Q&A: Pool Girl on Debut Album ‘Melancholic Beach Town’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY LUCY BULLINGTON ☆
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
I SIT IDLY AS ALLIE NIXON DRIVES ME THROUGH THE HILLY ROADS OF SILVER LAKE—pointing out favorite coffee shops and friends' houses. At one point, she spots a friend while we wait at a red light on Silver Lake Boulevard. Her friend runs over, and the two briefly chat about catching a World Cup game later that day. Allie introduces me as her journalist friend, and after I mention that I’ve recently moved to Los Feliz, the two take turns showering me with L.A. recommendations. So eager to exchange notes on their favorite spots, Allie ignores the light as it turns green. Only after a small crowd of Silver Lake locals builds up behind us, feigning to go about their day and pick up an oat milk matcha, does Nixon finally peel off, waving goodbye.
As we drive, I learn just how multifaceted Nixon is. Raised in Carpinteria, California, she grew up surfing and making music. In 2024, she released a single under the sobriquet Pool Girl titled “I Like It,” which has since amassed nearly three million streams on Spotify. When I ask about her modeling career (yes, she models, too), she bashfully admits she loves it, though music remains her true passion. Our conversation about her creative outlets is cut short when she pulls up to our destination: her pottery studio.
Inside, she asks if I’d like a mug, a cup or an ashtray. I stop in my tracks. “You’re making me something?”
She ties her apron and laughs. “Of course!”
As Nixon shapes my future mug on the wheel, she opens up about the process behind her debut album, Melancholic Beach Town, out today. “I took a month last year and traveled around France with recording gear, just writing demos,” she tells me.
Her coastal upbringing and European roots translate clearly into every track, drenching you in the Pacific Ocean before dropping you straight into a dark European nightclub. Flitting between the two scenes so seamlessly, the listening experience feels like a cigarette on the beach—or perhaps a piña colada in the South of France.
Read on for the rest of our afternoon together.
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
LUNA: I wanted to first talk about who your inspirations are and how you got into music as a whole. Who did you grow up listening to?
POOL GIRL: I grew up on a lot of “dad music,” honestly. The Beatles and a lot of classic rock. In high school, I really got into finding my own artists. Passion Pit was the first band where I thought, “Oh, I could see myself making music like this,” especially when I first heard synth-pop.
LUNA: What was the process of producing the album? You did it in Europe, right?
POOL GIRL: I did most of the album in Europe, yeah. A lot of my songs start with me writing alone. I like producing demos and writing by myself. Before I even knew it was an album, I was just writing a bunch of songs.
LUNA: Why do you think that is?
POOL GIRL: My music feels so personal that if there are a bunch of people in the room writing with me, I can feel a little lost. When I’m writing lyrics, it’s me processing things, almost like journaling, and I’m shy about sharing everything I’m thinking. Writing alone lets me be more honest. So I took a month last year and traveled around France with recording gear and just started writing demos.
I ended up meeting Clément. He and Michael are the two producers on the album. Once I connected with them, we realized we had such similar taste and vision. They really understood what I was going for and what my inspirations were. That’s where it all really started.
I knew I wanted to make a surf‑rock‑ish album with electronic elements. Something like a Beach House meets The Strokes meets Superorganism kind of vibe.
LUNA: When I was listening, I was like, “This reminds me so much of Beach House but still feels so original.”
POOL GIRL: That’s cool. They’re a huge influence for me.
LUNA: I kept noticing the lyrics, which were my favorite part. What’s your writing process like, and what would you say is the thesis of the album?
POOL GIRL: The more I’ve sat with it, I think the thesis is about movement. Moving on from people, breakups, relationships, moving places and scenes—literally writing it while I was on the move. I felt like I had to leave California, where I’m from, to step back and observe: What’s happening in my life? What am I feeling? Who am I thinking about?
When I first started this project, there was so much momentum. Then it felt like a roller coaster: sometimes nothing seemed to be happening, then suddenly everything was happening at once. The album is about that movement.
