Welcome to AP&R, the place we spotlight rising artists who will quickly turn into your new favourite.
Concord, as soon as one-half of LA indie outfit Girlpool, is tapping into one other realm. The singer-songwriter is stepping out with a dreamy, distinctive solo act that serves because the artist’s first formal debut into the world of pop. Smiling into the digital camera with a mouth stuffed with tooth gems that glint within the sunny bed room she calls me from, Concord tells me concerning the expertise of rising out of a style the place she’d discovered success, and leaving it behind for a sound that felt extra suited to the lady she’s turn into. Although Concord’s debut mission Dystopia Lady does pop justice, it is from bubble gum. It’s deeply poetic spun sugar—woven by with spirited, considerate lyrics which can be optimistic with out being cloying or synthetically delicate.
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This pure, refreshing tackle pop music didn’t come from years within the business perfecting the crowd-pleasing style, gearing as much as meet a mainstream viewers primarily based on analytics—moderately, Concord’s path to pop was each uncommon and exquisite, stuffed with self-actualization, mysticism, and melody-filled desires. After years within the alt-rock and indie bubble, stewing and singing about despair, heartbreak, and useless ends, the scene that had as soon as been a haven started to really feel stifling. With maturity and expertise had come confidence for Concord, and she or he has been adamantly pouring these emotions and realizations into Dystopia Lady, the album she has been each gracious sufficient to share and communicate on with AP, unpacking the tracks that got here to her in one other realm and breaking down the second she realized she may, and would, be joyful.
[Photo by Skylar Newman]
So that is your mission—your mission. Have you ever been ready a very long time for this second?
Sure, I’ve all the time been experimenting. Mainly, I would been making pop—like, my iteration of pop music—since 2016 or ‘17 and on my laptop, demoing issues terribly. A few of it’s nonetheless on-line, however I used to be simply placing it up on the time on my own. However now, that is my first professional, okay, I am doing this second, which is admittedly thrilling.
What do you assume makes your iteration of pop totally different? What units it aside?
I really feel prefer it nonetheless has the songwriter lyricism, the way in which the songs are written is not as formulaic. It’s extra flowing, nevertheless it’s nonetheless sonically poppy. Total, it’s much less structured and extra idea-driven than refrain pushed.
Do you are feeling such as you’re attempting to play for a special viewers than you probably did beforehand?
I do not assume it is for the viewers who was listening to Girlpool once we first began, most likely in 2014 or ‘13. But it surely relies upon as a result of I really feel like as my style has modified as an artist, and what I have been eager to make has modified, I am certain the style of people that have listened to Girlpool or music I’ve made up to now has modified as properly. So usually talking I might say it is like a reasonably totally different vibe, however has the identical coronary heart. The spirit of it’s the identical, however similar to the sound of it’s totally different.
How do you are feeling about coming into a “new period?” Is there worry round it?
I really feel prefer it’s complicated as a result of like Girlpool was so unbelievable and such a present for me and Avery as artists. It taught us each a lot, nevertheless it additionally type of certain us in the way in which that we had been in a band construction and perceived your complete time by the mission. We grew so rapidly after we had began, it was like that the precedent we set was so sturdy that we had been virtually continually disappointing our preliminary fan base. Now it feels somewhat bit like there’s extra freedom as a result of there isn’t any precedent, you recognize? For individuals who observe me on social media, who’ve seen my [solo] demos for years or who know the podcast, they know the vibes. That is actually unsurprising truthfully. However yeah, in the event you’re similar to an early Girlpool listener and see this, you are gonna be like, what within the goddamn hell is that. [Laughs.]
I can think about it’s simpler to be your self as a solo artist than to take action in a band that you’ve got been in for years, and basically grown up in. With this mission that you just’re placing out, would you say this can be a actually genuine model of you?
It’s simply sides. There are such a lot of sides. What’s being proven at a given time is what you’re at peace with. As a baby, I had been obsessive about pop music and popular culture, however I felt like such a reject in LA that I grew to hate the issues that I beloved. And that is why indie and punk scenes had been so rewarding for me, was as a result of I actually felt like there was nowhere else for me. I’ve limitless gratitude for that tradition and having the ability to make work in that style. However I feel as I’ve grown older, I’ve overcome the notion I had of myself not having house or being allowed in mainstream media. My potential to simply accept and need to do sure issues has modified… I used to be an outcast as a child and I feel it impacted my mind in a approach that was simply so ridiculous. Now, doing this appears like part of myself I have not gotten to specific but. Lastly, I’ve made peace with wanting to specific it.
