A Quick Chat With Rin McArdle

Congratulations on the release of your debut album! How does it feel to have this out in the world?

Thank you! It feels incredible, this is the first music I’ve released in years and to be releasing an album for anyone I think feels really special. There are always little worries or doubts about how it will be received but the overall feeling is just like relief I think.

You recently shared the single ‘Famous’ - what was the inspiration behind that song? Did anything interesting happen during the writing process?
I think I was just feeling unsure of where I belonged at the time I was writing that song, I couldn’t really connect with any of the people I was around and felt like a bit of an alien, then years later the second half of the song changed and it became about something completely different, it’s the only song on the record that changed and morphed into a new thing from when I thought I’d originally finished it.

Which is your favourite song from the album, and why?

I think Perpetual Propensity because to me that song is very raw and instinctive and it’s also the song I was the most scared of having on the record. I had no idea how the song would turn out and still when I listen to it now it’s like therapy or something, I’m glad I ended up putting it on the record.

We heard that you wrote and played everything on the album, and produced it all as well. Was it challenging wearing so many hats during the recording? 

I really enjoy producing and playing different instruments, it means I can be as creative as I want to be but it at times was a little exhausting because there weren’t really any breaks. I got my engineer Sam to play some bass during the recording so that I could stop for a moment but overall I love the feeling of just being able to kind of make whatever I feel like, it’s very liberating.

What’s your live show like, do you perform with a full band? And what is your favourite show you’ve played?

At the moment I play with a violin player, an electric guitar player and a bass player with me on an acoustic guitar which is put through an electric guitar amp. The live shows tend to be a bit more intense and emotional than how the songs sound recorded but I think it’s different in a good way. So far I think my favourite show was our set for Brunswick Music Festival at The Retreat Hotel earlier this year, the atmosphere felt electric and my band and I all loved it.