With his debut solo album, Out Calls Only, singer Donald Cumming has crafted an ultra-classic sound that evokes visions of dim dance floors in the gritty rock clubs synonymous with the East Village in the 1970s and '80s. His knowing croon glides over rhythmic guitar licks and dependable basslines for a sound that's inherently east coast in every note. Before going solo, Cumming pedaled a similar brand of New York cool with his band the Virgins, famed for their indie hit "Rich Girls" at the tail-end of the blog-hype era. Cumming has been strumming on his own ever since their 2013 split, which occurred in tandem with the dissolution of his marriage. Through writing and recording Out Calls Only, he found a means of expression that previously alluded him. The result is a true record, not just in the album sense, but as a marker for a specific period of time in one's life. 

What's the adjustment been like in terms of going solo after previously making music as a part of a band?  

I really enjoy it. I can do whatever I want now without the limitations that come with being part of a group. When you're in a band, there's a pressure for everyone to have something to play on every song. That makes it difficult to stray too far from one basic format. Now I can have as many or as few instruments as I want on each song; it gives me a lot more freedom to let them go where they need to go. It's the happiest I've ever been with a record.

What was your record collection like growing up? How were you introduced to rock and roll? 

I had a lot of different albums as a kid. My parents' friends heard I liked music, so they'd all give me their old vinyl collections. I would spread them out on the floor in my room and listen to them based on the covers I liked most. 

What are some of the records you picked based on their covers that you ended up loving?

I remember America had a cover I was really interested in. I connected with their music right away. The imagery of the desert and the horse with no name had me right off the bat. I loved Todd Rundgren at that time too. Something/Anything was a favorite record. "I Saw The Light" really made me crazy. I'd lift the needle and start it over again because I couldn't wait for the whole album to play through before it came back on.

Where did you draw inspiration from for Out Calls Only?

My life was kind of hay wire while I was recording. My marriage had just ended, and then the band split up, so I was really on my own for a minute there. I worked hard to keep it together, but I cracked more than once. The beginning of the record was me dealing with these feelings that I couldn't articulate to myself except through the songs.

You have pretty strong imagery to accompany your music in terms of promo photos and styling—how important do you think visuals are to releasing music? 

Yeah, it's important that all that stuff looks the way I want it to. I draw my visual inspiration mostly from old movies. Film Noir is a big influence on me; I love shadows and Venetian blinds. The Big Sleep is a movie I can watch over and over again. I also enjoy some of the '70s Noir movies like Night Moves and The Long Goodbye.  

What's it like to be a working musician in NY?

I don't know. I work in New York because it's always been my home. I don't really hang out with music people. Most of my friends work in other fields. 

How would you describe the ebb and flow of the New York music scene and where it sits now? 

Ha ha ha. I have no idea… I've seen a lot a people come and go, I just do my own thing.

If you could soundtrack a scene from any previous era of NY, which would it be and who would be there? 

I guess I'd do some kind of street scene from the late '50s with Miles Davis on the soundtrack, or maybe do a docudrama about John Hammond trying to find Robert Johnson for his 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall. I can't say it's something I've ever thought about before.