INTERVIEW: The Anchoress — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

The Anchoress

___________

FOR my first interview of 2021…

I have been discovering more about one of the most remarkable artists in modern music. The Anchoress is the stage name of the Welsh-born multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and author, Catherine Anne Davies. I have been following her music since The Anchoress’ debut album, Confessions of a Romance Novelist, was released in 2016. As she prepares to release her second album, The Art of Losing on 12th March, I was keen to discover more about the album and an incredible and original songwriter…

______________

Hi Catherine. How has lockdown been for you? Has it been a period or greater creativity and production. Or has it been quite stifling in that sense?

“I’m still not quite sure what effect it’s had on me in terms of creativity, because a huge part of the time has been devoted to getting two albums released that had already been made prior to lockdown. My collaborative album with Bernard Butler that came out in summer 2020 and the new Anchoress album that is coming out in March. I am very lucky to have my own studio space at home and I had already been used to the rhythm of working from home making this last album. This meant I was able to get back to recording a series of covers/reworkings for Bandcamp once it was clear that touring wasn’t going to be happening for a while. That’s been joyous really to be able to make that monthly connection with fans without the usual delays put in by labels”.

Your new studio album, The Art of Losing, is out on 12th March. How excited are you to get it out there?!

“It will be such a relief to finally have it out there! I am so proud of this record and there is really not one thing I would change, which is really rare for a perfectionist like me. So many people have had their albums delayed due to COVID, so I’m sure I am not alone in having sat on an album way longer than is usual. It makes you feel a little creatively stuck when you are still waiting for that natural process to occur of moving on from one project to another. That’s been completely disrupted by world events. As well as the unusual situation of releasing an album with no live shows or touring”.

I recently reviewed the stunning single, The Art of Losing, and I was hugely struck by it! You have said how the song is an interrogation of what we learn when we lose. How much of your own experiences and loss went into the song?

“Thank you. I started out with the idea of the song needing to have different stories of different individuals in each verse. I was really obsessed with ‘Blasphemous Rumours’ by Depeche Mode at the time, and I love how the lyric draws you in to a life story. So, I guess you could say it’s a melding of both my own experiences and other people’s. Like my debut album, I’m always interested in blurring the line between confession and fiction; and I guess I’ve continued that in the title track for album two”.

I love your music videos, as I feel they are very striking and original. Do you want to direct more, or do you feel you might direct videos for other artists some day? How important are music videos in terms of your own songs?

“It’s been quite an interesting learning curve for me having to get involved in producing my own video because of the restrictions during lockdown. I was very lucky to work with JJ Eringa last year - an immensely talented young filmmaker. We had already shot one video for ‘Show Your Face’ before the pandemic happened and had taken some footage for The Exchange too, luckily. I am always hugely involved in the visual aspects of my projects and have art-directed both album packages. I don’t think it would be a huge leap to experiment more in the visual realm but for the moment I’m starting to think about album three”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Roberto Foddai

You produced, wrote and played almost everything on The Art of Losing. Is it important to have this sort of self-dependence and control when it comes to realising your vision?

“I can’t underplay its importance to how happy I feel with the final album, even a year on from finishing it. It’s important to say that I had some wonderful musicians playing bass and drums on the album too! Although I did play some drums and programming, I am not a drummer in any physical sense.

I’ve always been someone who tends to work best when I have complete control. I don’t find it easy to be subject to other people’s work rhythms, and I had a few not-so-nice experiences in the past where work that I’d done was held back from me or used for leverage.

Since I’ve been slowly building my studio over the past few years, I’ve hugely enjoyed the sense of freedom I get from not having to wait for an engineer or someone else to be awake/in the mood to get on and work when I feel I need to. I love it. I’d highly recommend it. It feels like returning to the methods I began with when it was just me in my bedroom with a multitrack recorder, laying down all the parts”.

Like me, I know you are as huge fan of Kate Bush. In the way you write and produce your music and push boundaries, there are clear similarities. How important has her music been to you through the years?

“I didn’t properly get into Kate Bush until I was university - although I vaguely knew ‘Wuthering Heights’, as most people do. As I delved into her catalogue, the thing that struck me the most was how uncredited she has gone as a really experimental and innovative producer. She’s hugely important to me for that alone, as the example of an artist in control of her vision”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jodie Cartman

Going back to the album, and a certain James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers appears on The Art of Losing’s The Exchange. Have you worked with him before?

