—he played a little drums, but mostly guitar and piano. My uncle and he were in a band together, which is how he met my mom. My aunt is a bass player and used to play in the band Ghost.

I’d be in random little garage bands and such growing up. I went to college for music, with an emphasis on percussion, and that was a pretty weird experience for me because I was largely self-taught. So, when I was in college, I started getting into studio drumming and playing in more successful bands. At the same time, I was failing music theory class, which was really weird. I think I got 41% on my Music Theory II final. [laughs] 

I ended up dropping out of college and pursuing music full-time. I did a little bit of touring, playing around with different bands, and studio drumming. Studio drumming is really fun because you never know what genre or type of music you’ll be playing until you get to the studio. One day, you might show up and it’s a metal band, or the next day, you’re laying down a marimba track. It’s a different genre every day, which makes it really fun.

— Who are your main music influences?

— My favorite songwriters are Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra and Casey Crescenzo from The Deer Hunter. I’m also a huge fan of Kevin Devine. They’re not super well-known, but ironically, they’re all friends. Kevin Devine is one of my favorite songwriters. He has this policy where he never lets his shows grow beyond 1,000 people. He feels like it’s too easy to lose touch with reality and your fans when crowds get bigger.

— Do you share that philosophy?

— Yeah, I think it’s cool. Kevin’s been putting out albums since 1999 and still plays in people’s living rooms. He knows people in the crowd by name, which adds a personal touch to his shows and music. It’s a different mindset from just trying to play the biggest venues.

— How did you meet G.O.V.? 

— I met him about 12 years ago when I was doing studio drumming at a random studio in Kentucky, where he was recording his first album. We kept in touch over the years. Earlier this year, Heath told me he was making a new album and didn’t have a producer yet. He wanted to work with someone unfamiliar with hip-hop to create a more unique sound. A lot of hip-hop is kind of sounding the same right now.

— So were you unfamiliar with hip-hop production before you began working with him?

—  I’ve listened to some rap, but I haven’t studied it. I had no idea what producing a rap album would look like. Before that, I was mostly into rock and pop rock. So we kind of decided to pull in some elements from other genres and make it a unique album.

— The album is going to be out on October 31st. We’re just a week away at this point. How do you feel about it? 

— You know, actually, a little bit nervous. It’s also super bittersweet. We’ve been working on this album together for 11 months now. We started in January, and it’s been a super long process. My wife’s excited to have me back! [laughs]

— Can you tell us the backstory of one of the songs you worked on?

— I guess “One Headlight” is a really good one to talk about. I sing the chorus on that song and it was one of the first songs that Heath came to me with. It starts with a news clip, and it’s about a tornado that he lost two of his family members in. A very heavy song.

A big part of that was just me and Heath sitting down and talking specifically about what happened during that tragedy, and him really putting me into his headspace.

That totally transformed the song because when he sent it to me, it was hard to really put yourself in someone else’s shoes and write about the loss of their family. How do you genuinely put that emotion into it? So, getting together, bringing that story to life, and watching the news clips turned it into a much more emotional experience for both of us, I think.

— Was it new for you to work that closely and emotionally with an artist?

— Definitely. This happened with a few songs. I’d call him or talk to him face-to-face and say, “I gotta tell you, man, I don’t get this one. I don’t really know how to help you bring it to life the way I know you want to.” Getting into the emotional aspects of how he writes songs and where his lyrics come from was definitely a big part of producing this album.

— I heard there’s a song with Lil Wayne on the album.

— That was another surreal moment.

When Lil Wayne said he’d like to do a song with us, we were just like, “Are we sure we’re actually emailing Lil Wayne? No one’s tricking us, right?” Then he sent over his verse, and we were all like, “Yeah, that’s Lil Wayne!” 

The other rapper on that song is named Earthworm. He’s incredible, super underrated in hip-hop. Lil Wayne has been his favorite rapper since he was 17, so we were able to bring him onto the album too. Heath and Earthworm are good friends now too.

— G.O.V. said this album will be a milestone in his career. Do you feel the same way?

— Absolutely. Our goal was to make something unique and heartfelt. The whole album feels like that. I didn’t expect it to be this emotional or personal. As we worked on it, I realized Heath had a lot to get off his chest, and I related to a lot of it, which made the songwriting process easier.

This will definitely be the most successful project I’ve ever worked on. It’s crazy how Heath and I met 12 years ago for 15 minutes and reconnected at the right time. We decided to put 100% into this project. 

We didn’t expect it to get much attention, and now it’s kind of mind-blowing. A lot of our conversations, as we’ve gotten kind of thumbs-up from different people who’ve been previewing the album, we call each other and say, “What? This isn’t real. This isn’t real.”

I just don’t expect that to ever go away, because our motive here was really just to get some stuff off our chest and make something beautiful. I have to tell you, Heath and I listened to it together all the way through about a week and a half ago, and we just kind of sat on my couch and cried a little bit. I don’t know if it’s because it’s really good or just the culmination of a lot of hard work. It’s finally tangible.