Tomorrow Friday June 6th marks the release if Australia blues/roots legend Mia Dyson’s fifth LP Idyllwild (via MGM).
Having previously released four critically- acclaimed albums, all of which have been nominated or won ARIA Awards Mia has set a tough precedent for herself, however with Idyllwild it’s one she managed to live up to.
Mia says of her songwriting technique on Idyllwild “It’s taken five albums to let go and step into the dark. I’m following songs where they lead me now. It’s unpredictable, where they’ll go. As the process unfolds the songs reveal themselves. I’ve learned to trust the process, trust the skills I’ve built up, the people I’ve chosen to surround myself with.” In celebration of the record’s release Mia has given us a track by track run down of the new album.
Idyllwild
“I got hitched not that long ago at the Los Angeles county courthouse and afterwards, we found ourselves driving up into the mountains to this little town called Idyllwild, sort of laying our decision out there and celebrating in the natural world. It was a surreal, utopian journey and out of it came this frenetic, high-spirited song, stylistically influenced by bands from my 80s childhood like Elvis Costello & Talking Heads.”
Growing Up
“It’s accepting that most of us come from some fundamentally tangled up, strange beginning and as we grow up we can try to let that go, to see control as an illusion and surrender. This song was a real exploration in sounds in the studio as we ran one instrument into another and followed down all kinds of leads.”
When We’re Older
“Looking down the road to being old I wonder about how I will be perceived at that point. It seems that the world starts to ignore people as they get older, but it doesn’t have to be a dark, sad thing. There could be a freedom waiting for us & I want to embrace what comes with age, celebrating the idea of growing older with the person I love, hoping our love lasts that long. Seeing the true beauty of the world & each other.”
That Sugar
“Sugar only lasts a while — and it can be addictive, that search — whether it’s for material things, for success, for finding someone. We had a lot of fun recording this one, all pitching in to create the percussion that supports the song, throwing everything to hand near a microphone.”
Any 3 Chords
“When I’m writing for an album, I try to keep a steady routine. I sit down every morning for an hour or so with my guitar. It’s often an excruciating hour and sometimes a transcendent one, but I usually feel like I’m on the other side of a wall just listening in, wishing I could get through that to where the song is waiting. This song serves as a sort of manifesto, not just about that, but about playing gigs, being in a band. It’s reminding myself what I’m in it for.”
Made From The Same Clay
“In moving to Los Angeles I was confronted by the rampant and very visible homelessness. I felt shame and powerlessness and a real visceral sense that under different circumstances that could be me on the street. I had some heavy influence from John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band record on this one. We took some extreme measures with the drum and piano sounds and used mellotron for the first time.”
She Can’t Take The World
“During the writing of this record, we lost a very dear part of our band’s family to a long and hard-fought battle with cancer. I had the privilege to bear witness to this woman’s final days surrounded by her family, and her very swift disappearance from the earth. The confrontation with death and the way it brought people together affected me deeply.”
Want You There
“Our producer and friend Pat Cupples wrote this song about a year ago with me in mind and it offered this whole new experience – to inhabit a song and interpret it as if it were my own. I loved the simplicity of the lyric and how hypnotic it became with the band. The sentiment is so tender while still being empowered and genuine.”
Mama Was
“One of the revelations of growing up is coming to see your parents as people — people who were once your age, with their own dreams and desires. That parental mystery takes on a whole new meaning when you start to see more clearly as an adult how things might have come to go down the way they did, what led them to make certain decisions. And even still, it can remain totally confusing. I wanted to explore that with empathy, but still it’s hard to avoid the heartache inherent in it.”
Crazy Horse
“The stories and images of the American West have always inspired me. I read a book called The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, set in the gold rush, wild west era of America. The lead character has a horse who is his companion and quasi-saviour. It’s ultimately a cautionary tale – he’s following down a vein of gold which ultimately leads to their downfall.”
Based On Your Eyes
“The simplicity of classic soul and R&B has a power to move me deeply. Just saying exactly what’s on your mind and not being afraid to shout it from the rooftops when you’ve found whatever it is you’re looking for. In this case, it’s simple, sweet love that has the power to transform.”
