Through lockdowns and motherhood, The Big Moon pulled together
October 2022 saw The Big Moon release their third studio album, entitled Here is Everything. Written from the influences of living through lockdowns in the UK and finding herself at multiple stages of motherhood, principal songwriter Juliette Jackson has been busy.
However, this album is the most collaborative effort the band has put forward to date. Drummer Fern Ford produced the LP in her own home-built studio, which meant that rehearsing and recording was in the hands of the band.
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“Fern built this studio and opened up all the songs,” says band member Celia Archer (bass). “She had taught herself how to produce during the lockdowns and we all got together and fixed it, and we basically recorded the album once and we weren’t happy with where it got to.”
“Then Jules had the baby, and we took some time off and we all went over to Fern’s house and opened it up and fixed every song. So, even though lyrically it is all Jules and Jules’ feelings, the music and production is a story of us and where we are as a band right now, specifically the effort and work we’ve put into it, and I think you can feel that love and support.”
Echoing Celia’s emphasis on the love and support felt throughout the album and the band, Fern adds that it was the action of taking control that resulted in the albums definitive sound.
“It just made more sense to have a go,” says Fern. “I think that was one of the best moves we made. We were able to avoid talking about what we want and just do it, we didn’t have to translate that to someone else. That’s just been a big thing for us to take control.
“I didn’t think about how this album would be received, the most important thing was just how it had to be the definitive version of this album, it had to be the record about Jules’ experience, and it had to be the best version and I felt like we were going to be the best people to do that.”
The end result is a cohesive album that depicts the entanglement of life spent in lockdown and navigating motherhood.
“She has done a really great job of making it cohesive,” says Celia. “Everything is touched by what it is next to. We pulled together and made this album.”
From the standpoint of a friend and a band member, being a part of Juliette’s journey through motherhood has been nothing short of amazing.
“It’s not just been about the musical output,” says Celia. “It’s just been amazing to watch all the things that have changed and all the things that have stayed the same. I remember the first time she came to rehearsal six weeks after the birth and I was like, ‘Oh my god she is just Jules’, and then in some ways she is completely different. It’s just such a magical, unknowable thing, and she’s made a really great album as well.”
The support the members of The Big Moon have for one another is fortified in their trust and admiration for each other. This is not only highlighted in their support of vocalist Juliette but in their general approach.
“It was all of us and we are a foursome,” says Celia. “We are good at doing whatever the situation requires by filling the role that we need to fill to support the other person. Jules is the main songwriter but it’s never all on Jules, in the sense that if it fails it’s not Jules fault.”
The support and trust is further exemplified in knowing that Fern was the perfect person to produce the most recent album.
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“So, in this situation Fern is in the driving seat, but it’s not all on Fern to make it good for us. Yeah I completely trust her with my life, but I don’t expect her to keep up that energy for me every day in the studio because it’s such fraught work and everyone’s energy dips, peaks, and troughs throughout the day, and you’re human so yeah you’re like, ‘I feel like this is right’, and then you’re like, ‘Maybe it’s not right’, and then someone comes in and is like, ‘No you’re right, you know you’re right, let me make you another cup of coffee’. So, it’s that sort of vibe.”
Although, the band has maintained an adaptable approach, which leans into the equal contribution they offer, coming to terms with the necessity of accounting for a young child and the intersection with a lingering pandemic has meant adjustments have been made.
“It’s also something that is continual,” says Celia. “We all change, with every new stage we figure out how we are going to do it as a business and how we are going to support her as friends, as well as how we are going to adapt to this industry and job considering the needs of childcare and all the things its not really set up to foster.”
“Maybe it’s meant that we approach touring in a healthier way,” says Soph Nathan (guitar). “Because when we started out it was just like we’ve got to do everything and there could be a point when we were really tired, we shouldn’t, but you don’t do that, but when a baby is on board it’s like, ‘Yeah we’ve got to do that’.”
A tour has been proposed for the upcoming Northern Hemispheric Spring, but details are yet to be released.
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