Taylah Carroll Vermont Interview

Vermont Is a Characteristically Wry and Charming Exploration of Personal Baggage

For the past few years, indie darling Taylah Carroll has been honing an impressive catalog of deeply affecting songs that regularly sweep audiences into a perpetual state of awe, with their serene introspection and palpable live emotion. Now, the blossoming singer songwriter is thrilled to finally unveil her first recorded material with the wistful new single, 'Vermont'. Hallmarked by commanding vocals and playful transitions between vulnerability and strength, Carroll's debut, out Wednesday 5 June couples confessional indie-folk and dreamy alt-rock with melodies that wear their influences on their sleeve. To celebrate the release Taylah Carroll will perform an intimate single launch upstairs at Melbourne's Gasometer Hotel this July.

Echoing the subdued tones of folk revolutionaries Sibylle Baier and Mazzy Star, whilst nodding to contemporaries Angel Olsen and Julia Jacklin, Carroll's voice lilts between oaky tenor and moments of pure elation, offering a window into her own journey of self-discovery. A characteristically wry and charming exploration of personal baggage, 'Vermont' is an effortlessly polished affair recorded between Soundpark Studios, Northcote and Electric Dreams Studio, South Melbourne with acclaimed Melbourne producer Tim Harvey (Lisa Mitchell, Gena Rose Bruce, Jade Imagine) lifting the dynamic production to great heights.

Listen to 'Vermont' here.

"Set in the South-Eastern suburb of Melbourne, 'Vermont' explores the way 'baggage' and heartache from our past, inform the way we behave in future relationships. My parents had a really messy divorce when I was 10, and at the time, we were living in the eastern burbs. I think that I learnt a great deal about love, and pain, and attachment, and hurt in those years, and I think experiences like that really effect how we behave with people we love later on in life. And the bit about the trees? I wanted to juxtapose nature and suburbia, a way of highlighting partly, where my personal baggage stems from, whilst also hinting that some things grow despite themselves. The crux of the song is hopeful, a kinda 'It will all be ok anyway' message. If a tree can grow here, I can grow here. A little bit stubborn." – Taylah Carroll

A regular frequenter of the local pub and live music circuit of Melbourne, Taylah Carroll cut her teeth playing iconic inner north venues such as The Workers Club, The Wesley Anne, and The Grace Darling Hotel and has supported Powderfinger's Darren Middleton at The Northcote Social Club on the Melbourne leg of his recent Australian tour. Over the past two years, Carroll has been mentored by internationally renowned Australian artist Olympia and was recently invited as the main support for Harrison Storm's upcoming Australian tour this August off the back of impressive festival sets at Let Go Fest and Live n Local. An artist-on-the-rise, Taylah Carroll's live performances strike a chord with listeners from all walks of life, navigating the anxieties, fears and love that both plague and embellish our lives and uniting the commonality of all human experience through a nuanced and detailed lens.

'VERMONT' SINGLE LAUNCH SHOW
Thursday 4 July – The Gaso Upstairs, Melbourne

Other Upcoming Shows
August 8 – August 17 – Supporting Harrison Storm on National Tour

Interview with Taylah Carroll

Question: How would you describe your music?

Taylah Carroll: Indie-Folk meets Alt-(Soft) Rock.


Question: Was it difficult reliving certain aspects of your life when writing Vermont?

Taylah Carroll: Not really at all. As a songwriter, who generally writes about sad things, I'm pretty used to shutting off the painful aspects of memories and channeling the experiences in a way that feels productive and empowering. Most times songwriting is cathartic for me. If I'm not being honest with myself, that's when it becomes challenging to write about things. And in those cases, it takes me a while to be able to write about the topic. I don't write in the depths of despair (laughs), but in the calm that follows… once I've collected my thoughts and made sense of the pain.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Taylah Carroll: Writing is really spontaneous for me! I never sit down to write intentionally (though I probably should), the songs just come when they want to, and I try my best to catch them.


Question: What message do you hope Vermont spreads?

Taylah Carroll: That we all have issues; we've all loved and not been loved right in return. If music is good for achieving anything, I think it's highlighting the commonality of human experience. If Vermont can do that for someone, then it's done its job.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Taylah Carroll: It changes all the time! Normally it's the one I've most recently written in my set. That's the one that is most emotionally fresh, so you can really sink into the place it was written from. At the moment it's a song I wrote one morning after a really sad shower. It's pretty intense, and I get to give it a good belt which is fun.


Question: What should we expect from the upcoming single launch?

Taylah Carroll: I'm playing with a band, so there will be plenty of slow grooving action going on, hopefully in the audience too. Some awkward attempts at stage chat between songs from me, a considered set-list, and an emotive performance of emotive songs.

Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Taylah Carroll: My late Grandad.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Taylah Carroll: Oh gosh! Recording is more creatively fulfilling, but also more testing. Obviously it's really rewarding when you make something out of nothing at the end of the process and walk away with a new and complete song! The best! But, performing gives you more of an immediate high.

As an experience in and of itself I lean towards saying performing takes the cake. It connects you to your audience in the most tangible way, and you feed off of all the energies around you which can be intoxicating and exhilarating. But my answer might change next time I come out of a studio haha!


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Taylah Carroll: Big Thief, Angie McMahon, Hannah Blackburn, Phoebe Bridgers and Jeff Buckly for tears, Alpine, Merpire and Olympia for songs that make you think and groove, and The Smiths, B-52's, Mazzy Star, Jade Imagine and Marlon Williams for driving places!


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Taylah Carroll: I think I've always wanted to be doing this. The earliest thing I can think of in terms of observing others in the industry and thinking, "I want to be there…that could be me one day" is probably watching the Spice Girls (laughs). When I was 5 or 6 my uncle bought me a VHS of their tour. I'm not sure which one. I would watch it over and over for hours on end, learning all the songs and moves.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?
Taylah Carroll: Aldous Harding, or Thom Yorke. Can I have both? The thought of collaborating with either of them terrifies me though.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Taylah Carroll: Myself. Overcoming the doubt and fear that had been reinforced by years of being told I should have a backup plan. Also money. Which is such an annoyingly boring answer, but, it's a constant consideration when making moves in this game.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Taylah Carroll: No two days of mine are the same at the moment. I'm working loads of different jobs to keep making the songs and feeding the body (laughs). They vary from shop assistant, to camp leader, to waitress! You can be sure my day will include too much coffee (I drink at least two every morning before I even leave the house), and lots of emails.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Taylah Carroll: The community. I have nothing to compare it to but, being a Musician in Melbourne right now feels comparable to being in a massive, affirming family. Everyone cheers each other on and celebrates each other's successes. It's super wholesome! And if I could answer this question twice, finding strength in my own vulnerability.

Question: Can you share your socials?

Taylah Carroll: Facebook.com/taylahcarrollmusic
@taylahcarrollmusic/
Spotify.com
Triplejunearthed.com/artist/taylah-carroll
Soundcloud.com/taylah-carroll
@CarrollTaylah


Interview by Brooke Hunter