Q&A: Susannah Joffe Wants You To Fall Down The Rabbit Hole
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY DANY MIRELES ☆
“I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY FOR MUSIC THAT FEELS INTERESTING AND UNALGORITHIMIC, MYSELF INCLUDED.”—With her debut album, Susannah Joffe isn’t interested in playing by the rules. Rather than recreating the sound of “Die Your Daughter,” Joffe set out to make something more particular, unpredictable and unalgorithmic—an album where contradiction becomes its defining language. Dark and whispered lyrics sit alongside strings and shimmering synths, free-form songwriting meets moments of full-blown pop and a 30-second orchestral introduction can become the gateway into a song inspired by The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.
These contrasts also guided Joffe’s production process, where unexpected choices became essential to discovering each track’s identity, from completely rebuilding “End of the World” to finding greater agency as a songwriter, she embraced uncertainty as part of the work itself.
In conversation with Luna, Joffe opens up about finding the identity of the album through its contradictions, taking creative risks and creating music that feels less predictable and more like falling down a rabbit hole. She invites listeners into a world built on contradiction, experimentation and the freedom to step outside the rules.
LUNA: What was the first idea that began shaping the world of your debut album?
JOFFE: I knew that I didn’t just want it to be filled with imitations of “Die Your Daughter,” and that I wanted it to feel new. I feel like people are hungry for music that feels interesting and unalgorithmic, myself included, so I knew that I wanted these songs to be a bit peculiar.
LUNA: How did you approach creating a cohesive identity for the album while allowing each song to have its own personality?
JOFFE: That is actually something that I struggled with internally throughout the entire process. I’m not someone who can make the same thing over and over again, so I always knew my debut album would be chock-full of opposing sounds, genres, etc. I think it wasn’t until the album was finished that I realised that was the identity of the album: contradiction. Dark, whispered lyrics paired against a lush string section and shimmering synth. An almost acapella vocal track just a few songs away from a full-blown synth-pop song. That is what makes this album what it is.
LUNA: What did you learn about your songwriting through the process of making your first full-length record?
JOFFE: I realized my own agency as a songwriter. Traditional structure is so ingrained in us as listeners and writers: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. I realized that I could literally do whatever I wanted as a writer, so there are a lot of songs that are more free-form or just pure chaos.
LUNA: Was there a song that unexpectedly changed the direction of the album as you were creating it?
JOFFE: “End of the World.” I completely redid it after nearly finishing it. It originally was kind of a dark pop song and I hated it, and one day I was listening to an instrumental track on Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys over and over again and had a lightbulb moment of what the song was supposed to be, so we started over from scratch.
LUNA: How did you decide which songs belonged together on the final tracklist?
JOFFE: I wanted the album to end on a more upbeat, hopeful note, and I knew that I wanted to start the album with “Happiness is Just a Myth” because it sets the tone and sonic world of the project. Ending with “Texas Baby” made the most sense to me with the title of the album because it feels like a homecoming and has the perfect bittersweetness. In terms of everything else, it was really just a matter of songs balancing each other out and finding ones that flowed together well.
LUNA: What role did production play in defining the album’s sound? Did the sonic direction change as the record came together?
JOFFE: Production was a huge part of the album. I really wanted to experiment with more instruments and there was a playfulness that was alive in every session. Every song, we had the attitude of, “Fuck it, let’s just try it.” We were recording [a] gong at one point—which did not make the cut, sadly—but I think because of that we were able to create this very unique but also universal, lush, nostalgic sound.
LUNA: “Happiness is Just a Myth” feels like an intriguing introduction to the album’s world. What does the song reveal about the record that listeners might not immediately expect?
JOFFE: Going off of what I said earlier, I think the song itself is full of contradictions and genre-bending. This song encapsulates the entirety of the album. The intro is chaos, loose time, layers and layers of vocals and strings and guitars and flute. To me, the chorus feels like it takes on a completely different world, especially in contrast to the second verse, which feels like very classic lo-fi folk rock. Yet the chorus has this bright, reverberating synth and powerhouse vocals that you don’t find in that genre.
LUNA: Were there any creative risks you took on the album that you’re particularly excited for listeners to hear?
JOFFE: I think the lack of traditional structure on a lot of the tracks was a big risk, especially with “End of the World,” because it starts with a 30-second orchestral introduction. I also honestly think that the biggest risk I took was putting a pop song on the album. I know my listeners are much more drawn towards my darker, more indie folk-rock stuff, but I wanted to make a pop song and so I made one. I have no idea if people will like it, but making it felt like being a kid playing dress-up in the best way, and I’m excited to see how it’s received.
LUNA: How did you think about the album as a complete listening experience rather than simply a collection of individual songs?
JOFFE: There were a ton of songs that didn’t make it onto the album, and I think as I was making it, it just became really clear that I was making an album and which songs belonged on it.
LUNA: If “Happiness is Just a Myth” is one doorway into the album, what other doorway would you want listeners to enter through?
JOFFE: “End of the World.” I feel like the intro of that song feels like you’re in Alice in Wonderland falling through a rabbit hole: filled with wonder, dread and curiosity.
