The music of Kathryn Rollins has taken a real right hand turn into a seductive tone with her latest single “Cut & Paste It”. While her previous work seemed focused on a few guitars and a rich booming voice, the paring back with this release allows a more delicate and dark style of songwriting. Kathryn answered a few questions about the new sound and other developments in her career.
“Cut & Paste It” is quite a different direction for you in terms of sound from your previous work. What made you want head in the more electronic spectrum of sound?
My change in sound was symptomatic of me growing older and maturing in my approach to songwriting. I got to a point where my old approach stopped working so well, I wasn’t feeling the same strong emotions I used to feel as a teenager and my musical interests were also shifting. So after I moved to Melbourne in 2012, I began experimenting with digital production techniques and it evolved from there.
Were there any different songwriting techniques that you had to adjust to with this new genre of music?
It really all began with changing my songwriting technique, that is, writing full arrangements, starting with a drum beat or a bass line as opposed to a vocal melody or chord progression. I also had to learn a lot more about mixing, arranging and working with drum parts but that has been lots of fun and I’m still learning all the time. It’s an exciting time when you get to experiment with creating different sounds and learning the technical stuff helps you to be able to build something so much more epic and intricate than just a vocal line and guitar part.
To me, there’s this interesting cross between a technological landscape and a dreamy scene when I listened to the lyrics. Could you explain the lyrics to “Cut & Paste It”?
With the lyrics of “Cut & Paste It”, I was trying to purposefully creating a contrast between the feel of the verses and the chorus. It’s a song about empowerment and creativity. The verses paint the scene of feeling dreamy and content and then the choruses take hold and say it how it is. It’s a mix of exploring sexual dynamics and creative dynamics, which are sometimes pretty closely intertwined.
Your father is also a jazz guitarist. Have you always had a bunch of different sounds surround you in your life?
Definitely, my dad has had a variety of different musical phases over the course of my upbringing. It has been mainly centred around jazz, but he also had a country and western phase as well as us listening to a lot of Michael Jackson, The Spice Girls and Stevie Wonder as kids. I was also really obsessed with Celine Dion and Disney ballads for a while. As a child I learned piano, violin and flute before settling back on piano and guitar in my teens. My dad’s musical exploration has always been a motivating element in my own exploration.
How important is it to grow up with different music interests, so to speak?
I think it’s important to expose kids to music but having said that, kids will inevitably gain access to whatever music interests them in time either through friends or the internet, so I don’t think it’s super vital to give them heaps of variety on purpose but it might help. I was allowed to pursue pretty much anything I was interested in as a kid and I think it helped me discover where I wanted to go in the end.
You have recently signed a worldwide publishing deal with Alberts. What does this mean for you in a songwriting capacity? Is there anyone that you are looking forward to collaborating with who is also with Alberts?
Signing with Alberts means I have greater access to different songwriters around the world, as well as being supported in my songwriting across the board. It also means doing a lot more writing not just for my own project but potentially for others as well which really excites me! I’ll also be collaborating with a variety of songwriters that they pair me up with. I would love to work with the guys from Jungle. Dream big right?
From what I’ve read, the recording gear for “Cut & Paste It” was pretty minimal. How did you feel about working with such a small setup?
Recording “Cut & Paste It” was really simple in a very modern way. I created the original arrangement on my computer using MIDI and samples and then recorded my vocals at Steve’s house in Hurstbridge on an SM7 vocal mic. He and I also added a few extra sounds here and there while I was over at his house but the majority of it was digital using different plugins.
Working with only a few pieces of gear is actually quite freeing as it can help you to focus your energy where it’s needed and stop you from messing around with stuff too much, having said that it can also be fun to seek out fresh ideas from different pieces of equipment so I’m open to the possibilities of both. I’ll definitely be adding a few new bits and pieces of gear to my set up where possible.
You have relocated from Fremantle to Melbourne recently. From what you’ve seen, what would you say are the major differences between the music scenes in either city (or state)? Are there advantages of one over the other?
Melbourne has a lot more people and music venues, but I think musicians in Fremantle show a surprising amount of diversity in their sound for such a small place, I’m not sure I’ve heard enough of either one to make a strong assessment. I think musicians anywhere are affected by the weather though so maybe Melbournians are a bit more dark as a result. [Laughs]
We have only seen EPs & this single so far. Any plans for an album soon?
I’d love to record an album! I’m not sure when or how or with whom, but I do feel like with this latest bunch of recordings I have started to find a process that works for me and I’m writing all the time. Hopefully soon!
—-
Kathryn Rollins will be taking over The AU Review’s Instagram account for a day soon. Follow us on Instagram to keep up to date.
———-
