CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 158: ANOTHER SKY'S CATRIN VINCENT ON MAKING IT AS AN ARTIST DURING A COST OF LIVING CRISIS

Interview by Brooke Gibbs.

Emerging UK indie band Another Sky released their second album Beach Day.

Futuremag Music caught up with lead singer, Catrin Vincent, to discus the making of the album, particularly during a cost of living crisis.

Catrin: Nice to meet you, Brooke.

FMM: Nice to meet you, too. Thanks so much for making the time to join me to talk about your album.

Catrin: No worries at all. Happy to talk.

FMM: Congrats on the release of your album. It's been out for a few weeks now, so how's the reaction been like so far?

Catrin: It's been really lovely. We've got some longtime hardcore fans, and they've just been really nice. The lead singer from Everything Everything, retweeted our album with here's another cool album out this week, and that was really nice. So, yeah, it's been a good response.

FMM: That's exciting and so good to hear that it's been given the recognition that it deserves because it is a beautiful album and a beautiful piece of music. I’d love to hear more about the inspiration behind it. So, I understand that you wrote this trying to find solace in quite a challenging time. Can you tell us about how your experience shaped the inspiration behind this release?

Catrin: Do you know what? It just happened. And I'm glad that lyrically, I just let it be what it is. I didn't try and go to this escapist place. I just sort of decided to put exactly what was happening in the music, so I'm glad I did that.

FMM: Yes, and we're glad that you did that as well, because now we get to listen to the beautiful album that you've created from this time. I understand that you wrote this during a hard time because obviously due to cost of living, you were in your van. I'd love to hear how that shaped your songwriting process and if you had to make any changes, because obviously it can be quite expensive writing music, recording music, that sort of stuff.

Catrin: The biggest change was that we went from big studios to the crypt, which is where I am right now. We went from these big studios that cost a lot of money. We spent a lot of money on the first album, and we produced it ourselves, mainly Jack Gilbert, the guitarist. We produced it ourselves in the crypt, so it cost a fraction of the price our first album did. And it's amazing just being able to come to this space, even though it costs much less, you get your own space to really create something. We're doing the third album now, which we're really excited about.

FMM: So, given you've had the experience of doing big studios as well as being where you are now, in the future, would you go back to the big studios, or do you think you'll continue doing it in your own space?

Catrin: We're going to do a lot in this space and hopefully for some sounds, we're going to go hopefully to some big studios. There's a studio on the Isle of Wight. So the Isle of Wight is this little island just south of England, and it's called Chale Abbey Studios. You can sleep over. It's in a converted church. Oh, we seem to love our churches, and it's just beautiful. We were making music at 2am one night, just like, this is the most amazing thing ever. So, hopefully we'll go back there.

FMM: Yeah, it sounds amazing and so positive hearing your outlook on it as well. And to hear that you are still putting out music and doing what you love to do the most as well.

Catrin: Yeah, it's considerably harder now with the cost of living crisis than it was before to be a musician is what I'd say. There's just less cheaper ways of living. I haven't had anywhere to live for a year and I've just got somewhere now. That is the cheapest place I've ever seen in London. We're pricing artists out, which I think is pretty concerning.

FMM: Yeah, it definitely is concerning because the more music that goes out there, the more that we have to listen to as well. Obviously, it is quite challenging because of the cost of living. So in saying that, would you have any advice for any new up and coming artists who might be trying to get their first foot into the music industry?

Catrin: I've got some controversial advice. Don't do TikTok. Don't do it. You have to develop as an artist, and that's work you can only do when you're really open to the world and really receptive to the world. And if you're worrying about how you look on camera or what memes can I make, that's time that you're not spending, honing your craft. I do wonder if TikTok… I think it might last for a while. Maybe the effects of it will last for a decade or something, but I honestly think the more you can ignore that, the saner you'll be and the better music you'll make. And it might. I know we have to make money, but none of us are anyway. Well, most of us aren't anyway, so I think we should all reject TikTok.

FMM: No, I actually think that's great advice. You've got a very valid point, and I think that is helpful to share with anyone because a lot of people are using TikTok to get their first foot into the door, especially with the more that technology and social media grow.