“Yes. I worked with the Manics on their last album, ‘Resistance Is Futile’. I duetted on ‘Dylan & Caitlin’ as well as singing backing vocals on another track. Obviously, I’ve supported the band a few times as well as being a bit of a regular guest at their shows; coming on to perform a few duets during both their arena tour and some festival shows. Cardiff Castle was actually the last gig I did before COVID changed everything. I’ve been a huge Manics fan since I was a kid, so it’s a huge thrill to get to work with them, get to know them and discover their wonderful work ethic and the bunch of lovely people they have around them”.

Speaking of Welsh artists, you were born in Wales. It seems like Welsh music is at its richest right now. Do you think the country gets overlooked compared to England and America? Which other Welsh artists should we keep an ear out for?

“I’m currently working with Tali (formerly of Welsh band Estrons) on her solo material. She’s really talented. Her lyrics are so clever and raw, and she’s got a wicked sense of humour. I’m really excited to get working with her again as soon as we can physically get in a room together again. So, you should keep an ear out for that! I always listen in to Adam Walton’s BBC Wales show most Saturday evenings. I never fail to discover something amazing. Adam has an incredible ear for talent, and there’s just such a lot of it coming out of Wales”.

One of my favourite tracks on The Art of Losing, Paris, is mostly instrumental - it is like an interstitial or break between chapters. To me, you write in a very literary and filmic manner, whereby you are always thinking about flow and story rather than putting together tracks (and hoping they coalesce and resonate). Would that be a fair assumption? Have you always approached songwriting like that?

“Absolutely. There are lines in there that echo back from the start of the album as well as the threads of the narrative that has run so far. I wanted it to feel a little bit like a dreamscape and be a container for all the whispered voices. There’s even a reference back to my debut album on there. The voices were a few of my close friends that I really wanted to be a part of the record. It felt appropriate that it would fragment at this point to not just be spoken by myself. I always think of albums as whole pieces of work, a bit like novels. I want to take the listener on a journey from start to finish. Perhaps that is the literary student in me!”.

I love your 2016 album, Confessions of a Romance Novelist. How do you feel your music has evolved and changed in the ensuing years?

“Thank you. That’s a hard one to listen to for me now as I don’t like to look back too much. I want to keep pushing forwards with all the new things I want to do. I think there’s still some common threads there, especially from songs like ‘Bury Me’, ‘Doesn’t Kill You’, ‘Intermission’.

But I think I am much less concerned with writing something commercial by design now. I have a much clearer sense of who I am as a producer, writer and artist now. I am much more comfortable diving into autobiographical content too. I think the new album is just a much purer representation of what I’m into musically - and I’ve not shied away from exploring a darker sonic palette.

On the first album, I was probably just a little too malleable and listening to the opinions of people around me, rather than trusting my own instinct”.

At the moment, we are hearing how venues are being threatened and artists are earning very little from streaming. How does it affect you personally? Do you think we will see positive change and parity this year?

“It’s been a really difficult year. I am very lucky that I can work from my studio at home and keep creating. Bandcamp has been tremendously helpful in keeping things a little less tight in the face of no live income. But I do worry about what happens for the rest of the year. Touring is always financially tricky anyway as a solo artist, but I don’t feel very optimistic about European shows in the face of Brexit now. The additional costs of visas and the difficulty with importing merch may make it just too financially risky”.

It is hard to know when live music can return (although festivals have been announced for the summer). Do you have any plans for 2021 in terms of gigs or promotion for The Art of Losing?

“We are doing an online album launch event with Rough Trade on 12th March. I would usually do a special launch and listening event, but of course that’s just not possible this time around. I will be having an in-depth dive into the album with the wonderful Pete Paphides online, though. Anyone can buy a ticket to come and join us. The Queen Elizabeth Show is currently on sale for July 2021…but I have a feeling that we may see that rescheduled shortly for a later date”.

I know a lot of artists will look up to you and want to follow in your footsteps. What advice would you offer them regarding getting started and navigating the music industry?

“I really do feel that self-sufficiency is the key. It’s not enough just to write great songs or have a great voice anymore. You need to know and understand the business. You need to be able to record yourself, even if it’s just to demo quality. You need to understand how to reach an audience online. It’s running a small business. Certainly not for the faint-hearted”.

A lot of people are being asked what they will do first post-pandemic/when social distancing is dissolved. What is top of your list?

“I’m looking forward to an actual real-life trip to the supermarket. As I’m shielding, I’ve not been since last March and I’ve been relying on online shopping. I’m going to get all glammed up and you’ll find me in the tinned soup aisle. Baxters Superfood Root Vegetables and Turmeric for everyone...”.

____________

Follow The Anchoress