What’s your songwriting process like?
Patrick and I wrote this album as a two piece. We rented a spare room at the back of an antique shop, with a very minimal setup: a piano, a guitar, a bass, a synth and a drum kit. Unlike our first album, every idea on this record was thought of in that room together, which made it a much more conversational process. Our typical hours were about 12-10pm every day, which made this album much more of a “daylight” record than our previous one. We wanted it to feel very awake and bright, even aggressive, like the feeling of leaning forward. Some of the songs started with lyrical ideas, like “Sidewalk Safari” (about running someone over with your car) or “Wrong Opinion” (about disregarding the negative opinions of others). Other songs started with musical ideas, like “Amanaemonesia” and I “Belong In Your Arms”. It’s less about a story in those cases, and is often more absurd because we have to obey the feeling of the music.
The difference between recording in the studio and playing live…
In the studio, you can really control every small thing; it’s more like being the director of a movie. On stage, you can only control what you yourself are doing at the moment, so it’s more like being an actor in the movie. There’s a lot of trust and vulnerability. It feels like a bigger risk, and that makes it exciting for us and the audience.
Who are your biggest influences?
David Lynch, Delia Derbyshire and Meredith Monk. They remind me that there’s no limit to how far you can push your own dream world.
Any Spinal Tap moments to share?
I once threw a half-filled wine glass at the crowd at a show in Liverpool, England back in 2008. It was a terrible night; the sound guy was drunk and the crowd was talking through the entire set, so I threw a glass at them and walked off stage.
Biggest musical guilty pleasure.
“I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis.
What have you prepared for Laneway Singapore?
Almost entirely songs off our new album. I’ll be playing synthesizers myself for our Singapore Laneway show, which is also a special occasion. We really can’t wait to go, this will be Chairlift’s first ever show in Asia.
Chairlift will be performing at Laneway Festival Singapore on February 12, 3.15pm at Fort Canning Park. Also, see our interviews with Anna Calvi, Cults & Yuck.
