QUICKFIRE WITH TOMMY LEFROY | INTERVIEW
by Martha Munro
Introduce yourselves…
Wynter (W): I’m Wynter, and I’m a writer, musician, and producer. I grew up in Northern Michigan and live in London by way of LA by way of Nashville.
Tessa (T): I’m Tessa, I’m from Vancouver, BC, Canada. I love writing and producing. I studied History at Uni, which has proved to be surprisingly applicable to the work we do now.
Your new record ‘born blue’ is out on the 25th October. Who were you listening to during the writing of this record? Which artists did you draw inspiration from?
T: When we were working on the record I was listening to a lot of Alex G. I love his production style, the mix of organic and almost unnatural/synthetic sounds. I try to take a similar approach sometimes with my production; play with layering unorthodox sounds with very natural ones. You Exist, for example, has a lot of that blend – one of my favourite stems in that track is a very dissonant ‘feedbacky’ guitar in the bridge that kind of folds in on itself. I was also listening to so much Hovvdy – I love the vocal processing on their records, how everything feels somehow so close and so far away. And Fontaines D.C. – the guitar tones on Skinty Fia are so good. So rich and distorted and lush.
W: Last summer I spent a lot of time revisiting Boxer by The National. I love how raw and ripe that record feels. I will listen to a few things on repeat for months, and I had dans mes reves by Pomme, Boyhood by The Japanese House, and Tell Somebody by Young Fathers on constant rotation for a while; all of those songs feel a little bit ethereal and I wanted to tap into that space with the EP for sure. Also a lot of Caroline Polacheck and Hildegard von Bingen. I fell in love with Mali Velasquez’s writing on her debut I’m Green. It was produced by Jos Kuhn, who ended up playing drums for us on born blue. I am such a fan of his, so it was a treat to work with him. This is also the first EP we’ve done with live drums throughout. I was also listening to a lot of Alex G. We got to see and meet him last year when we played All Things Go festival, and the rest of that tour was absolutely soundtracked by God Save the Animals and Dsu.
Describe ‘born blue’ in 3 words.
T: despondency, silver linings
W: getting back up
What’s each of your favourite songs from ‘born blue’ and why?
W: Let Me was a really massive undertaking arrangement wise. It started as a piano ballad and we constructed the sort of frantic sonic world around it from the ground up. It came in a flurry, and the process felt very instinctual. That and the outro to Rivals are probably the production moments I’m most proud of. That outro was part of another song that didn’t make the EP, so I tacked it on to the end of the otherwise pretty acoustic last track. The chorus of that song also hit me where it hurts when it happened, so I think that’s my current favourite.
T: You Exist is a really important one to me. I started it about my sister, about our tendencies towards doomsdays, trying to fix something unfixable until you realize all you can offer is some solidarity in it, and maybe a walk along the sea wall. I also really love Kingpin – that song did not write itself haha. It saw so many iterations, but ultimately, I think we got at what we were trying to say.
Books are a huge part of your connection to your fans. What’s one of your favourite books you found because of a fan’s recommendation or at one of the book swaps you set up at your shows?
T: Minor Detail by Adania Shibli was recommended by a few fans for our library club Some Vague Hope. A very haunting and important novel highlighting the Palestinian experience under Israeli occupation.
W: Oh love this question. We had an excellent conversation with someone in Austin (I want to say Emily?) about Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici, which was hugely influential to Tessa and I a couple of years back. The Serpent and the Goddess: Women, Religion, and Power in Celtic Ireland was also recommended from that conversation. Our fans are so smart and we love to learn from them, to hear what they’re reading or studying or thinking about.
Which place/places are you most excited to visit on your imminent UK/European tour?
T: We feel so grateful to be able to tour in Europe at all, so every city feels like a highlight. I’m very excited to play Cologne and Warsaw, as we’ve never been to those cities before. I also love Paris – good treats and coffee, I get to tentatively practice my french haha
W: It’s so hard to choose! Manchester and Glasgow always have fun crowds. London has been our home city for the last few years, so it’s always special to play there and have friends and family and team around. I’m very excited to go to Cologne and Warsaw as well. We are so alike in that we absolutely love getting to go places we’ve never seen, and that has fueled us through the travel aspect of touring, which at early stages can be a little unglamourous and draining.
What’s your favourite memory from your time supporting Niall Horan on ‘The Show: Live On Tour’?
T: Getting to play Wembley Arena in London for the second time, knowing my mom was in the audience. She’d flown in from Canada to see us play, and it was such a surreal moment. The last time she’d seen us play in London was for a room of 200 people.
W: There was a moment, I’d say in the second verse of Worst Case Kid at the show we played in Paris opening for Niall, when I genuinely thought maybe I’d peaked. It is such a surreal memory of pure joy on stage. The crowd was so engaged, and we’d never seen that big of a room so in sync before. It is hard to describe such a high but it felt absolutely electric.
Dream collaboration?
W: I’d love to just meet Aaron Dessner and see Long Pond someday. I think there are so many artists doing an extraordinary job of touching the ether with their art, like Caroline Polacheck and The Japanese House. So many of my favourite artists I think probably have a really insular process, but early in my career I did a lot of work as a songwriter, writing other people’s stories, and I love approaching a collaboration like, how can I support or foster this person in what they’re bringing? And what, really, breeds honesty? I have so many talented artist friends I’d love to produce for someday. Production is so much more about what you capture than what you do with it.
T: I’ve been a huge fan of Bon Iver since I was in high school – call it maybe a hallmark of being from the Pacific North West, but I was always so drawn to his production choices, and willingness to explore. He would definitely stand as a big dream collaborator for me one day. Also, Sufjan Stevens – I fell in love with his songwriting and production when I first heard his Illinois record. No one writes sad music like Sufjan. There are so many incredible artists who I would love to just witness in their process – artists like Alex G, Porches, Big Thief, Hovvdy. I think the best collaborations offer learning experiences, a chance to step outside your comfort zone.
You can only listen to 3 albums for the rest of your life. What are you picking?
W: High Violet by The National, songs by Adrianne Lenker, and probably 432 Hz meditation tones haha
T: Very hard question… I’d say Blue by Joni Mitchell, Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens, True Love by Hovvdy and Nebraska by [Bruce] Springsteen, for good measure.
What are some must-have snacks on the Tommy Lefroy tour bus?
T: We’re big fans of a silly little treat. I love a baked good. Berries are always nice.
W: Every time one of Tessa’s family members visits us on tour they bring us (Canadian classic) Coffee Crisp chocolate bars. So that has become a staple.
Tommy Lefroy’s new single ‘Let Me’ is OUT NOW
EP ‘born blue’ is set for release on 25th October and can be pre-saved/pre-ordered HERE
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