Interview | St. Vincent
Ahead of Annie Clark’s seventh album, Kate Puttick learns why the studio is both her heaven and her hell, and why there’s still a place for drum machines even when you’ve got Dave Grohl to hand…
All Born Screaming is not just any old St Vincent record. The new 10-track release finds all-round musical powerhouse and global superstar Annie Clark on fire – both creatively, and in her press pics. The album marks the first time the Texan has sat alone at the head of the table with full production credits to her name.
Of course, it’s always been clear that Clark has considerable artistic chops from the moment she moved from backing band member of the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens in their ’00s heydays, up the pearly staircase of fame to top charts alongside David Byrne, stand in for Kurt Cobain in Nirvana legacy shows and pen hits for Taylor Swift alongside star producer Jack Antonoff. All while shredding masterfully as she went.
But up there in the big leagues, the noise can get loud. And putting herself back in the driving seat was an antidote for Clark.
“I think [taking on the producer role] was how I learned how to hear myself,” she explains. “It was something that I’d done on all of my records but I hadn’t been the main filter in the room and I know that emotionally there were places you could only find on your own.”
Clark continues: “Being an artist, that’s the main thing you want. If you’re a singer you want people to know it’s you just from one note. I wanted to have that same kind of recognisable voice as a producer. So I went all-in.”
Given the chance to chat to the busy musician ahead of her full promotional schedule – as well as a chance to preview All Born Screaming in all of its glory – we found an artist and producer at the height of her production powers.
But, also, one who was more than willing to dig deep on her modular synth “sickness”, choosing between Dave Grohl and drum machines, and the importance of committing to a sound…
Studio heaven
The makings of Clark’s studio journey started in her early teens with a Tascam cassette 4-track. Her cheerleaders at the time were a computer-mad stepdad and her successful jazz duo aunt and uncle (aka Tuck &Patti, who have gone on to tour with her). Her weapon of choice back then was a PC-based recording system based around Cakewalk Pro Audio accompanied by plentiful outboard gear. Clark recounts happy days singing Billie Holiday melodies and practising guitar.
Fast forward to 2022, as she began to write this new record, fresh from the promotional cycle for Daddy’s Home, and the people she calls her “wrecking crew” of aco
