A Quick Chat with The September Curse

You’ve already released three singles in the lead-up to your self-titled debut EP, The September Curse. How do these tracks set the emotional and sonic tone for the full project, and what can listeners expect from the remaining songs?

The three songs that are already out celebrate the three different sonic elements of the EP. “Dream Come True” showcases the pop/punk inspired elements, “this one’s about disassociation.” explores the acoustic elements, and “Microdosing” highlights the cinematic side. In terms of the emotional/lyrical side, the EP is broken into two things: romance and disassociation – my two neverending battles. There are three songs for each in the EP that intertwine around each other, exploring how romance came to affect my identity at the time of writing.
The three songs that you’re yet to hear explore these things from different perspectives and in different ways (feelings of shame, exhaustion, and the excitement of a new crush, for example). The EP acts as a time capsule of the first time I ever felt like my life was ‘finally beginning.’

You’re marking the release of The September Curse with a special show at Bootleggers in Newtown on May 23, presented by Qona Creative. How are you approaching this live performance, and what kind of experience do you want to create for the audience?

I’m really excited for the show! The shows I’ve done were just me and a ukulele, this time, I’ve teamed up with some of my best friends to play a set that feels true to my sound and the magic of the EP. I’ve never played with a band before, but I’m hoping it will help bring the audience fully into my world. I want the show to be an opportunity to tell the stories behind each song, really going into detail about the characters and moments I document in the EP. I also have a couple of surprises and sneak peeks at the future planned for my set.
The show features Lovehouse and Tayalealani, who I’ve been creating content with for social media! Taya and I have a lot of fun working on music together, and we really wanted to bring our friendship and connection to the stage to create a unique and wholesome night. We want the audience to feel like they’re just hanging out with friends at a sleepover in a room full of candles and posters all over the walls.

This EP dives deep into themes like unrequited love, unmet expectations, and dissociation. Which track felt the most personal or cathartic to write, and why?

I wrote all of these songs in 2022 and they're all incredibly personal – I don’t know how to create any other way. I think at the time of writing, “Microdosing” was the most cathartic because it was something I wrote as a final goodbye to what had been a very confusing friendship. It was also, at the time, the best song I’d ever written.
In terms of recording, though, “Idealized Love” holds a special place in my heart. It's a song that explores the fantasy of romance I grew up with and how confusing it felt to not have that met and feel like a failure because of it. I wrote it in one context, thought it was over and I’d never feel like that again, and then recorded it with a different context in mind – it almost came back around to haunt me and I almost hate the metaphorical spirit that is song because of it. It was the last thing we recorded and some of the takes have me crying in them, I'm not sure if we used any of those in the end though. It also came out really different to how I saw it initially and pushed me so much creatively – I’m super proud of that one.

Your music draws influence from artists like Ethel Cain and Paramore, but you also place a lot of importance on storytelling and visuals. How does your visual identity reflect the emotional world of the EP?

Visually, my chosen colours for the project are orange and purple – one bright, one dark – to illustrate the juxtaposition and contrast of every element of life. Much like the contrast of bright and dark in the sound and lyrics, and the ways I view identity, romance, mentality, and all the other themes I explore in my work. The nightmare within the fairytale, let’s say.
Within that, I also use a lot of scrapbooking techniques and lino doodle work (created by my wonderful friend Delaney) to link it to diary entries and scrapbooking. These visuals feel handmade and personal, half fairy, half emo, much like how my outfits are styled.

Working with producers Noah Murphy and Callen Batson helped shape the EP’s sound. Can you share any standout moments from that creative process that really brought the vision of The September Curse to life?

Noah and I collaborate extremely smoothly, we sort of manage to dance around each other’s ideas to make the work more inspired. I went into this project feeling a little scared and unsure of myself but through working with Noah and Callen I’ve learned how to direct and how to be more confident about this project. They’ve made me feel okay with being assertive, passionate, and excited about creating. My friendship with them has really nurtured who I am and how many risks I’m willing to take creatively.
I will never get over how many times Noah and I sent Callen back to make changes on mixes because we wanted to hear a little detail in a different way – these two have been incredibly patient with me and incredibly loving and encouraging and it’s made me believe in myself and my work way more than I ever have.
In saying all that though, every moment with Noah in the home studio is a standout moment because those moments also included Quinn the dog, a hot tea, and tortilla chips.

Now that The September Curse is about to be released, what does this EP represent to you at this point in your journey as an artist, and what do you hope listeners feel when they hear it front to back?

I hope listeners feel like they’ve stepped into a new fairy world and they reconnect with a version of themselves they miss, a version that was excited to be alive, to be in love, and to be unique. I want listeners to be devastated, but I also want them to have a lot of fun.
This EP is something that fully documents a very important time of my life, a time when I was just starting to understand who I was (albeit a version of myself that didn’t last very long who I’m trying to revive as we speak) and where I was going (a place I’m still battling with) and so I hope that it helps listeners heal from discovering the crushing reality of existence in the same way that creating the EP has helped me start to heal from it.
In saying that though, whatever people take from it is a win and I’d love to hear the stories and the sorts of memories the EP brings back for them.