Until The Ribbon Breaks Shares Exclusive Performance of New Single Everything Else But Rain
You’ve come through a huge personal journey with this record, can you tell us about the biggest changes in how you work now?
That’s a great opener! Straight in the deep end. I like it.
– There was no pre-conception of this album, I had hung up my hat as ‘Until The Ribbon Breaks’. It crept up on me gently and over time. I think the lesson I take from that and to answer your question, is that I try to leave my mind at the door. I have learned to simply follow my curiosity, the same instincts I had as a child. To not concern myself with the results, only the process.
We’re seeing more and more artists get real about how the hedonism of touring is something they want to leave behind, can you tell us more about your journey and how you plan to stay healthy on future tours?
My journey with addiction, as a result of untreated mental health disorders, began a long time before I ever went on tour. But like many things with substance abuse, what starts off as your friend turns on you very quickly. That is to say, for an addict, having a job where drinking at work is socially acceptable – catapulted, validated, and helped disguise my addiction.
I cannot wait to play this music live. Perhaps more than at any other time in my career. I would love to be present for an Until The Ribbon Breaks show! For me, the key is setting boundaries. The peace I have found in sobriety and therapy is worth more to me than all the tea in China, so I just can’t trick myself anymore with the promise of ‘success, money, ambition’. They all pale in comparison to my mental health. That might mean less shows, but the right shows.
What was it that drew you back to music and what’s been the best part of this new journey for you?
Music was never a choice for me really. Both of my parents are professional musicians. I think I was just putting off the inevitable. By the time I realized what was happening, there was half an album written. The best part of journey has been the rediscovery of the child who just wants to play in the sand pit. At some point along the way, we all become a part of the outside world. The adult world, with its deadlines and it’s pressure. I decided that if I was going to do this again, I would let go of the wheel. It’s none of my business what happens to my art once it leaves my hands. Peter Pan, that is my new hero.
What are you most excited for now?
Every day, every part of the creating of the world around this body of work has been such a joy and continues to be. It’s an endless vehicle through which I can create. The visuals are now the focus, which was always my other great passion. The videos, the artwork, the live show, it’s all just an extension of the universe around the music. I feel an incredible sense of gratitude to still be doing what I love. It all feels new again.
Have there been any fun new discoveries for you with this record?
Another one of the commitments I made this time was the decision to not hide my voice behind production. The words have always been very personal and such an integral part of my process, but I think historically I self-consciously buried them in sound. This time my heart is very firmly on my sleeve and as a result it’s more open, it’s more conversational. The door is open and that’s been a very healing process.
What’s coming up this year that you’re excited about?
Tomorrow
