We’ve been hanging out to hear more from Melbourne-based melodist Ainslie Wills for a little while now and finally gearing up to its official release date, she’s is today giving us a sneak preview of her stunning new EP.
Titled Oh The Gold, it’s the follow on from 2013’s acclaimed debut album You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine – which catapulted Wills into the public consciousness with nominations for both the prestigious Australian Music Prize and the Melbourne Music Prize.
After once again teaming up long-term writing partner Lawrence Folvig and joining forces with burgeoning production dynamo Matt Redlich (Holy Holy/Thief/Emma Louise) the crew decamped to outer-Brisbane studio Grandma’s Place where they bunkered down to work on what would become Oh The Gold.
To celebrate this incredible new EP, Wills has given us a track by rack run down of the EP which you can check out below along with the stream. Check it out below and if you like what you’re hearing pop by www.ainsliewills.com to pre-order the EP.
Drive
Reference artists – Olivia Newton John, Radiohead,
“This was the first song to be recorded with Matt Redlich – producer extraordinaire, at his studio Grandma’s Place in Brisbane. It was a ‘test the water’ type scenario to see how well we could all work together and what we could come up with.
I’d written most of the track with a bass line and melody on top then took it to Lawrence Folvig aka Lawz-man who put his magic over it with the added guitar parts and counter melodies. The earlier demo’s didn’t have the bridge and outro until Matt suggested that the song needed a lift, those parts were then composed and have become my favourite sections of the song especially when Lawrence rips into that guitar solo.”
Hawaii
Reference artists – Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Farnsy, Peter Gabriel
“The earliest demo of Hawaii sounded like a Rufus Wainwright song , just voice and piano and some bizzaro chords. After a while it took a turn when I started mucking around with a hawaiian slide guitar sound and a Phil Collins-inspired drum part which stuck from that point on.
The lyrics were inspired by someone close to me who was going through some tricky relationship stuff. I was pondering after a conversation I had with her about how much expectation we place on how romantic relationships should look like/be like. This song is about acceptance and celebrating the idiosyncrasies that exist within these complex relationships.”
Constellations
Reference artist’s – Boards Of Canada, Tori Amos
“This song started with a series of chord progressions that Lawrence had come up with on guitar but soon after decided they would sound better on piano which definitely help set the mood of the piece.
We were changing the form and the amount of sections in the song right up until the day we started tracking, it was our producer Matt who finally helped us fit the pieces together as you hear them now.
The lyrics are based on a memory from my childhood that I had forgotten about until I started jamming lyrics over the chords that Lawz had given me . A lot of the time when you are in writing mode the songs’ meaning, origin or importance aren’t exactly clear until the end. You aren’t starting out with the idea “i’m going to write a song about the time I was on a trampoline as a kid watching the stars” rather the lyrics roll out in front of you and you stitch a narrative together from there.”
Never Know What To Say
Reference artists – Q-tip, Joan As Police Woman, Here We Go Magic
“This is definitely one of the more experimental tunes of the bunch as well as being the first song that was written for the EP. I kinda think of it as a sonic accompaniment to a dream state or a particular mood rather than a song in the traditional sense. Most of the ambient sounds are the original takes from the demo including some of the unusual vocal textures in the piece.
Sometimes when you try and recreate something from a demo it works well however other times it doesn’t at all, it’s nice when you can include parts that have vibe but were never intended to be on the finished product.”
But I’ll Try
Reference artists – The Pretenders, Olivia Newton John
“‘But I’ll Try’ almost didn’t make it onto the EP mostly due to the fact that Lawz and I thought it was too pop for our liking and didn’t have any edge to it like some of the other tracks do. It took about a day to write and thanks to some outside encouragement, made it on to the EP.
Matt helped give it some much needed vibe with the addition of a sweet synth sound and just generally made it float nicely like it should on a pink cloud of unrequited love. I’m not sure if that sentence makes sense, it does in my head.”
Sorry My Love
Reference artists – Feist, Daniel Rossen, St Vincent
“We decided to end the EP with a song that was recorded at our home studio set up. The vocals and guitar parts are the original demo takes and the shift that happens at the end was brought together nicely by Lawrence.
The song was written at a time when I had said too much to a loved one in an attempt to try and fix a particular situation, it didn’t bode well and so I went away and wrote this song in attempt to understand what was going on.
In closing, if you’ve read this far, thank you for taking an interest in the music, it means a lot.
We hope you enjoy this labour of love, love Ainslie + Lawrence xx”
‘Oh The Gold’ Tour Dates
Friday 23 October
Howler – Melbourne, VIC
Thursday 29 October
Newtown Social Club, NSW
Saturday 31 October
Black Bear Lodge – Brisbane, QLD
