With a fantastically versatile new album on the way, we caught up with Irish artist Wallis Bird to talk all things ‘Architect’…
Hi Wallis, how are you?
I’m great thank you!
Your new album ‘Architect’ is out next month. What can fans expect from this one?
Energetic rhythms, a deeper darker tone in general, a lot of nods to dance floor tunes and a lot of lyrics about sex.
You moved to Berlin to write it, yeah? How do you feel that impacts on the sound?
Completely. Berlin is a wildly impressionable place. Liberal, spontaneous, infinitely wide awake and poetically in tune with itself and it’s inhabitants. It’s also a visual trip; graffiti is as important as craftsmanship, architecturally. As you might imagine, I lost myself in the city for the writing of this record.
With ‘Architect’ being your 4th album now, have you noticed a change or transition in your sound since your debut?
The records started with a frantic teenagery energy and were naive and a little twee… nowadays, I’m black comedy twee and a little bit filthy. Sort of growing old disgracefully!
What would you say you enjoyed most working on this record?
The process. One week hard work, one week hard party (so I’d have something to write about!)
So once this goes out, you then have the launch in May in London. Looking forward to that?
Uh huh. There’s a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time so I intend to make the gig get everyone in the mood for a good after party.
What are your pre-gig nerves like – have you got any?!
Don’t have any. It turns into ‘don’t give a shit’ boisterousness.
After the album and the launch and all that fun stuff, what’s your biggest goal or ambition music-wise for the next year or so?
Play some prison gigs, re-arrange ‘Architect’ for a gig solely performed by a baroque choir with a space specific light show, write an anonymous erotica book and get to eat Japanese food in Japan.
Will we be catching you at any festivals this year? Give us some hints!
Right now I can’t announce the English leg of festivals… seemingly they will explode if I do…
(So there *are* some English ones!?)Thanks very much for that interview – best of luck with the release!
Thanks love, hopefully see you at the Garage gig!