By Amanda AshWas it all pleasant working with Daniel or did it have its trying moments? No, we didn't really have any moments; we would seem to come to the same conclusions as we were discussing stuff. I mean, we both went to art school and it was almost like a way of working that we enjoy, just discussing and being open and creative. And then when we went to the cottage ― it was very important to me that I found the right place to do it. I looked for a while and finally found this beautiful, really big cottage in Nova Scotia on Lake Deception. You had to drive three hours away from home through the woods on this long, winding road, you couldn't see any houses anywhere and then you'd finally get to this place on this beautiful lake. We took the band there; it was really a group effort. I also wondered how it would be, now that my boyfriend was the producer of my band; I didn't know if the band would be used to it, but he's really good at giving direction and they're all good at taking direction, so it was a nice community feeling. On Echoes, we did it really organically and played it all live-off-the-floor, most of the time, but it was so tiring on my voice that I wanted to do the opposite this time. This time, we did it in layers and built upon tracks, which I hadn't really done. Working with Danny was definitely the highlight of my career; it was the most fulfilling thing to be in a relationship with someone and be able to make something so personal.
How personal would you say this record is compared to Orchestra and Echoes? I would say just as personal. I mean, in some ways I feel like I made Echoes and I just wanted to let go of it, put it out there and be done with it. I still play songs from it and everything, but I just felt like I needed to do that. It was almost like a therapy. But for this one, I wanted to make a record because I like making records and I just wanted to make a fun record for the audience; I'm really happy with it. I don't feel like I'm letting go of it; I feel like I'm really enjoying it. [All my records] are personal ― that's the way that I work: I take what's inside of me and put it out. This is what was inside me, at the time.
Lyrically, did you find yourself touching upon certain themes or ideas as you were writing? Well, "How I Met You" is kind of a made-up story in my head. Some of them, like "Getcha Good," stem from a happy place where I can write a fun number instead of being like, "I need to sing about something that is afflicting me and let it out." This is more about feeling a beat inside of you that's different because you're excited and want to share that good feeling. I'm in such a different place than where I was when I made Echoes; I don't have any heartbreak anymore. It's over and I'm really happy and free.
One thing that I noticed when I heard "How I Met You" is you use synthesizers. It's such a huge change in your sound. How did you end up experimenting with them? Kate Bush was one of my influences, as was Phoenix. I just really wanted to get away from that organic sound. At first, I was consumed with "the album with the organic sound that I made on a farm," but a couple years after that you're just like, "I want to shake it off and do something fresh." I know, all of a sudden my band have, like, five keyboards and I don't even know when that happened. We didn't really notice and then we played a show in Halifax and during sound check we were all just like, "Wow, look at all these keyboards. Where did they come from?"
I noticed that there are only ten songs on the record, while Orchestra and Echoes both have 13. We decided that we wanted ten because we started saying "power punch ten" all the time, and we also noticed that all of the records that we loved had ten songs as well.
Were there more songs that came out of the recording process that ended up getting cut? Yeah, I guess there were lots more that just ended up getting chopped, but they didn't even make it to the band. Things were kind of floating around and these were the ten that I decided to focus on. Once something makes it to the band, it's pretty much "we're going to do this."
When you look back at Honeymoon Punch, in what ways have you grown since you started as an artist? In a lot of ways, actually. Every time I make a record I feel like I'm finding my voice again. It's fun to be able to push yourself and find new pockets you haven't discovered yet. I don't even think that I knew that was something I cared about when I started making music; it was more like a release. Now, I have this audience that comes to shows and I think about them more now when I'm making stuff. Like, if I change my sound, is that okay with everybody? I recognize more that what I make now is a permanent thing that I want to put out into the world, and when I put it out it will be there forever. So, what I say matters. This time, I wanted to make something that brings people happiness ― that's my goal for this one. If that's possible, great.
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