The Shins talk Love.

The Onion A.V. club talked Love, Sex, and Feelings w/ James Mercer of The Shins.

On Teenage love: “It’s so unfortunate, though, that you have to be a fucking high-schooler, that you have to be a teenager and handle it the way a teenager does. Looking back, I was such a dumb-ass. And it’s funny how girls just kind of know—they’re like, “What? I wanna hang out and be with you.” But to a young guy, it causes so much stupid behavior. Whereas the girls are pretty much acting the way that they end up acting in their late 20s.”

How to survive Valentines Day: “If you can afford to buy some sort of piece of jewelry, however small and gaudy it might be, I’ve learned that that always works—as a guy, at least. But if you have taste and money, then use both. [Laughs.]”The fatal flaw in the logic of love: [It’s that] “love is essentially a selfish act sometimes—it’s something you take from someone, or you seek out because of this very instinctual animal side, the lust side of things. Therefore it’s inherently unfair.”

The perfect date: “Walking a lot, and not a bunch of driving around in cars. A really good restaurant and good wine—and plenty of wine; I think you need to get kind of drunk—and just really great conversation, and be with somebody who’s comfortable with themselves and willing to be open.”

Read the rest of the interview to find out why “Caring is Creepy,” how he met his true love, and other universal love-related quandaries.

The Shins recently released Wincing The Night Away.