A Quick Chat with Lottie McLeod
Huge congrats on your new EP The Boathouse - what can you share with us about the sounds and themes you explore on the album and what was different this time as you were writing and recording, compared to your last EP, Bug (2025)?
Hello! Thank you so much. I think from a themes perspective, listeners will hear a lot of growth, personally and musically. Iβve learnt a lot about myself through the process of writing and recording and I think that shows in this EP. I think we are always learning but with βBugβ I felt less confident in expressing what I needed to learn from people around me. This time around I felt okay to own what I donβt know, and experiment with sounds, instruments and ideas. Themes are mostly relationship based but with focus on boundaries and knowing when something is not meant for you.
Youβre taking the album on tour this October too - and supporting The Tullamarines and Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos, huge! - what can folks expect from these shows?
I hope thereβs a solid mix of fun, a lot of opportunities to sing along, belt out a few familiar songs and it wouldnβt be a Lottie show without a few βtorch in the air momentsβ. My band are all incredible musicians so the quality of musicianship will give the audience good value for their $20 I think!
The Boathouse EP is named after a real place, The Manly Boathouse in so-called Brisbane - we know itβs not the only local venue mentioned either, with βWednesdays at the Waterlooβ referencing the Waterloo Hotel... can you tell us a little about those local touchstones and their meaning to you, and why The Boathouse felt like the right name for the project?
The Manly Boathouse is about 15 minutes from my home and itβs been a place that I have gone to when I need to connect about meaningful moments, have tricky chats with close people and sometimes just relax. Itβs such a beautiful place, right on the water and Iβve always been drawn to the water so when I was putting all of this together it just felt like a natural fit. Travelling overseas last year, as an adult, I gained a real appreciation for my home city. I feel so lucky to live where I do and while having these tracks that recognise places from home didnβt occur intentionally, I mean I didnβt set out to write about specific places, I think maybe there was a subconscious gratitude in where my head has been at in the last year or two.
You got to take things international in creating this EP - working with Caleb Wright in the US who co-produced The Boathouse along with local producer Josh Beattie - what was that experience like?
Incredible. It could have been terrifying. I was 19, hadnβt travelled much and was so new to collaborating but we were instantly on the same page. Caleb is an incredible producer and I am so excited to go and work with him again.
Do other art forms like film, TV etc influence / show up in your music - if so, how?
Oh for sure. I love film. Iβm no film genius, like donβt ask me to give you a really detailed review where I get super technical but I wanted to be an actor at one point in my life and have always found the movies my absolute ultimate wind down. My therapy is always putting on a comfort show that Iβve seen a thousand times and watching it again. Shows like Gilmour Girls, Sex and the City, Dawsons Creek. You know, dramatic, unrealistic relationships that make me feel warm and fuzzy lol.
Tell us about βThomasβ, the focus track of The Boathouse and the gorgeous split-screen seaside video you put out with it?
I had a clear direction for this. I really wanted to feel like it was connected to the imagery of the EP. Black and White, water themes. But I really had this idea of closing the chapter. So many of these songs have been a reflection of learning about boundaries and what I wonβt accept what doesnβt feel right for me in a relationship so the idea of walking away from that as we close the βBoathouseβ chapter was intentional. Adam brought in some amazing visuals to help achieve that. He did βWATWβ also and killed it so I was so keen to work with him again and I love the result. Dylan, the male lead is a Brisbane actor. Weβve known each other for a long time and I knew heβd be able to really nail what that character looked like in my head. Yeah, I am so happy with it.
Youβve spoken about how much more confident in yourself as a musician and person you feel with the release of this new EP - what advice would you give your younger self, or any young artists just starting out on this path?
Just to be okay with not knowing it all. Every single artist started somewhere and had to learn along the way. I have sooo much learning still to do but actually saying that to people and inviting them to help you out is so empowering. Sounds like all these buzz words but it has helped me so much with finding my sound for this EP.
The Boathouse is so personal yet relatable - we noticed itβs full of names and moments that feel really specific and intentional; would you say you draw from muses when youβre writing? What is the process like for you?
Yes definitely. Almost always. I hope to maintain anonymity for the most part. I mean people in my circle would know who these people are but I do occasionally change names, and sometimes a song can be a combination of people in one story, not necessarily all about the same person, if that makes sense. And sometimes a song might sound really intense but in reality itβs actually not that deep. Sometimes it isβ¦ That deep I mean, and it gives me a sense of closure to lean in and process it. Itβs incredibly cathartic actually.
Can you share with us five things that make you laugh no matter what?
Our dog Frankie, heβs a 9 month old Cavoodle and completely adorable and chaotic all in one ball of fluff. Schitts Creek. Videos of my Dad doing Tik Toks.. He was incredibly uncoordinated. My friend Grace and my sister doing her Michael Jackson moves.
If The Boathouse was a movie, who would direct + star in it and why?
I think Megan Park who directed βMy Old Assβ, βFalloutβ and the new series βSterling Pointβ. She seems to capture aquatic backdrops and young adult relationships pretty beautifully. Mmmm, who would star in itβ¦ Thatβs hard. I think it would actually have to be Dylan Fortunaso from the music video, and Daisy Edgar-Jones?
Lottie McLeod β The Boathouse EP Tour 2026
Thu 8 Oct 2026 β Hibernian House β Sydney, NSW
Fri 9 Oct 2026 β Nighthawks β Melbourne, VIC
Sat 10 Oct 2026 β Season Three Space @ Echo & Bounce β Brisbane, QLD
Tickets on sale now
