Katie Alice Greer embraces duality at any time when she will. With the discharge of her debut solo album, Barbarism (out now by way of FourFour Information), the previous Clergymen vocalist units her sweet-sounding voice in opposition to a backdrop of jarring noise, from gunshots to distorted samples. Created in the course of the pandemic, Greer used each the fun and the horrifying nature of being alone as a springboard to observe all of her strangest impulses.
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In an interview with AP, Greer delves into the cathartic creation of Barbarism, leaning away from dance music and following the bizarre sounds in her head.
You’ve launched some music by yourself earlier than, however how do you assume you have grown since your final solo launch?
Nicely, I believe up to now, after I was releasing stuff underneath simply my initials, it was a whole lot of my musical impulses and artistic concepts that simply did not slot in my primary undertaking on the time, which was my band. This launch was the primary time I used to be making a concerted effort to make this my primary undertaking, if that is sensible. So it in all probability shifted the sensibilities of what I used to be placing into it. I believe that the circumstances underneath which I used to be making this music additionally modified lots. Simply writing and recording it at house in a distinct state in the course of the pandemic.
And the way would you say the method of constructing this album was totally different from these you made once you had been in Clergymen?
It is simply so reverse. I stored joking with folks in the course of the course of of constructing this album that now that I had moved out throughout the nation after which the pandemic hit, and it felt so totally different after being in a band so lengthy. Whenever you’re continuously on tour, you do not actually have a whole lot of your personal area. I believe in a collaborative, artistic undertaking, you possibly can really feel that manner, too. All the things turns into in regards to the shared undertaking collectively, and I believe there have been occasions the place perhaps I misplaced contact with simply my very own sense of boundaries, each what I used to be able to and what I wanted to be making my very own work about.
So after I was making this document, I discovered myself continuously being like, “Wow, I am on their own” and typically saying it in an excited manner. Like, “Wow, a lot area to essentially dig into all my bizarre impulses and simply observe no matter feels attention-grabbing to me musically within the second”. Then at different occasions, it was like, “Oh, my God, that is horrifying. If I get caught on a track or if I am feeling like I’ve author’s block, there’s no one else I am working with to bounce concepts off of to get some artistic ingredient of the undertaking unstuck.”
Do you assume the damaging components would possibly’ve been useful in that you simply needed to push your self by way of these moments of artistic stagnation?
Completely. I’ve a pal who produces a whole lot of data for a residing, and he is all the time stated he seems like he works with folks the most effective once they have recorded themselves a whole lot of occasions, they usually actually have a powerful sense of how they prefer to sound, how they do not prefer to sound and the place one other particular person turns into useful to them. I really feel like that should be actually true now as a result of I do know what my drawback areas are. I do know the place I actually prefer to collaborate with anyone else and convey their sensibility in. And it is in all probability as a result of I spent a very long time on this document, and I undoubtedly did not abandon ship in durations when it appeared too troublesome to complete. I simply adopted it all through, and I really feel like I realized a lot within the course of.
So how would you describe your sound, and the way do you assume it’s modified over time?
God, I’ve all the time been so dangerous at describing my very own work. I ought to actually get higher at this. I simply do not actually assume when it comes to style after I’m writing stuff, which I do know in all probability sounds so pretentious and unbearable, however I all the time really feel like style is the way in which that music is marketed as soon as it is completed or organized in a document assortment. It simply does not make sense to my mind after I’m writing it. I assume if I used to be describing it to anyone who knew nothing about what I used to be doing, I’d say it is just a little bit digital with sound collage components, just a little bit rock ‘n’ roll or pop. I really feel like releases I’ve achieved up to now have been, perhaps in my thoughts, coming extra from dance music references, whereas I really feel like this document, I wasn’t actually drawing on these sensibilities fairly as a lot.
[Photo by Kathryn Vetter Miller]
So what attracts you towards making music that blends so many disparate components?
I believe what attracts me to make music the way in which I do, for higher or worse, is that a whole lot of occasions after I sit down to jot down one thing, at any time when it appears like one thing that already exists, I simply really feel like a poser. I simply really feel like I am copying anyone else, and I need to get out of that mindset as a result of to me a part of making music can be conversational. We’re drawn to music that reminds us or sounds just a little bit like different issues. If you happen to’re making one thing that simply appears like nothing anybody’s ever heard earlier than, in a whole lot of methods, it is virtually completely unrelatable for folks, you already know? However a minimum of for this album, I wasn’t actually desirous about stuff like that. I used to be actually identical to, “What are the bizarre sounds in my head? And the way can I translate them out of me?”
How are you feeling after releasing it?
Having stated all that, I do really feel actually good. I used to be nervous that it could make me really feel simply actually uncovered and susceptible. However I assume as a result of I wasn’t desirous about any form of reception to the document in any respect, and I believe I used to be contemplating the likelihood that folks would simply be like, “Good for you, however that is simply probably not my factor. I do not actually need to take heed to it.” I simply actually appreciated the response usually. It’s felt very nice and validating, once you make one thing that is so private for you and anyone in any respect listens to it, even when they do not prefer it or like it. That is high quality with me. Scripting this document was a extremely cathartic course of, and I’ve a sense the stuff I am making quickly will in all probability simply sound actually totally different as a result of all of us get bored with no matter it’s we’re engaged on and need to do one thing new afterward.
Yeah, you voiced a whole lot of frustrations on the album. Do you assume since you have gotten these out, the subsequent undertaking goes to be fairly totally different?
Yeah, I believe so. I have been watching this docuseries on HBO about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and it is so fascinating. On one of many episodes I used to be watching final night time, Joanne Woodward stated that she felt like when you could have a state of affairs in your life which you could’t do something about — I believe she was talking about it with reference to taking part in characters with terminal diseases — typically it is actually therapeutic to make artwork work. And that simply actually struck me. Perhaps that is what all of us are doing in some methods. When there’s nothing else you are able to do about sure facets of actuality, you are simply doing what you need to train and perhaps really feel your manner by way of it and course of your emotions about it by way of what you make. I believe I used to be in a position to do this about a whole lot of stuff with this document.
How do you assume your work in visible mediums impacts your artistic method to creating music?
I believe coming from a punk DIY background, many occasions doing a whole lot of totally different stuff has simply been a matter of practicality, and in addition I just about attempt to do every part that appears enjoyable to me. So, I do not know if it actually informs my artistic course of essentially, but it surely in all probability does sound-wise as a result of I really feel like when you’re working in a distinct medium, you possibly can’t assist however take into consideration that medium. Later, as soon as I began directing movies, I believe after I would sit again down to jot down songs, I’d get extra visible concepts in my thoughts of how the music was sounding. That is additionally in all probability partially as a result of I do not learn music, so it is simpler for me to see photos and to attempt to make sounds for them and to consider music notes.
