EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Mitchell Interview + Home & Writing Polaroids

After a decent hibernation, folk-pop darling Lisa Mitchell has finally returned to the scene with the announcement of her ‘Something About These Streets’ tour. Mitchell had whet our appetites with the dreamy escapism of single The Boys, and the new tour is set to feature tracks from her forthcoming album ‘Warriors’ (out Friday 14th October).

Recently supporting Grouplove on their two Australian shows, Mitchell promises some new musical territory while still holding onto the toasty intimacy that has us all hooked. We had a chat with Mitchell about touring and the inspirations for her new album. We also got our hands on some EXCLUSIVE polaroids taken of Mitchell while writing and working from her home and surrounds!

Thanks for chatting to us! You recently wrapped up a tour with Grouplove, how was that?

They’re all such champs and it makes sense that their audience is so lovely to play for. It was a real pleasure for me and I was trying out some new things for my own show. I was a bit nervous but having such a positive crowd was so perfect. Grouplove are a big family! I have solo artist jealousy… (laughs)

People are loving your new track The Boys. What’s different about the sound and the philosophy behind the new album it’s from, ‘Warriors’?

On the album there are a lot of songs that are inspired by memories and actual life stories. The Boys was about this beautiful day I had driving with my boyfriend and a whole bunch of friends he went to school with. I felt a bit awkward because I was the only girl hanging out with them and there was a kind of melancholic undertone to the day. One of their friend’s dad had just passed away so it was the main reason that they wanted to get together on that day.

It was kind of amazing though because I just got to be this fly on the wall and watch and experience how they supported each other. It was beautiful and so buoyant, I found it incredibly inspiring. You know how you hang out with a bunch of people and they have so much love and respect for each other? Its just infectious. Probably similar to the Grouplove guys! Those are the kind of inspiring moments that make me feel like I have to write a song about it.

That’s very much how I write in general, I wait for a moment to really knock me off my feet. The whole album is moments like those. Then there’s a song called What Is Love? That’s about me basically just swooning over my boyfriend. (laughs)

How do you organise your ideas, do you keep mental notes or write them down?

I’ll always have a notebook in my bag and I’ll scribble stuff down and do a lot of journaling. I find a lot of stuff comes out like little lines and bits and bobs. If I’m walking down the street and I think of a line or melody I’ll just pretend I’m on the phone and record it so I don’t look like such a freak! (laughs) Just a little poem or usually just a line that feels like it wants a little song to play with!

You’ve said that each song is like a parting memory or moment. How do you think your music has altered since ‘Wonder’ and ‘Bless this Mess’ from when you were younger?

I’m 26 and I guess I like to think that I feel a little surer of myself and less worried when talking about my own stories. Even with songs like What Is Love they’re stories that you can feel really precious about and not want to share with people. In the song that is the title-track Warriors the main inspiration is the people that I went to school with in Albury where I grew up.

I think there’s a real strength that country kids have, 98 per cent of the time as soon as you’re 18 you’re out! (laughs) It’s kind of incredible and it really makes you grow up fast. I just had a kind of realisation when I wrote the song that we all just bailed on our families. Of course in the city you travel an everyone has that moment when you leave the family unit, but I think for country kids its pretty inevitable at a younger age. It creates a certain kind of personality and I think that’s an example of what this album is about.

You travel a lot, and it always seems to be amongst the country side. What do you love about the country? 

Growing up along the Murray River and being able to run into the bush, jump into the river or ride a horse, the country is everything to me! It’s such a huge part of me and so now when I go for a walk, whether it’s in the bush or in a park in the city, it’s something that really grounds me. When I’m there I feel very safe, calm and very okay about everything in the world.

What’s your favourite track on the new album, ‘Warriors’? 

I Remember Love is the song that I co-wrote with my producer Eric, whereas most of the other songs existed before for me. It ended up being one of my favourites because it’s one the fruits of the last three or four years of writing. Its influenced by what Eric and I were listening to, which was a lot of 90s ‘jangly pop’ or things like The Lemonheads. We collaborated so heavily on it and for me its such a souvenir of that whole time period.

There are a lot of electronic influences on the new album, what was the inspiration behind this new direction?

I love this big 80s resurgence. It’s 2016 and that’s the palette and I wanted to play with it, I’m a curious cat! (laughs)

You were in Brisbane a while back for your ‘Wah ha’ tour and you had your trusty tape recorder on set to play tracks from. Are we to expect a reprise of said tape recorder?

Not on this tour! But I’m sure it will make its way back onto the stage. God, the tape player was such a fun thing last year when I was doing a lot of stripped back shows. I love our little tape recorder, we call it little ‘pan pan’ because it’s a Panasonic (laughs). I love playing with different eras of music and it’s such a cool thing that we have access to them. Especially when you’re producing an album you can mess with these different periods and what each brought to the palette. I think the tape player is such a fun little timeport!

Well, with the player swapped out let’s talk a bit about what audiences will expect at the live shows!

I had to sack the tape recorder, it couldn’t give me enough! (laughs) I’ve got a 3-piece band not including me, they’re beautiful players. It’s been so fun planning this show and doing the Grouplove support. I’m looking forward to doing these hour or more long shows. This is my third album and I had a little bit of time to play around. I’m looking at the shows in a different way, more like a theatre and thinking of each song as a character. I find that I’m just all about experimenting now and looking sideways. All my new inspirations are definitely coming out in the live shows!

Is there an artist that inspires you right now?

St Vincent is a name that pops into my head so let’s talk about her. She’s kind of not so influenced by the trend and very strong in herself. I think that’s what people love about her, and its definitely what I love! I really like how she keeps people guessing and also how she’s so blatantly doing what she wants to do.

Lastly, what are you most passionate about at the moment?

For some reason I’m pretty passionate about natural fibres, such a nerd! I guess what I really mean is that I’m into sustainable fashion. Things like hemp and bamboo, it’s so low maintenance for farmers to grow. Anyway I’m really into natural fibres! (laughs)

Polaroids taken by Kirrilee Bailey.

Lisa Mitchell ‘Something About These Streets’ National Tour

FRI 14 OCT
Howler, Melbourne
SAT 15 OCT
Wooly Mammoth, Brisbane
SAT 22 OCT
Newtown Social Club, Sydney
THURS 27 OCT
Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth
FRI 28 OCT
Rocket Bar, Adelaide

Get Tickets HERE