Q&A: Annabel Gutherz Ushers in Chill Girl Summer with her single, “Summer’s Here”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KATHERINE CHUNG ☆
Photo By Chedly Bouzouaia
ANNABEL GUTHERZ KNOWS HOW TO LIVE A SIMPLE LIFE —Her most recent release, “Summer’s Here,” is a sonic postcard that embodies the definition of simple girl summer. This magical, beautiful, and sentimental song serves as a reminder to take a deep breath and enjoy the present.
As an artist, Annabel values nature and growth. Her unique talent lies in crafting lyrical masterpieces inspired by locations, metaphors, and emotions. Written in June, this track emerged as a spontaneous idea she presented to her band and producers without warning. Its minimalistic lyrics and instrumentals evoke the feeling of drifting in a lazy pool.
The visualizer accompanying the track features only Annabel, which may be an intentional decision to encourage viewers to focus on relaxation rather than on following a plot or conflict. Despite being surrounded by trees and grass, she does not miss out on summer essentials: a popsicle, a comfortable summer outfit, and a slow drive with no destination.
With new music that shares similarities with her debut album, we sat down to discuss the past, present, and future of her music career.
Photo By Chedly Bouzouaia
LUNA: I watched the “Summer’s Here” visualizer on YouTube. Do you have a connection with nature and the places you have visited?
GUTHERZ: I do not know. I am not the most nature inclined person. Typically, I feel like I am most inspired when I have the habit of writing at night. I think there is something inevitable about the energy at night. The feeling of being in a dimly lit room and the inspiring ambience.
Specifically for the song I recently released, I was inspired by nature, the outdoors, and the ethereal beauty of summer. Also, how [nature] is so special and enchanting; I do think there is plenty of inspiration to draw from it. There is something sort of liberating about writing or being inspired by anything outdoors.
LUNA: I recognized your love for nature in your debut album, Loose Ends, where you discuss the scenery of mountains. Do you collect postcards from the places you have been to in your music visuals?
GUTHERZ: I do not collect physical postcards, but I feel like from wherever I go, wherever I travel, I always collect sonic postcards. I am always jotting down ideas. My ideas tend to be in the form of melodies. Then I go record those melodies. I feel like in a post-depictorial picture, I am always collecting melodic postcards.
LUNA: I noticed that you wrote this song in June. How did the lyrics come together so fast?
GUTHERZ: This song came together in a few different little serendipitous events where I was humming to myself, and lo and behold, a song emerged. I had a studio session coming up with the band. I was like, “Hey, why don’t we play what I wrote?” I had recently written it. The band didn’t even get to hear the topline. Everyone poured their expertise into this moment. When we came back together, we were like, “I think we have a song.” It felt so alive. All the imperfections and idiosyncrasies came together to create this song that felt like a breath of summer air.
We had to re-record some vocals because of the bleed on the microphone. We were not able to do harmonies the same day, but everything else was captured in that one moment in time, which is what I feel like summer is about. It is this moment of magic and serendipity that we strive to have. It is a fleeting moment that we want to hold onto. I am still processing it.
LUNA: In your “Summer’s Here,” visualizer, you are the only one featured in it. What summer activity would you do if you had the chance to film a music video?
GUTHERZ: Interestingly, I did not have access to a body of water for our visualizer. But I do feel like something aquatic would feel fitting for this song. Maybe running in the ocean or swimming in a lake. I am being called to say something with a body of water - maybe running, or swimming, or boating. Something with water for sure.
LUNA: Your vibes, lyrics, visualizers, and overall aesthetic exhibit a minimalistic style. Could you elaborate on the subtle, minimalistic elements present in your music?
GUTHERZ: The small things make up a larger whole, and sometimes less is more. Occasionally, outside of my music, I can be more flowery and detailed. In my music, I am still able to decipher complex feelings, emotions, verbiage, and sonic palettes. I try to focus on creating impact and being effective in a way that will reach most people.
LUNA: On your debut album, “Mountain Man” is the leading track. Does that song have any connection to “Summer’s Here”? They seem to share an interesting parallel.
GUTHERZ: “Mountain Man” was one of the first songs I wrote. It was a precursor to this sound that I would be exploring more fervently as I grew through music. I feel like it was one of the first songs where I captured the essence of who I am. The grounded and earthy qualities of “Mountain Man” are aspects I aim to embody in my future music. It forecasted what was to come.
LUNA: I love the simplicity of your music. Do you work with the same producers, songwriters, and band from your debut album, or do you write on your own and then bring ideas to your band?
GUTHERZ: From my debut album to now, I have had the immense pleasure and delight of collaborating with so many incredible producers, artists, and musicians. I still have the great fortune of collaborating with the same people that I worked with on my debut album. “Summer’s Here” was done by the same musicians who played on my first record. It felt like a full-circle moment and almost like a return, getting to play with them and experiment. So working closely with Dominique Messier, my drummer, who was the producer on Loose Ends, helped bring this song together. He is our “unofficial official” band director. Then everyone I worked with poured their heart into it.
Then, in between the songs, I got to work on several songs with Mikal Blue, who is this incredible, multi-hyphenated, extraordinary person. He helped produce some of my songs alongside Bret Mazur, who has such an incredible sense of synthetic tones.
LUNA: In your last interview with Luna, you mentioned you are working on a sophomore album. What are your upcoming plans for the rest of the year?
GUTHERZ: Yes! That is still in the works. It’s coming up. We have been working on new music that is in a similar sonic space to “Summer’s Here” but also to the music that precedes it, like "Showtime, Baby!" and "Dance Around It.” Those are all great indicators as to what is to come sonically, in terms of thematically, and lyrically. It is still exploring themes of love, growth, and becoming. It’s something I try to put in all my music. Capturing those emotional dichotomies and a lot of the songs I write.
