Q&A: Laura-Mary Carter on the power of heartbreak, UFOs, and meeting Kim Deal in the bathroom.
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY EMMI SHOCKLEY ☆
London-born, Irish-rooted Laura-Mary Carter isn’t afraid to show her “softer” side. Carter, one-half of the beloved Brighton alt-rock duo Blood Red Shoes, continues to establish her distinct solo sound with the release of her latest single, “June Gloom.” Carter appropriately describes the track (which features a guest lead from Lee Kiernan of IDLES) as “equal parts funeral planning and cosmic shrug.”
Carter’s debut solo album Bye Bye Jackie was recorded in Hackney with producers Oscar Robertson (Sholto) and David Bardon (Sunglasses for Jaws), and is set for a September 26 release via her label Jazz Life. The album, which Carter calls a “process record,” was incited by heartbreak, but led her to make peace and part with so much more than an ex-lover. The record undulates between bitterness and tenderness, then arcs to a kind of release. All the while, Carter’s distinct, wry, lyrical cleverness finds a way to peak through the gloom.
Carter shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to her storied twenty-year career with the internationally touring Blood Red Shoes. Rather, this solo departure offers fans a deeper, even more revealing look into the creative and emotional world of the songwriter. Where Blood Red Shoes is hard-driving and intensely electric—Carter’s solo sound is intimate and confessional, with clear Americana and ‘60s girl group influences. Her reverence for The Ronettes and well-documented Elvis obsession make themselves known, while I am also reminded of a spooky melodrama akin to The Shangri-Las. At times, her mournful vocals even ring reminiscent of Patsy Cline’s. As Carter’s voice floats hauntingly alongside her Spanish guitar atop electric drum lines, she manages to conjure the ghosts of legends who came before, while setting herself apart in this new Americana, pop-noir landscape.
Keep reading for a conversation with Laura-Mary Carter.
LUNA: Can you tell me a bit about the inspiration behind your newest single, “June Gloom”?
CARTER: “June Gloom" is like a weather report for my emotions. It’s about those waves of depression, and the ups and downs that come with relationships. [The lyric] “It’s always June gloom too soon,” is that feeling when, just as things start to feel good, the clouds roll back in and you’re hit with the heaviness again.
LUNA: I love the music video for this song, too. How did you find yourself in Shibuya, Tokyo, in the iconic Lost in Translation karaoke room? Did the staff know you were shooting this to be released as a music video, or did you just keep it really low-key on the VHS camera?
CARTER: I’m glad you like the video! It was such a fun one to make. The director, Joseff Morgan, and I were having a little holiday after I played a show with my band Blood Red Shoes. Since we’d only flown over for that one show, I thought, I can’t come all the way to Japan and not make the most of it. We packed a lot into seven days, and on the very last day, we went out shopping to find a red outfit because I sing about putting on my red dress in the song, but I’d actually forgotten to pack one.
Joseff is a huge Sofia Coppola fan, and I love Lost in Translation, so when we realized we were staying right near the karaoke place from the film, we had to do it. We figured the room would be booked, but we managed to book it for 11pm after going to see some sumo out of town first. We just acted like we were there for a regular karaoke night, and it helped that there were only two of us. It was so hot and muggy that we were ordering beers nonstop. We sang a few songs to get in the mood, then just went for it.
Shooting on VHS gave it that lo-fi vibe, but the location made it special. It felt right, especially with that lyric about UFOs. [“I’m not sure if you’re aware / There’s unexplained UFOs out there / I swear / But maybe you don’t care.”] I’ve always felt like I relate to the aliens, and being in Tokyo really does make you feel like you are on some other planet in the future.
LUNA: This newest record is entitled Bye Bye Jackie, with the title track as the eleventh and final song. You close the album with a bittersweet farewell to this Jackie character. Is Jackie a person? A pseudonym? A metaphor? All of the above?
CARTER: Yes, Jackie is real. Hope he’s not reading this. He broke my heart, but thank god, to be honest. That kind of set me off on the whole journey of writing this album about love and loss. Not every song is about him, but his name ended up becoming a metaphor for bigger things… life, fresh starts, saying goodbye to things you shouldn’t put up with, quitting the people-pleasing, and letting go of some bad habits of my own. It’s a process record, really. A bittersweet love story and a funeral all in one.
LUNA: Your solo work exhibits this deep sense of reflection, wistfulness, and clear Americana influences–a pretty notable departure from the thrashing, alt-rock sound of Blood Red Shoes. Have you always known you possessed this side of yourself as a songwriter?
CARTER: Yeah, I’ve always had a few sides to me. In my band, I’m probably the more reflective one, but I do love the catharsis that heavier music gives me. Sometimes you just need to make a racket. I think I’m naturally drawn to opposites. Like most artists, there’s more than one outlet, and I’ve never been good at sticking to just one lane.
