ELIZABETH FADER

Hi Elizabeth and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology. Firstly congratulations on your latest single Big Mistake. Can you elaborate on what subject matter you were addressing in this track?

I think if I had to pick one word to describe this song I would say ‘urgency’. The word appears in the song and it really encapsulates the overall vibe. This song is really about going against the grain and forging your own path, and being resilient. I think sometimes to do the things we want to do we have to follow our gut, our own intuition, because everything/everyone else is pointing the other way. You always know what the right choice is, deep down, and this song is about learning to listen to that voice with clarity until it becomes effortless, it becomes a habit.

The accompanying video clip set in an apartment with its swaying interrogation style lighting is a great piece. Was there a strong storyboard for this clip right from the get go or one that slowly came together as certain imagery caught your attention and how it married with the sentiment you were trying to convey?

I had a pretty loose concept for this video, luckily I was working with Nick Mckk who knows how to make magic in the moment. I lost my car in a multi level carpark right before the shoot so I was quite late to the shoot, and I had to drive home to Sydney the next morning so we had a really limited time to shoot the video. I think it actually worked out perfectly because I think the concept is reflected in the clip - the urgency, excitement, like this rush and flurry of activity and lights and sparkles captured in this dark house. Nick is amazing with lighting too, and I think in the end this clip became both conceptually and visually heavily dependent on lighting.

There is very much a contrast in style between your first single Encore with its heavy use of synth compared to the guitar laden Big Mistake. Is this wide variation something we can expect throughout the rest of the record when it is released in the near future?

Yeah I think so. I think it’s just how my style and personality works. I'm always exploring new things and recreating myself and my tastes through the music, art and books I consume and this is reflected in the music I make, poetry I write and the way I look. It’s shifting and changing. And because this body of work was recorded over two years, each song represents a moment along the way. I think my voice ties them all together and the response to Big Mistake has made me realise that people are appreciating the diversity, so hopefully that continues.

You worked alongside producer Ben Edwards. In what ways did Ben push and pull on your work that was outside of what you had brought into the studio?

Ben was amazing to work with. When he is with you in the studio he is just 100% there, all the time. I wrote this song on the morning of the day we recorded it. It was our last day in the studio and we had to sit down and talk about whether it was realistic to try to record it in what time we had left. I’m so glad we did. Like the video, I think it was a bit of a blessing to have limited time for this one because it’s all about the emotion and energy behind the song. Ben had some really special vocal production ideas - like the vocal layers in the outro, which really add to the whirlwind, unhinged feeling of the song. Aside from the music itself, Ben really pushed me to believe in my ability to create an artist - like a persona aside from myself.

What have been some of the challenges in putting this EP together and conversely what were some of the greatest surprises you experienced through the writing / recording process?

There are challenges for sure. If you want to do this kind of thing, you have to really want to do it because it’s no walk in the park. But damn the rewards are so special and priceless. I think both the main challenge and reward is probably just these small moments along the way where you realise what you're capable of. And with that realisation is really freeing and amazing but it also comes with certain difficult decisions, where you have to shift and change if you want the music to be able to grow. It’s definitely a bit of an art in itself - guiding the project and the whole package - like the imagery and the videos and the music and the persona, just shaping it into what you want it to be.

A lot of listeners would recognise you from your previous work in Phantastic Ferniture. Working in both capacities, can you detail the dualism between band and soloist and where the lines intersect and diverge?

Yeah for sure. Both projects intersect in a community driven way - like the players in my band intersect with players in Phan Fern, and also Julia’s band. Phan Fern definitely affected my music because it took me away from this softly spoken singer-songwriter style where everything was careful and gentle. Phan Fern made me realise I could be loud and rawkus and fuck up on stage and it wasn’t the end of the world. Before that I think I was just treading very softly. The main difference is in the songwriting style. Phan Fern was very much a band, far down the end of the band spectrum, mostly because we wrote the songs in a pretty spontaneous fashion, all together in a room - kind of just jamming and going with the vibe. My project began with just me writing the signs which is quite a different experience, and I think Phan Fern made me realise how valuable and amazing it is to collaborate. I tend to collaborate on most songs now because I think it’s just really useful to have more than one voice in the equation.

Having performed with so many amazing artists over the years, has there been any words of wisdom spoken to you that really resonated with you and in-turn altered the way you approach your craft?

For sure. I can think of a few. “You’ll just have to wait and see” - Julia Jacklin. We often give this piece of advice to each other partly as a joke, but partly in all seriousness - because there is actually a lot of truth in it - and I guess what it means to me is just letting go and not fretting about having total control. Because you never really know until you’ve seen it pan out, so why stress.

“You can run, but it’s always going to catch up with you, so why not just enjoy the ride?” - my guitar teacher and friend Ben Panucci in regards to doubting music as a career

“Let the vision lead the way” - Alastair Burns (Phantastic Furnitures manager). So much truth right here.

As global touring will resume soon, can you share with us one of your most remarkable concerts and what made it so memorable?

Supporting Julien Baker was pretty spesh, because I think it was the first solo gig I ever played where I felt totally adequate as a solo artist. I worked pretty hard to finish a few new songs for that show and it paid off.

Lastly, on a philosophical level, what does music give you that nothing else does?

It’s like there is a fire inside me and music is the fuel. I know nothing else can replace it, because I’ve tried to replace it with other things. I feel pretty lucky to have found something like that, it just really makes life worth living.