Producing yet another memorable album earlier this year, Sydney's indie folktronic singer-songwriter Caitlin Park has upcoming live dates in Melbourne and Brisbane.
‘The Sleeper’, which was released in May, is the 27-year-old's second record following her critically acclaimed debut, ‘Milk Annual’, released in 2011. Bringing the same intricate tapestry of acoustic folk and electronica mixed with sampled sounds, intelligent lyricism and film nostalgia, her new album focuses on strong vocals, rhythm and melody.
Now with a new EP, ‘To Breath You Out’, released last week, Caitlin has surely outdone herself this time. Along with writing the music, Caitlin also produced and arranged the songs herself. Finding that she has grown a lot since writing her first album, Caitlin says she used a completely different method to the first time around. “It was a really different process. 'Milk Annual’ was over a couple of years. It was just a patchwork of different songs I had written here and there,” she says.
“I wrote a lot of different songs during that period and chose specific ones for it, whereas this one, because the concept was so strong and I kind of knew what I wanted to write about, the songs came quite quickly. They've all got the same sort of running theme through them so it was quite easy to put it together quickly rather than just chucking a bunch of songs together.”
Written largely over a period of two to three months, Caitlin worked closely with friend and engineer, Sam Brumby. By placing artistic boundaries on herself, Caitlin worked to a strict deadline and says she will do it again next time around. “I think I was a stronger songwriter this time around. I had a better approach to doing it. I think I'll write songs like that from now on for albums,” she says.
“[Having a] deadline was the best thing I've ever done I think. I approached a friend of mine who ended up engineering the album, Sam Brumby, before I started writing the majority of it. We locked in a date when I would record and I knew I had to have everything done by then. Rather than try to just to put songs together, I think it makes for a stronger conceptual piece of work.”
During the process of making the album, Caitlin says she didn't have much downtime. Working five days a week, 10am to 6pm, when she was at home she would continue to write. Though the writing process she used is bit different to what you would imagine. “The way I write usually is by journaling [sic] straight out, so while I'm putting lines down I'll record the guitar part, record a drum beat and then record the vocals. That way the record was solely based on the vocals, the harmonies, the melodies and the rhythm and that’s a really strong part of the album.”
Inspired by Motown and soul songs from the 1960s, Caitlin also found the majority of her motivation from her relationships. She says that going through a personal change just before she started writing really drove her. “For this record, I guess most of the songs are about finding part of you, the strength in you, to have the power to overcome whatever you're faced with,” she says.
“Whether it's your friends, your family or your lovers. Relationships are nature, nurture, the environment, the way that people interact.”
With such lighthearted backing music, the lyrics and depth to Caitlin’s songs are surprisingly noir. Describing her album as having a folk feel with a lot of dialogue sampling and funky words, she also claims there is a hidden beast within. “I think it's presented in quite a colourful way but in its deepest roots I think it's quite a dark album,” she says.
The most powerful track to her, she says, is the final track on the album, ‘Where I Slept’. “It's a very powerful song to me and probably the one I get my most kicks out of singing live. A lot of people come up to me after the shows and say that that song really stood out to them,” she says.
The classically trained musician has an experimental attitude and quirky flair. It’s almost hard to guess what will happen next, so what does she think the future holds for her? “I'm not sure yet to be honest, I haven't given it that much though yet because of all that's going into ‘The Sleeper’ at the moment.
“But I started thinking about it when I was writing this album and I think I want to step more into an electronic approach. But I'm not sure if I'm getting confused with the fact that I want to collaborate with more people and step into it that way.”
By embracing innovative boldness and higher production levels, ‘The Sleeper’ shows Caitlin’s progression as a singer/ songwriter. With a balance of beauty and beast, the simple moments and sounds build a sonic landscape that takes you on a whimsical journey.
‘To Breath You Out’ is available now.
Caitlin Park Tour Dates
Fri Aug 1 - Bella Union (Melbourne)Sat Aug 2 - The Hive (Brisbane, all-ages)