That’s why there’s a train on the cover art. In Carpinteria, where I’m from, there’s a train that passes through town. Having it on the cover represents movement for me, but also something central to my hometown. It all added up.
LUNA: What’s your favorite lyric on the album?
POOL GIRL: My favorite lyrics might be in a new song called “Crab.” I added it super last minute. I actually went back to France last month because I felt the album wasn’t fully rounded out. I needed one more song. I took out a song called “Melatonin” and added “Crab,” which is going to be the next single, coming out in about three weeks. It was the fastest turnaround I’ve ever done.
The lyrics in “Crab” are probably my most honest on the whole album. I wrote the song in like 20 minutes. The beginning is: “I knew it wasn’t right from the start / And I knew I was asking for a broken heart.”
They’re really simple, but they came from such a real place.
LUNA: Why is it called “Crab”?
POOL GIRL: I’m a Cancer, which is so annoying. I’m not even super into astrology, but there’s something about intuition and learning to trust it. The “crab” image fit that feeling for me.
LUNA: What’s your favorite lyric from another artist?
POOL GIRL: I’m thinking of a Beach House song. The line: “What comes after this momentary bliss?”
I think it’s from “Myth.” That song destroys me.
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
LUNA: You made this in Europe in about a month. What were you consuming while you were making it: music, art, books?
POOL GIRL: I care a lot about what I’m consuming because I think it really affects my output. I love reading. Last year I read a lot of James Baldwin. I read Giovanni’s Room.
LUNA: I love that book.
POOL GIRL: I was bawling. I’m obsessed. I couldn’t get over it. After that I became obsessed with him. I read Another Country and Go Tell It on the Mountain too. That one’s more of a slow burn, but it’s great.
I also read a psychology book called The Highly Sensitive Person. It’s embarrassing to say, but I love that kind of thing.
In France, I went to a lot of art museums. Sometimes I’d go to a museum in the morning and work on music in the afternoon. Being in nature is really inspiring for me too: being in the sun, being in the water, connecting with what’s around me and then getting introspective after.
LUNA: Some artists say they can’t listen to music while they’re making something because it changes their voice. Do you feel that?
POOL GIRL: I don’t agree. I love listening to music and letting it inspire me. Taking ideas and having my own iteration. I don’t really get the “no music while I’m writing” thing.
LUNA: Was there a moment in your career when you really had to put yourself out there?
POOL GIRL: Definitely launching the Pool Girl project. It’s so vulnerable to put something out there and let people see you trying. That’s not natural for me. But I felt like I had to do it.
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
LUNA: How are you different now from when you released that first song?
POOL GIRL: It’s only been about two years, so it’s still pretty new, but I feel way more confident. I care less about approval and more about the fact that I love making music. I trust my taste more. In the beginning I was always like, “Is this stupid? Do you like this?” constantly seeking validation from friends or people I look up to.
Now I still care what people think, but I also know I have a direction and a sound I like. I feel more sure of myself.
LUNA: You have such an intimate creative process with music. Does it feel similar to your process with ceramics?
POOL GIRL: Honestly, yes. A lot of my ceramics are also inspired by feelings. Music is inspired by my feelings, and ceramics are like turning those feelings into physical objects.
My ceramics are probably more playful overall, but doing both is so important for me. Music is very heady and takes forever. Most of the songs that are about to come out, I wrote a year ago. Ceramics have a faster turnaround; I can create something and have a finished piece in about a month.
LUNA: Do both feel therapeutic?
POOL GIRL: Definitely. Ceramics keep me grounded during the long music process. With ceramics, I can be less serious, see results faster and work with my hands instead of just my head and ears. Getting messy with clay is really good for me.
LUNA: What's the story behind "Frannie You'll Be All Right!"?
POOL GIRL: That song is about my best friend whose name is Frannie. Honestly I thought it was crazy how I’ve written entire songs about people I’ve gone on one date with but I hadn’t written a song about my best friend of 15 years.
LUNA: What are you excited about ahead of your album release?
POOL GIRL: I'm really excited to play shows. I'm hoping to tour this fall.
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