I was in bands before Blood Red Shoes, from when I was about 13, and I used to DJ around London, playing ‘50s and ‘60s tracks on vinyl in bars. I’ve always loved the USA–I spent time there as a kid, had relatives out there, and even went to Roswell [New Mexico, site of the 1947 Roswell UFO Incident] when I was 11, which probably explains a bit of my obsession with travel, space, and anything a bit out of the ordinary.
So yeah, this side has always been there. But in a band of two, we tend to write about mutual things or shared issues, so it’s not as inward-looking. My solo stuff is just me being me, for better or worse. I probably listen to more country music than rock these days. But I still love heavy, and I still love delicate… I guess I’m just a sucker for polar opposites.
LUNA: Do you think your Irish roots have imbued you with any of these folk music sensibilities and instincts?
CARTER: I’ve thought about this a lot recently, and I think it has. When I think about all the hours I spent as a kid being dragged to a pub to watch live Irish folk music, it’s got to have played a part, right? Those songs and the old-style fiddle bands just tug at my heartstrings. It’s the sound of my growing up. It makes me think of being young, my grandparents, happy times, my sisters’ weddings, and family get-togethers. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself wanting to reconnect with that side of myself more. I think those roots have a way of sneaking into your songs, whether you plan it or not.
LUNA: You’re proudly Elvis-obsessed. When did this love begin?
CARTER: I think it started when I was young and my mum told me Elvis was the most handsome man in the world and the coolest. She wasn’t wrong. What I love about Elvis is that he’s always the gateway to something. You’ll meet a fan, or find something inspired by him, and the moment you start looking, you see just how much influence he had on fashion and culture.
I even helped make a documentary last year about Elvis impersonators [A King Comes To Town], which was fascinating. For some of them, he’s like a religion. They’ve lived their lives in accordance with Elvis. And honestly, everyone needs something to believe in… so why not him? He’s definitely my fashion inspiration.
LUNA: Have you visited Graceland? Or perhaps it’s better to ask, how many times have you visited Graceland?
CARTER: Believe it or not… only once. I was driving through on tour and it was honestly magical, I’m not gonna lie. Then on my last USA tour we ended in Nashville after two and a half months of non-stop shows. The plan was to drive to Memphis afterwards, only five hours, which was nothing compared to the miles we’d been clocking. But I was the driver, and once we stopped, my body just gave up. I was gutted, but it shows how tired I was. So yeah, a visit is definitely due ASAP!
LUNA: I just (very happily) discovered the podcast you co-hosted from 2020-2021 with Carré Kwong Calloway (Queen Kwong), called “Never Meet Your Idols.” You have some heavy-hitting guests on there, from Pat Carney and Kate Nash, to Geoff Barrow and Patty Schemel. I’m sure between this podcast and your relentless tour schedule through the years, you’ve met your fair share of your idols. Do you have a favorite idol encounter you’d like to share?
CARTER: I think my favourite has to be when I met Kim Deal… in the toilet. It was just me and her, and I said, “Hey! You put my band on at ATP” (All Tomorrow’s Parties). The Breeders had curated the [2009] festival and picked us for the lineup, which was a total dream come true. She was like, “OMG, you’re the girl in that band!” and then proceeded to chat to me casually while she went on in the cubicle peeing. I just stood there thinking, “Wow… is this really happening?”
LUNA: I also clocked an early episode of the podcast with Lee Kiernan [of IDLES], who, five years later, features on “June Gloom.” How did you and Lee enter each other’s orbits, and how did that lead to this most recent collaboration?
CARTER: I met Lee while playing with IDLES at a festival. He was a fan of my guitar playing. So yeah, I guess we just clicked. We have loads in common, like an obsession with David Lynch, so we stayed in touch. I played him a couple of my solo songs one day, and he was really into them. He’s been super supportive of my work, but he particularly loved “June Gloom” and asked if he could play on it. I was like, hell yeah. He recorded [the guitar lead] remotely and sent it over, which was amazing, considering how busy he is. I love the George Harrison style he brought to it!
LUNA: What’s your greatest source of fuel now that it’s time to release and tour the record?
CARTER: Red wine and coffee. Seriously, haha. That and getting to share this mad world I’ve created in my head. Jackie has now become a full-on character for me — sometimes they are on a dating site, sometimes they are dead, sometimes they are working at Wendy’s. I love the whole process artistically, seeing if people connect with it. I want as many people as possible to hear it, and then I just want to keep going, keep writing new songs, keep building a body of work. I’m excited to see where it all goes and where it might lead.
LUNA: Is there anything else you’d like to share with Luna about this upcoming album release and new chapter in your career?
CARTER: I’m not sure if you're aware… there’s unexplained UFOs out there… I swear…or maybe… you don’t… care.
