▁also ▁believed ▁that ▁the ▁group ▁had ▁reached ▁a ▁natural ▁conclusion ▁and ▁he ▁no ▁longer ▁wanted ▁the ▁pressure ▁and ▁responsibility ▁of ▁man aging ▁a ▁band . ▁His ▁self - t itled ▁debut ▁album ▁was ▁written ▁and ▁recorded ▁in ▁New ▁York , ▁where , ▁following ▁the ▁dem ise ▁of ▁the ▁Comm ot ions ▁and ▁a ▁long - term ▁relationship , ▁he ▁res ided ▁perman ently . ▁I ▁left ▁London , ▁because ▁I ▁was ▁only ▁there ▁for ▁two ▁reasons , ▁said ▁Cole . ▁It ▁was ▁where ▁the ▁band ▁recorded ▁and ▁it ▁was ▁where ▁my ▁girl friend ▁lived . ▁I ▁left ▁to ▁escape ▁the ▁shadow ▁of ▁these ▁things ▁after ▁they ▁had ▁gone ▁wrong . ▁It ▁was ▁a ▁chance ▁to ▁start ▁over .' ▁Cole ▁lived ▁in ▁a ▁studio ▁a partment ▁in ▁lower ▁Manh attan ▁where , ▁over ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁six ▁months , ▁he ▁wrote ▁the ▁songs ▁for ▁his ▁first ▁solo ▁release . ▁Turn ing ▁his ▁living ▁space ▁into ▁a ▁recording ▁studio ▁to ▁demo ▁ideas ▁and ▁sounds , ▁he ▁had ▁to ▁move ▁his ▁bed ▁into ▁the ▁kitchen ▁to ▁make ▁space ▁for ▁all ▁the ▁equipment . ▁The ▁song writer ▁found ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁environment ▁and ▁atmosphere ▁insp iring , ▁I ▁wrote ▁more ▁songs ▁in ▁[ th ose ] ▁months ▁than ▁I ▁had ▁done ▁in ▁the ▁previous ▁couple ▁of ▁years . For ▁the ▁recording ▁of ▁the ▁album , ▁Cole ▁wanted ▁a ▁nucle us ▁of ▁mus icians ▁to ▁play ▁with . ▁He ▁was ▁first ▁in ▁contact ▁with ▁Fred ▁Mah er ▁who ▁would ▁co - produ ce ▁the ▁album ▁and ▁also ▁serve