Angel Olsen on Grief, Coming Out, and Making a Nation Album

We wrote it in a day—line for line, backwards and forwards. “Massive Time” is type of the story of how we met. I took them to this lake and we went out in a canoe, and I performed “Woman in Pink” as a result of they have been sporting crimson. I used to be like, “I do know you don’t establish as a girl, and we hate that phrase, however I like this tune, and on this second proper now it’s actually particular for me.” And so they simply laughed and received a kick out of it. I feel they have been similar to, whoa, this chick is loopy. Then we went on an extended stroll. We talked all day, after which finally, they have been like, “We haven’t even hugged but.” And so we received up and stood on this hill and hugged and it was insane. I felt so excessive. We hugged earlier than we kissed. We had that feeling first.

Was that the primary tune you wrote for this file?

No, “All of the Good Occasions” I wrote in 2017. After which “Proper Now” and “Ghost On” have been written about my first queer relationship. After that, I wrote fairly just a few songs, like “By way of the Fires” and “Go House,” throughout the summer time of 2020. And “All of the Flowers” was older, too. “Chasing the Solar” was type of written for Beau as nicely. I began writing it after I first met them, and I didn’t end it till winter a 12 months later. However “This Is How It Works,” that’s the tune about my mother. The remainder of them I wrote earlier than all that stuff occurred.

It looks as if this file has a unique relationship to time than your earlier work. It feels much more expansive, such as you could be in dialogue with a few of your former selves, or looking over a much bigger horizon. Does it really feel that solution to you, too?

Yeah. I’ll say it feels extra at peace. The story’s already occurred, and that is the monologue. I feel it’s additionally the way in which it was recorded, the way in which Jonathan helped me. He stored pushing my voice up. I’ve spent the final ten years of my life being like, I don’t need to simply be with a guitar, I would like it to sound like a band. And it seems like a band. However that is the primary time the place I used to be like, let’s put the voice to the entrance and have the phrases be heard and embraced. Perhaps the nation construction simply feels open, too.

On “All of the Flowers,” there’s a softness to your voice that pulls the ear in. Did you’ve a unique relationship along with your voice whereas recording?

As a result of the songs are minimal, I received to sing and fear about my voice just a little bit extra. The way in which issues sound on tape and the way in which my voice is the focus is absolutely completely different. I enunciated in a different way, and received into holding the phrases out. In a whole lot of Americana and nation music, folks maintain out the phrases and lean into it. I loved singing another way. I needed to do one thing that was actually easy and minimal instrumentally, and I feel that made me sing out extra, or sing extra delicately round sure phrases.

Did it take some time to get to that place vocally, or did it come naturally when you have been within the studio?

We file all the things dwell, after which I’ll all the time do a vocal take with out everybody within the room, and that helps. I do the tough vocal for everybody to observe alongside. Typically we maintain it. However different instances, I can get into the cadence of singing higher with out everyone there and having to carry down a rhythm guitar on the similar time. Within the dwell performances which are arising, I’m not taking part in guitar. I’m going to be singing. I like taking part in rhythm guitar, and I’ll most likely play it for a number of the previous songs, nevertheless it’s so good to simply fear about one factor. It modifications the way in which you sing once you don’t need to play an instrument and fear about everybody watching you or holding rhythm with you. It’s been actually enjoyable.