The solo project of singer-songwriter and poet Cara Walkam, one half of Wollongong indie-pop duo Territories, meadowhip blends psychedelic soul, alt-R&B and jazz with pop melodies that get you grooving.
Her current single 'Getting Messy' was mixed by Michael Freeman (CXLOE, G-Eazy), who adds a slick production value to the spacious R&B, ambient electro-pop soundscape.A lover of words, the song also spotlights the lyrical dexterity of meadowhip's compositions that glide between introspective, impatient and irreverent – like a light-hearted eye-roll that keeps the lyrics from becoming a dreaded existential self-introspection.
"I'm pretty consistently trying to self-analyse, or reason with myself," meadowhip says. "Talk myself out of some rubbish behaviour or thought pattern.
"The internal dialogue in this track is only a snippet of what's going on in my head basically all the time."
Influenced by artists like Solange, Tame Impala, Blondie, Erykah Badu and Frank Ocean, meadowhip is an exploration of self and society from Cara's perspective.
"I love words. I love it when they're crammed together to say pretty things and sad things, and funny, quirky, surprising things.
"I'm obsessed with analysing the cramming process, and getting my hands dirty with it in my poetry and songwriting.
"Here are some of the tips that I've embedded into my lyric-writing practice."
What's the story?
It's always helpful to have an idea of what you're trying to say; and not just the crux of it – not just the hook – but the whole direction of the piece.I frequently go into my writing blind, or on a whim or a granule of an idea, and that can be a vibe. But I do notice that my writing tends to have more clarity if I plan out the structure of the piece, just enough so that I know what I'm trying to say in each section.
I think this is effective for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it gives me focus and prevents me from wandering off into the ether while I'm writing. Secondly, it gives me an overall view of the piece so I know where the highs and lows are, and I can write with that in mind.
Choose your words
When you know what you want to say, having the right words to say it is key to getting your point across the way you want to, and it's going to make everything sound way more dynamic and intentional.I'm always working on expanding my vocabulary – crosswords are great for this – and I have a thesaurus to hand when I'm working. It's worth the effort; finding the perfect words for your piece is hugely satisfying.
Rhyming imperfection
I kind of think that perfect rhyming is overrated. When there's too much of it, you risk ending up with something that sounds a little like a nursery rhyme.Using words that sort of or almost rhyme really opens up your options, and I think that they give poems and songs a more natural cadence.
I am up on rhymebrain.com when I'm stuck on a rhyming word, and there is always an awesome collection of imperfect rhymes there to dig through.
Metaphorically speaking
A really awesome metaphor can add serious potency and dimension to your writing. When I come across one when I'm reading I’m always like, 'YES, I see what you did there!' and who doesn't want a reaction like that?The goal in crafting a metaphor is to help convey the emotions or vibe of your story more effectively than if you just told it plainly.
The challenge is getting to a metaphor that will be impactful without being a cliche; and you can't get there if your metaphor is so obscure that your audience can't follow along – this is usually the part that causes me the most trouble!
When I get tied up, I'll usually ask someone else to read my work to see whether the metaphors land like I want it to, and adjust as needed.
