Talulah Paisley Announces LP | Shares “What’s It Like?” Single + Video | Fool Due Out June 11th
Brooklyn-based artist Lyris Faron, or the front-woman for the experimental rock band Talulah Paisley, is as whimsical and quirky as she is talented and captivating. A former vocalist for both T-Rextasy (Father/Daughter) and Sloppy Jane (Dead Oceans), Faron has also opened for acts like Frankie Cosmos and Water From Your Eyes, making her no stranger to the stage.
After spending the last decade recording songs in her bedroom and sharing them on Bandcamp, the versatile musician is now set to release her first studio album, Fool, due out on June 11th via The People’s Coalition of Tandy. The debut LP is a rock concept album in which Faron performs on around 15 instruments along with a group of collaborators.
Today, Talulah Paisley is releasing the first single ahead of Fool’s release, “What’s It Like?” an endearing and heartfelt track that reflects on the passage of time and the inevitable changes that come with it. With a sense of curiosity about the future, Faron wonders what it’s like, “flying on business from LA to New York City,” and “building a lifetime with someone that you love.”
Lyris Faron (aka Talulah Paisley) on the track, “I wrote this song when I was about to graduate from college. I had my entire life ahead of me and I feared I wouldn’t live up to its promise…what if.. I did nothing with my life? What if I am a waste? I make no impact, no connection? I played and sang all the instruments on the track except that whistle- that was my bandmate, sweet Athena from the band Awksymoron. This song marks the first time I’ve ever recorded drums! The idea for the music video came from how I always notice little things on the street in NYC, and I pick them up and keep them- playing cards, dice, those plastic neon barrettes you wore when you were a little girl. I feel these objects are magical, and a reminder to play. I hand-painted the bike, helmet and spray painted the roses. I also handmade the costume. It was inspired by the incredibly brave and graceful lady lion tamers of circus’ past, who risked their lives in the name of spectacle.”
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
What inspired you to lead the album rollout with “What’s It Like?”? How do you feel it represents the themes or tone of the full album?
I feel like this is one of the more energetic ones, and the poppiest song on the record! I call it my “punk Dua Lipa” one. I wanted the first song people hear to be Accessible. The album can be pretty wonky, off-kilter, and I think this is that sweet spot between my personal unique tastes and accessibility. That is where some of the greatest art lives IMO (see: the record Celebrity Skin by Hole.) Yes, it represents the themes. The album is about growing up and big dreams!
You’ve played around 15 instruments on Fool, making this a highly personal and diverse project. How did you decide which instruments and sounds best suited each song, and what was the process of recording them all like?
A lot of the point of playing all these instruments was that I wanted to grow! I didn’t really know how to play them at the start of writing and recording, and taught myself most of them along the way. Like I had never recorded drums before and that was a distinct goal of mine. “What’s It Like?” is the first time I ever recorded drums! Some of the instruments were pretty instinctual, like kazoo! Or mellotron- which is just a different kind of keyboard, which I had just taken some lessons for. So instruments like these, I just used as a texture from time to time.
But for drums, it was a big challenge so I could only do so much stylistically. Or for some songs, I knew immediately what I wanted the accompanying parts to be, but sometimes I really had no idea. That is when I brought in my lovely bandmates to save the day! On the record, the band is Leo Frampton, who appears on bass and keys, and played in the freaky groovy band Salamander, who I have collaborated with. Vic Guillem is on drums, who played in Human People- NYC DIY legends!!! And Athena, who plays violin and who just released a gorgeous EP for their band Awksymoron. I have known all these people for 10-15 years, and gotten to witness their various creations over time. It is a true magic, and an honor, to get to play music with your friends.
How did your time with T-Rextasy and Sloppy Jane shape your approach to creating music with Talulah Paisley? Do these projects draw from different influences, or do you see common threads between them?
Well in T-Rextasy I learned so much. Once a roadpup, now a roaddog…We played 300 shows across the US and Canada mostly when we were around 20 years old and barely knew how to drive. We toured with Mannequin Pussy, Free Cake for Every Creature and got to open for bands like Girlpool and Downtown Boys. I saw America, several times over, and learned how to sing. One of the first tours we went on was I think 14 sets in 17 days. So I had no choice not to learn how to sing- to find my style and hone my technique. We grew incredibly close in that minivan- so close that I felt like at times I could read everybody’s minds! It was an incredibly special and thrilling way to grow up, and I am really proud of our beautiful music.
In Sloppy Jane, I continued to learn so much, and be incredibly inspired. One of the reasons why T-Rextasy parted ways was because everyone wanted to try out different career paths, and I came to realize that I was the only one who wanted to do music as mine. This was a sort of lonely feeling. And in Sloppy Jane, it felt really refreshing, and like I belonged, because everyone in the band wanted to be a career musician. Haley gave me so much courage.
She has an incredible work ethic and she has always operated at such a high caliber of musicianship and performance. Not to mention her fearlessness- to her, no idea is impossible. I really think she is one of the greatest in the game, a legend. I also got to be a better singer- developed my ear more, and she also writes these complex harmonies and that inspired me as well. We lived just a few blocks away from each other in Williamsburg at the time and I stopped by her practice space a lot to hear how her songs for the record Madison were coming along (the one she recorded in a literal cave.) I will forever be grateful for this era!
Both bands share a 60’s inspiration, an out-of-the-box approach to songwriting, and a BOLDNESS in the vocals! It’s so popular right now to only whisper-sing. Vocalists of the world, I challenge you: use your full voice! The voice, the diaphragm can do so much, why not use it? In the words of my friend Mel from the shimmery band Sero, “Using your full voice requires vulnerability. And listeners don’t know they need this, but they do.”
Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Youtube | Soundcloud | Bandcamp
