Blondshell – The SoCal Sound Session
Ahead of the release of If You Asked For A Picture
Interview with Julie Slater – Full Band Performance Live In Studio!
written by: Matt Blake
Blondshell has returned to The SoCal Sound for a bold full band performance and a candid interview with Julie Slater & Jason Friday, all ahead of her sophomore album If You Asked for a Picture, due out May 2 on Partisan Records
The in-studio performance features three tracks from the upcoming record: “T&A”, “What’s Fair”, and “Two Times”.
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The New Album
Between recording the songs, Blondshell sat down with Julie Slater and Jason Friday to discuss the recording of the album, her creative process, and finding traction as her performer. During the interview, Blondshell explains that much of If You Asked for a Picture was written at home – literally in her room- with demo tracks captured on her phone. Emphasizing this point, she explains how that mind space is so important, “ It has to feel really everyday for me to feel comfortable,” she shared. “If there’s too much ceremony around it, it stops feeling natural.”
Blondshell called back her producer of her debut album to also produce this album, Yves Rothman. They recorded it at legendary Sunset Sound in Hollywood,and recorded it in the same process as the first album: start with the home-recorded demos, then build each track layer by layer in the studio. “We tracked for about five to seven days,” she explained, “then brought it back to the studio to build it up.”
Blondshell also explained that the album’s title, If You Asked for a Picture, was inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem Dogfish The title reflects on the idea of an album being a snapshot, because an album can’t tell a full story, but a glimpse of a moment. “You end up how you are because of everything you've been through. And I think that's just a really nice way of looking at other people” and this is where Blondshell is at this moment.
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Full Band Performance
This marks the second SoCal Sound Session, the first session featured a duo performance (which was also live over the air, during the Fall 2023 Pledge Drive!). This session has a bold full band setup:
What’s Next
Blondshell is getting ready for a North American tour in support of the new album, including playing the The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on May 30.
Before that the tour kicks off with an album release show at Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on May 2.
The SoCal Sound Sessions, interviews, and performances are filmed and edited by Matt Blake, recorded and mixed by Tristan Dolce.
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