Discover up and coming artists in 10 questions…
16 February 2018
British DIY artist GRIS-DE-LIN is a compelling and adventurous singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who’s about to release her excellent debut album SPRUNG (out
9 March). She combines echoes of post-rock, blues & alt-folk while coloring her sonic pictures with wayward electronics that draw your attention non-stop. Her spiritual voice will bring major-league performers PJ Harvey, Florence Welch and Björk to mind. Yes, that good! Her intriguing compositions will strike you. Enough reasons to meet Gris-de-lin (artist name was inspired by French named materials Gris-De-Lin – Grey Linen – in the warehouse next door to where the artist lives.) Let’s start the acquaintance with the title track of the forthcoming full length. A captivating song about how a little bit of struggle
can lead to good things. The cuddly toys in the brand new clip “represent life’s misfits, gathered from local charity shops…”
Welcome Gris-de-lin at Turn Up The Volume!…
1/ When, how and why did you decide to become a musician/artist?
“I’d say it’s a compulsion not a decision, I started mucking about on the piano and writing songs at a really young age and always loved to sing. I joined my first band at age 14 so
I’ve been loading music equipment in and out of transit vans for a long time.”
2/ When did you know “this is how I want to sound, this is
what I want to tell the world”?
“This is my first solo album and the songs emerged from a time of big changes in my life. This meant I felt really free to experiment and just see what happened. I also wanted to challenge myself by playing most of the parts on the album myself, a sort of freeform musical bootcamp. It meant I could do things exactly how I wanted and that was really liberating. Lyrically I like to tell quirky stories based on true events though they’re often pretty personal too.”
Artwork debut solo album SPRUNG…
3/ What inspired you to record your debut album SPRUNG in a nursery school?
“I wanted to record somewhere spacious with a nice atmosphere and not feel hemmed in like you sometimes do in a studio. Budget also played a big part but the nursery worked out great. Where else would you get to set a train-set up in the control room and play the keyboards with puppets on your hands.”
4/ What’s your own favourite track on the record and why?
“I’d say ‘Your Ghost’ because it’s the first track Chris (producer/engineer) and I started working on together. There was this moment when we were listening back and we were like ‘oh this is special!’ and from then on I was really fired up to record a whole album.”
5/ What movie would you pick to visualize SPRUNG on a big screen
in the back of the stage when playing a show?
“Probably ‘The Wicker Man’ ha ha, though without the human sacrifice bit.”
6/ Your press photos are quite special. Who’s doing the art/drawing part and is there any special reason to integrate it in the real photography?
“The artwork is by an artist called Kazland. I really love his work and asked him to design cover images for my 7” single and EP. Then I had the idea of getting him to also add artwork to my photos and it really tied everything together.”
Fascinating Kazland art…
7/ How easy/difficult is it to recreate your orchestral sound live on the podium?
“It’s sometimes tricky but I reckon the live sound is pretty close, maybe a little heavier. Having played so many of the recorded parts myself I have to be careful not to be bossy when we’re trying to recreate everything. Luckily I’m working with some great musicians
so things have come together really well.”
8/ Which album would you really loved to have played on?
“I’d love to have jammed on any albums by Can… oh and ‘Remain in Light’ by Talking Heads. Playing on an album by Mogwai would be pretty awesome too.”
9/ If you could go back in time on which artist’s front door
would you knock and ask to have a selfie together?
“Well I’m not really a selfie kind of person, but I’d love to have a coffee with Patti Smith
or go for a walk in the woods with Leonard Cohen. I’ve a feeling much wisdom would be imparted and I’d come away feeling truly inspired. I’m reading Patti Smith’s ‘M-Train’
On tour at the moment and it’s a real tonic for the soul.”
10/ Plans for 2018?
“The album comes out on the 9th March so I’ll be doing some UK shows to coincide, then a few summer festivals and a tour later in the year. I’ve also been working on a new album by the Berlin-based artist Gemma Ray that should be out later this year and also an album with Joe Gideon and Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) that we’ll be mixing soon. So reckon things are gonna get pretty busy!”
Thank you for this interview.
May the road rise with Gris-de-lin!
SPRUNG album out via BB ISLAND on 9 March.
GRIS-DE-LIN: Website – Facebook – Twitter
(All promo photos via Gris-de-Lin)