Sarah Kinsley's debut full-length Escaper it out now.
Having produced her own music across a few single including “The King”, “Oh No Darling” and “I’m Not A Mountain”, Sarah Kinsley has been at the helm shaping and refining her sound. Her debut full-length Escaper was produced alongside John Congleton, whose credits include Angel Olsen, St. Vincent and Sharon Van Etten to name a few.
So – how did handing over the reigns go for Sarah?
Sarah, thanks for taking the time and congratulations on the upcoming release. We understand a lot of your previous music is written and produced at home – is this a creative decision or just where you’ve work best?
Thank you ! It’s definitely both. I am someone who loves to know the depths of every decision that is made within a song. A song is a wonderful world to build – I love being the person that nurtures it, decides it, colors in the edges.
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Have you worked with a producer like John Congleton before? Why bring someone into your process now?
The only other person I’ve worked closely with is Jake Aron (we made “The King” together and he’s mixed many songs of mine). This process was entirely new to me. Understanding the language of expressing the desire for musical change, the how and why one pushes a collaborator. John is very peaceful, very unphased by something sounding ‘too rough’, or an idea not fully existing yet. The kind of music I make and the music I want to continue to make is bigger than me. It’s epic and grand – it needs to come alive with another person beyond me.
How heavy handed was John in the process overall? I.e. was he writing as well or just producing and shaping your ideas?
John was a great partner in that he understands very clearly when an idea needs more and when it possesses enough magic that refining and pampering it only destroys the original thing. I had written all of the material prior to our time in his studio and I’d mapped out the general structure of the songs too. But he shaped so much of the individual textures, which sounds we used. He was very instrumental in challenging me, something that only furthered my own intuition and made the songs greater than I could’ve imagined.
How do you think Escaper might’ve been different without him?
Well for one there would be no glass bowls. And no Sean Cook who taught me how to play those also. No ondes martenot. A lot less of the beautiful and explorative sounds that I was lucky to play in his studio. It may not have been as bold. I am an overthinker, sometimes a madwoman when I create on my own. John is very bold, he wants to capture the heart of something without so much fuss. I think you would be missing that sense of raw-ness from Escaper without him.
What was the recording process like for Escaper?
We created all of the songs layer by layer from the ground up. We would begin with a sort of origin point – a piano, guitar, synth – and we’d build from there.
Was producing an album a huge departure from your workflow on your EPs?
It was not entirely different but definitely much harder. For some reason the brevity of the EPs made it feel easier to create cohesiveness. The narrative throughout the entire story complicated the production ideas: an EP is short and sweet! An album has so many twists and turns, there is so much more I have to say. But the workflow itself was still the core of how I work. Threading the layers together, imagining the world itself before a demo is even finished. I want to give my listeners a real story – that’s never changed since the beginning of making my songs.
Will the live show be similar to the sonics on the record or will you have to deviate it a little to make it work?
I think we very easily could play the record exactly as it sounds. I’m keen to venture outside of that. I’ll be bringing some fun friends along on the tour – my contact mic, a sampler pad, some new instruments maybe. We shall see. 🙂
Keep up with Sarah Kinsley on Instagram here.