It’s uncommon to listen to somebody discuss pop music in that approach, as truly being the more true type of self. I feel, particularly within the different world, there’s a stereotype about pop music is that it’s artificial, it’s faux happiness, and the truest type of authenticity is heavy music. I gravitated in direction of punk as an outsider child, too. I noticed individuals who regarded powerful, who had been expressive, and I adopted. But it surely’s attention-grabbing to listen to about your journey towards pop as a type of progress, it’s unbelievable.
I do not even really feel like making indie rock was ever inauthentic. And making pop music is equally not inauthentic. They’re each genuine. It is simply what I’m keen to indicate proper now—it could be a brand new expression for me to share, nevertheless it’s not new for me.
Authenticity can’t actually exist in black-and-white, anyhow. For anybody.
Yeah, the genuine self is such a enjoyable and entertaining human factor we do. We’re like, oh, are you actual or not? But it surely’s actually about no matter you are experiencing in a second and the way in which you are reacting to it that’s genuine. Once I first began making music, I used to be like, do I actually care about this? Or is that this simply one thing I am doing as a result of it is cool. I used to be so fixated on that concept. And it is similar to, it’s going to stunt you in the event you’re continually analyzing actuality. Simply live on within the second and the true factor will come up.
It looks as if it’s extra about taking a litmus take a look at of are you snug with your self proper now? However typically not being snug with your self can also be a great factor too, for artists.
All the pieces is simply the way you take a look at it too. Nothing is unhealthy, it is simply the place you are sitting within the room.
[Photo by Skylar Newman]
What’s your favourite monitor?
There’s totally different worth in all of them they usually’ve all been actually cool moments for me. However I feel the title monitor might be my favourite. I actually just like the metaphors in that track, and the poetry in it’s an efficient mantra for the way I view the world. “Good Issues Take Time” was like the primary track the place I felt like, oh my god, I am joyful, and transferring in direction of happiness and I am making the selection to really feel in a different way about my life. That was the primary track that I’ve written that I actually felt like was coming from a spot of pleasure and it was actually so loopy to try this.
It is attention-grabbing to even take into consideration good songs coming from a spot of pleasure. I really feel like we’ve got this preconceived notion inside and outdoors of the music business that the best tracks, albums, and artwork come from nice ache. That it’s important to be heartbroken to be impressed.
It is so true. I felt that approach perpetually. When it comes to Girlpool’s music, the track “Fault Line” is a big mark of who I used to be for many of my life. It is type of like being trapped on this cycle of struggling, making unhealthy choices for your self however you simply cannot cease however you willingly do it since you’re scared to interrupt out and turn into one thing else. Then I wrote “Good Issues Take Time”, three weeks after “Fault Line” got here out and it was the craziest factor as a result of I felt like as soon as “Fault Line” was out on the earth, it could be so cathartic I might turn into a special model of myself. Then “Good Issues Take Time” got here to me in a dream simply weeks later. It was all chemical, mystical, deep, and religious.
Are plenty of your inventive processes grounded within the religious and mystical realm?
Actually, sure. However I really feel like every part in life is, in a approach. It’s not even about my processes—I understand most of life as a really religious and mystical expertise. The track, “I am So Fortunate”. The melody simply was in my head the day earlier than, and the primary line got here to me in a dream, too. I used to be dreaming about this individual that was freaking with my head— properly, I used to be freaking with my very own head on the time projecting on this freaking individual. And I awoke and I had this line in my head! I hadn’t seen them in a very long time and it was like “You’re boycotting actuality, so that you come into my desires.” So there’s undoubtedly a mystical dream component. I do not know, I am nonetheless figuring that out, as a result of I got here to my mother in her desires earlier than I used to be born and informed her my identify. So I really feel like there is a bizarre factor with me and desires that I have not totally tapped into but that I like have to discover extra totally. [Laughs.]
