The Australian rocker on her new documentary, being indecisive, and finding empathy through music.
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
(Yes, she talks exactly like how she sings.)
Im just glad its not too windy, she says with a smile.
For Barnett, talking in Joshua Tree also brings her latest LP full circle.
Im just excited for people to hear the songs, says Barnett.
They kind of have that different life as soon as other people hear them.
Itll be nice to kind of let them go a bit.
The note I wrote after first hearing Turning Green: If Spiders (Kidsmoke) went to therapy.
[Laughs]Yeah, totally.
When you know that musicians can do so much but they dont always do it.
They know when to hold back and when to let loose.
Both songs got that Krautrock thing going.
I really admire people who can just get onstage with this calmness.
The audience leans into them instead of the other way around.
I saw Cate Le Bon play recently and she did exactly that.
And I can imagine Leonard Cohen doing it too.
I saw Arlo Parks play acoustically the other day, just a duo set.
Im glad you mentioned Cohen.
I love your cover of So Long, Marianne.I love that song so much.
Where does that challenge come from?Im not sure what that is.
Probably just a deeper something.
Is there a song or an artist you love but would never want to cover?There are lots.
[Laughs]And I think for many different reasons.
But I find it harder to find songs that I really want to cover.
Things Take Time, Take Timeis mostly you and drummer Stella Mozgawa playing all the instruments.
Sometimes its very sensible, but also it restricts you in certain ways.
Ive never really played all my albums true to the studio version.
I dont think its that important.
But I think this time in the studio, that thought was far from my mind.
Because with COVID, it felt impossible to look into the future.
Even the release of the album, let alone the touring of the album, just seemed so uncertain.
Over the years, Ive had rotating guitarists or keyboard players.
But yeah, its always fun to see how different songs can be.
I would love to have a Bad Seedssize band, a little three-piece choir or a two-piece string section.
I think I gotta wait maybe a couple of albums until its more accessible.
Theres obviously something very powerful and magical about the three-piece layout.
Not that comes to mind or not that keeps me up at night.
But Im sure songs always surprise me.
So were not going to get Avant Gardener with a 500-person choir?Yeah, I dont think so.
Its dating or something.
That was really just a fun project.
We made a lot of it up on the spot.
I havent done that many collaborations, really.
I mean, the newest one would be my album.
I feel like it was a real collaboration with Stella.
We co-produced it and played all the instruments.
I think her style and knowledge are close but different from mine.
Im really inspired by her musically.
I was playing with your new albumsstem mixer, which was a lot offun.
I think someone also suggested putting the actual stems out so people could remix the songs.
I think its this nice way of anybody being able to take apart the song.
I love hearing how people write songs and where the ideas come from and all the layers .
Is there an album youd love to get your hands on the stems?Oh my God.
Thats a really good thought.
Ive always liked vocals, especially solo.
Theyre just so revealing, you know?
Even old Nina Simone tracks or something.
Id love to hear her voice soloed.
Theresthat Prince albumthats just him and a piano and it all just bleeds into each other.
It was a bit broken and a bit shit, and he was kind of mad.
I love finding that out because it paints this whole different version of events.
Oh, I have a broken piano.
Fine, Ill make a classic record.Theres something really special about working within those restrictions.
It was constantly going out of tune, and I just couldnt get it to sound good.
Three Packs a Day is my favorite song of yours, and I love all your non-LP singles.
Im sure one day that would be fun.
All those songs exist, but when theyre not on an album, they kind of get lost.
Itd be fun to one day put them somewhere.
The newAnonymous Clubdocumentary seemed like it was filmed during an intense period of your life.
Are you glad you went through so much documentation of yourself?Im glad I documented that time.
Was this version of yourself so shocking or different than what you were imagining?
[Laughs] Not shocking.
Its like, we should want that as were growing as humans, to see those little things.
And I think thats only ever a good thing.
I think theres just so much, you know?
Theres so much to write about, theres so much to focus on.
I think a lot of it is subconscious for me of these recurring themes.
I mean, there are definitely intentional things.
Relistening to all your records, I was struck by how much empathy I hear in your lyrics.
I think just stopping and considering other people.
What does empathy sound like in someone elses music?I was just thinking as you were saying that.
I think when we lack empathy, it comes from a place of fear.
Sometimes I think those things are just survival.
[Laughs]Or, I dont know.
How can you know everything?
We share stories so that we can have that shared experience or a universal experience.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
