Interviews (238)

• November 8, 2024
• Colleen Johnson
• 72
• 0

(photo credit: CJ Harvey)

While the world has been in a bit of a malaise, music continues to be the therapy that the world needs. Something we can always count on, and a magical-sounding album, Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind, the debut album from Kate Bollinger, could be the perfect soundtrack to it.  With a slew of North American tour dates underneath her belt supporting her new record, she picks her tour up again in a few days in Santa Cruz, CA, on November 12th and will wrap up her shows for the year in Los Angeles on November 22nd.  From speaking with Bollinger, new music will hopefully be quick to follow, considering her relief coming out of a years-long writing block as mentioned in our chat below. In addition to a slew of European dates announced for next year, there is surely so much to come for Bollinger, so keep an eye out!

I chatted with Bollinger when she was about a week out from being done with her most recent leg of her tour. She touched on everything from the run itself, the writing process behind her full-length, and much more! Find our chat here, and I’m sure there will be much more to come in the next few months for this talented act! Information on her remaining 2024 tour dates and everything Kate can be found here!

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New England Sounds: How have these shows been going so far? Considering the album is still so new, your debut album? 

Kate Bollinger: It’s been really fun. We’ve been playing a lot of these songs for the last year, but it feels really good to be able to play the whole album now that it’s out. And it’s nice to sing songs and still feel connected to them in a really current way. 

NES: Then, going right to the album, Songs from a Thousand Frames of Mind, just from looking at the tracklisting, it’s not a title track from the record. Maybe thinking about that title, why that title in particular? I know you didn’t really repeat songs from your EPs. Was it something where you sat down fresh for this record when it came to writing this full-length? 

Kate: Yeah, I thought of the title before I wrote any of the songs. It popped into my head; it felt very representative of things in my life and the ups and downs of moving away from home for the first time. There was a lot of change happening all at once. And the songs reflect that, too. It almost feels kind of like a collage or a scrapbook or something to me. Sorry, did that answer the question? 

NES: Yes! Then you talked about how you’ve been playing a lot of these songs for the last year. And then, looking at past setlists from this tour, it looks like you’re pretty much playing the whole album every night, with maybe one or two exceptions. How did you kind of plan for this tour? Was that kind of the hope? You’ve played Boston twice now, but this is your first time headlining. Was that kind of the plan for this tour, just to really focus on the record? 

Kate: I initially wanted to play the full record back to back and play some older songs at the end. But I thought, since it came out so recently, maybe I would play the whole record in order. And then touch on some of the older songs in the breaks. 

NES: Then, you did something different when it came to releasing music. I feel like a lot of bands put out some EPs, but when they finally release the record, it’s like we’ve already heard all of these songs because it’s just what was on the EPs. When did you start working on this body of work? When did you decide to say, I’m making a full-length record? 

Kate: I had terrible writer’s block for a couple of years. I really didn’t like anything that I was writing. That was also around the time of the pandemic’s beginning, and I moved a few years ago to California. I also kind of went through a few experiences, so my writer’s block started loosening up a bit. And that’s how I started working on these songs. Although one of them, I have a song called “Running” that was a single, and I think that’s the only older one that ended up on it. 

So, maybe around two years ago, the rest of the songs were written, I would say, within a couple of months, probably two or three months before we recorded the album. I had a dry spell for years; it was kind of like being in an anxiety den, but then I wrote all these songs, and it kind of kicked that time period. 

NES: That’s great, though. It’s part of the excitement. 

Kate: Yeah, exactly. It was definitely a relief. 

NES: Then, to kind of end it off, the venue you’re playing, Arts in the Armory, by the way, is gorgeous. It’s a beautiful, old venue, that’s really good, I feel like, for the kind of music you make. But every venue is booked in every city again. Maybe something that you really appreciate now in the changing touring climate, or maybe things you think could be better? 

Kate: Yeah, that’s a good question. Honestly, it’s hard to come up with something because I feel really lucky to be able to do it. I mean, it can be hard, but it still feels kind of crazy to be able to do it at all. I think with the pandemic, it felt so crazy low kind of compared to what it was before the pandemic. So I just think that’s the wildest thing about it. I don’t know. I feel really grateful to be able to do it and to know that people want to come out to shows. And I can go on tour, playing my songs. 

NES: Then, I had a few interviews today, and they were all women. Right now, we see that women are dominating awards. Are there certain artists that people should check out or people that you think fans of you should check out? 

Kate: Aw, that’s amazing. Artists that I think people should check out or that I think people would like if they like me. Because I feel like a lot of the stuff I like is kind of different from my music. 

NES: People that you like. 

Kate: There are so many. Okay, well, she’s an icon, and I feel like everybody already loves her, but I think Jessica Pratt is so amazing. I love Hannah Cohen. I think she’s a great songwriter. She sang some harmonies on my record. The band that I’m on tour with now, is like my favorite band right now. They’re opening, called Sharp Pins, and it’s the solo project of Nick Slater from Chicago. And I think he is just so amazing. I’m trying to think of a last one. Those are the three that came to mind. 

NES: I mean, those are good ones, that’s a good selection, I’d say. Then the album is still so new; you’re only a few weeks out, you’re on this tour, and you still have a few dates left. It may seem a little cheesy, but maybe hopes or goals for these next few months? This album is still so new. 

Kate: I hope I know how to answer that question. It’s a good question, but I guess my main goal for the next couple of months is to just honestly write more music. I feel like I move on pretty quickly and just am excited to make new stuff. But I don’t know. I hope that people connect with it. When I find a band or an album I like, I become obsessed with it. It takes over my whole life, making me excited and happy. It inspires me and makes me feel more creative. So, hopefully, it will do that for some people out there.

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