Artist Of The Week #124 - Lindsay Munroe
This week’s Artist Of The Week is alt-indie newcomer Lindsay Munroe, who just released her debut EP ‘Our Heaviness’. The release is a collection of beautiful songs that ooze the delicate early sound of PJ Harvey. Lindsay took a moment to talk to us in more depth about the release.
Hey Lindsay, how are you? So your EP is out now, how does it feel?
Hello! I’m doing pretty well, although a bit bored of the four walls of my house now. It feels very strange that the EP is finally out. It had a couple of delays in the release plan (most recently because of lockdown), so I’ve been holding onto these songs longer than intended. I’m glad that they’re out in the wild.
It is called ‘Our Heaviness’, does that hold a certain meaning for you?
The phrase comes from a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke (full version here) that I find very moving. After choosing it as a title the words took on a sort of triple meaning. The whole EP is about looking my life and myself in the eye with brutal honesty and trusting that the weight is not only survivable but can be the start of living in a different way. It also links to the themes of body image and how we embody space. Then when I relistened to the songs after mixing it struck me that you can feel the weight of my relationship from that time in the lyrics and instrumentation. Many meanings…I might have too much thinking time on my hands.
Where was the EP recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the recording process?
We spent one day in Eve Studios in Stockport getting bass and drums tracked. Then once those foundations were set, I stayed with my producer Chris Hamilton (LUMP, Torres) for four days in his apartment in Amsterdam. We turned his kitchen/living room into a studio. I like recording in an intense environment, so it worked really wonderfully; sleeping on the same sofa I recorded all the guitar parts on, synths taking over the kitchen counters. I’ve known Chris since I was around 14, he’s like family now and we've worked together before. We did a fair bit of pre-production, so it didn't feel like we needed to talk all that much whilst recording, it just fell together nicely (punctuated with a good amount of breaks at the local bar). I actually played my first open mic in Amsterdam when I lived there briefly before university, so it felt good and cyclical to be back there to record my debut release.
On the EP is a very raw sounded track called ‘Split’ - which draws influence from breaking free of conservative religion. Can you tell us a bit more about this?
It’s a funny topic because it’s completely unrelatable to most people, but those who do relate seem to have intensely similar experiences. I’d been involved in evangelical churches since I was a teenager, then found myself attending an even more conservative church during university. The certainty, the in-depth discussion of theological topics and committed community were the positives that drew me in and then became my reasons for leaving. Ultimately for me and many others I’ve heard from, the shame that underlies those black and white beliefs was permeated too much of my life. Upon leaving, I found freedom in uncertainty and new empathy for the hordes of other people who feel unable to be accepted for who they are within their community. I think psychologically untangling yourself can be the hardest part, but writing this EP was a tangible part of that process.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
It all started as an exploration of love; giving it, receiving it, earning it, losing it. And wrapped up in that is body image, faith, shame and self-acceptance. Just the light, fun topics of life, of course.
You are currently studying feminist theology, for anyone who might not understand that area fully - who do you suggest they look into to find out more?
I’m a huge fan of the Nomad Podcast, and they recently did an episode with Nicola Slee (UK feminist theologian) which gives a good introduction to the topic. She sort of tracks her journey of discovering feminist discourse and since women’s stories are the root of feminism I think it’s a great way to dip your toe in. You get the personal and academic sides together, which is powerful.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
I think the eponymous lyric in ‘Split’, “I split myself in two every time I toed the line just to skip a fight”, has got to be up there. It’s a pretty brutal image and it helped clarify for me the kind of harm you do by editing yourself to fit into an expectation/community/environment.
Now the EP is out there, what next?
More music hopefully! The potential of gigs is obviously very up in the air at the moment, but I’ve been working on a lot of new material. I’m really excited to share the brand-new songs with the world, I’m writing from a new place and having a bit more fun playing around with different perspectives.