In Conversation With - Harkin
Having toured since her teens, Harkin has contributed to a number of artists and bands, including the likes of Wild Beasts, Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett. Somehow she has managed to fit in a solo album which is out now via Hand Mirror. Her self titled release was written while on the road and across multiple time zones - Harkin took a moment to talk to us in more depth about the album.
So, you album is out now - how does it feel?
I feel more grateful than ever for the connecting power of music, given the circumstances of the world into which it has been released.
It is released via Hand Mirror, which was founded by yourself and your partner Kate Leah Hewett. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
It’s been a steep learning curve but I’m not sure I’ve ever been so excited about anything! Culture has brought community and solace into both our lives for as long as we can remember, and it felt like the right time to start honouring that by building something which can not only house our work but support the development of the work of others.
Even though this is your solo release, you are a rather busy musician that plays and works in a number of projects and bands. How did you find the time to write and record the album? Well I certainly took my time! I knew I didn’t want to make any compromises with the record so I was pretty strict with myself, I didn’t tinker with it between the sessions, I knew I could lose focus easily given my schedule. In the end I did it in 16 days total, clinging to the hard drives for dear life in-between!
Where was the album record? Are there behind the scenes stories from the record process?
It started in LA with Jenn Wasner and Stella Mozgawa as my rhythm section - a total coup, they’re the funnest people to be around as well as possesors of unearthly talents. Then I took it to Yorkshire, recording in an old shovel factory with Richard Formby. We did all the synths and keys and some of the guitars. Then I finished it up with John Agnello at Sonic Youth’s Echo Canyon West in New Jersey, which was a real guitarist’s dream.
The album was made over three different time zones, do you feel that made an impact on how the songs came out? Especially while writing the songs?
I think there’s a sense of adventure to the record that is a product of that, yes.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
Identity is at the core of a lot of these songs, I think because it was an expression of my hard-won sense of self. I took my time getting to that.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album? If so, which one and why?
“Patient courage is an English virtue” in Bristling is a summary of something John Ruskin says in Traffic, which I was reading on tour as it’s so small - portability is premium! That phrase has new meaning for me given the long road ahead for us all with the current crisis.
Now the album is out there, what next?
It’s hard to say - live music has been a life raft for the music industry in the digital age, and that’s now disappeared. What has kept me positive is the response to the Hand Mirror Patreon, it means we can keep in touch with our community and enables us to plan into the future for each month’s exclusives, and working on something future-facing feels great in these uncertain times.