Catrin: And I think a lot of people would disagree with me, but I just think the more you can ignore that world, the saner you're going to be. I don't know. That's my take on it.

FMM: And going back to Beach Day, one of the concepts that I love the most about the overall album is the concept of moving through anger before it turned into bitterness. I'd love to hear your perspective and how this idea manifested in writing this album.

Catrin: I didn't know that that was going to be the meaning until someone pointed it out to me after the album was made. It's a very hard thing to do, not letting anger calcify into bitterness. We all let it calcify into bitterness to some extent, but that's the amazing thing about music. I think if I couldn't have written the songs, if I couldn't have written those lyrics, if I couldn't have processed it, I don't know where I'd be. Still really angry, still really bitter. But it was the fact that I could make this with the band. It was all of us. It wasn't just me, but it was the fact that we could really go through that journey. I think only art offers that kind of journey. Only creativity offers that kind of journey. And when you have things like the cost of living crisis, people are stuck. People were physically stuck. Some of us wouldn’t know where to live or would be in situations we don't want to live in. You're physically stuck and you're creatively stuck. We are so lucky to have had this crypt. So lucky. And anger, it's just something you have to move through. I don't even think anger is a negative emotion anymore. It's just an emotion. There doesn't need to be judgment around it, but the important thing is that you can move through it.

FMM: Yeah, and it's interesting that you said a lot of this comes through art as well, especially hearing that you didn't realise that that would be the theme until after you already finished making what you made. And you're right, anger isn't always a bad emotion, so how do you hope this album resonates with listeners?

Catrin: Some people have said this album has resonated with me in a really deep way, and I've realised that I want it to be a personal journey for every single person who listens. I think. I used to think music could make people feel a certain way, but a really important lesson in making art is that you can never make someone feel a certain way. You don't have control over that. So as long as people can see parts of themselves in your journey, that's the most powerful thing you can do to a listener. They might listen to a lyric like “loser in LA” and never have been to LA, but they know that feeling of not belonging. There's no message that I want to give anyone. I just want people to be able to see parts of themselves in the humanness of the experience.

FMM: As you said, it is a very personal journey, so do you have any personal favourites from the album that really resonate with you?

Catrin: Playground, I Never Had Control, I caught On Fire, Swelling Smoke, Beach Day, those are all my favoruites.

FMM: Is there any particular reasons why those ones are your favourites?

Catrin: I think they're the softer ones. Yeah, they're the softer ones. I'm not the rock person in the band. That would be Jack and Naomi. Naomi the bassist, Jack the guitarist. But I do love those rock songs. I remember really wanting to go there, but I think Playground is just quite honest. I think I Never Had Control. That was just such a moment when I brought that song to the band. So, I think the ones that are more introspective are my favourite, I think.

FMM: Thanks for sharing that. We’re currently in March, so what are your plans as a band for the rest of the year in terms of your creative journey? What do you guys have in store?

Catrin: We've got some festivals around the UK and Germany. I'm terrible. I just get in the van and go wherever I need to go. I can't think of any. But we've got a tour in September and October, and then we're doing album three which is in the works.

FMM: Tell us more about Album Three and what we can expect.

Catrin: It's going to be heartbreak. It is a heartbreak album, and that wasn't what we planned for, but that's what it's going to be. I think we're really excited for this one.

FMM: Yeah, and sometimes the best things come from the unplanned ones as well.

Catrin: You can't plan it. Second one, really didn't want that to be about anger. The thing you don't want it to be about will become the thing it's about.

FMM: Yes, and lastly, so obviously we're based in Australia, so we'd love to hear about how Australian audiences can support your music on an international level.

Catrin: Honestly, just listening to it and buying vinyls and merch, even though I don't know what the shipping costs are to Australia, sending us messages of support, it all really helps. And thank you for the radio play, Australia. And we want to come over. We want to play, but I don't know how we're going to do that,bBut we'll try.

FMM: Yes, andd if it does happen, we'll obviously love to come out, support you and see you guys play it.

Catrin: Thank you.