What was described as the genesis of Brighter Later began during a two year journey living in New Orleans where singer songwriter Jaye Kranz realised she wanted to start playing music again. Much of what is described in their debut album is reflective of this passage of time, stemming from the resultant reflections of being away from home. Recorded in a converted church, The Wolves alludes to winter recluses and is spoken with thoughtful and delicate production yet warmed with shy and becoming vocals. Brighter Later front woman, Jaye Kranz, discusses animal totems, songwriting and recording in a sacred space.
How did spending two years away from Australia reignite your spark for music?
In some ways, I’m not sure I can explain how and I think that’s one of the nice parts of it. Sometimes just being away from everything and everyone you know opens you up in ways you can’t predict. You can stray from the path you’re on without anyone noticing. Perhaps it was being in such sheer proximity - literally - to so much of the music I loved. In New York, I remember being able to see people play down the road from me that I couldn't believe could play, you know…just down the road! It spoilt me in that way. But also, maybe it just flushed the music back into me somehow.
What was the reason for your music hiatus before living in New Orleans?
I’m not sure if it was a hiatus because I hadn’t really seen it as something I’d stopped, and I didn’t know I would be going back to it. I guess this happens to a lot of people - you start university, your life opens up, you do so many things and you can’t do everything. I was predominantly a writer during that period. It (writing) felt like the right place to put my creative energy then and I’m grateful that I’ve kept writing in some capacity ever since. It fed into the songwriting and still does. Also, I was an avid listener. Music needs listeners and that felt like a valid use for the love I had for music inside of me. I volunteered at Triple R for a couple of years too, doing my bit to support local radio and having stints of on-air presenting and playing all kinds of stuff. But now that you mention it, it was definitely a hiatus!
The Wolves is an album inspired by the seasons, and is such very rich in its themes. As much as it is inspired by environment, were there any particular artists that you were listening to at the time which influenced you?
Yes, although not exclusively. I was going through a predominantly ‘current music’ phase. I’d had a long period in my life where I seemed to only listen to dead people. So I was relishing the music of the now. Some off the top of my head were Sparklehorse (he died during pre-production actually), Ray La Montagne, Fleet Foxes, Fleetwood Mac, Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, Joan As Police Woman, Cocteau Twins, Beach House, Lisa Germano, J Tillman, Wilco, Sun Kil Moon, Cat Power…the list goes on. It was a long recording period! More bands are turning to the DIY, home studio approach when recording their music. Your studio, however, has a little more history to it, given that it is a converted church (The Chalk Horse).
How did this space work for recording the album?
Well, it had its good points and bad points. But all in all, we felt super lucky to be able to record there. Once you get over the fact that the life and times of Yarrvaville will spill into the microphones and affect the way you do things - the occasional truck reversing, children screaming, trains going by, thunder and lightning, ice cream trucks, brass bands practicing for Christmas, my own dog going up and down the stairs continuously - then it was perfect! It’s nice in a way that it wasn’t separate from life, which the recording process can sometimes feel like. Since the space doubles up as my home, we didn’t have to feel ‘on the clock’ the way you do in studios, which gave time to play around and really find the right sounds and parts for the songs without pressure.
It also meant I could do vocal takes whenever the inspiration struck. And most of all, I think the space helped achieve that kind of mix of intimacy and openness that I was trying to get in the production values with all that natural reverb and space to inspire the sound and the performances. But at the same time, there was this sense of being in a sacred and safe (almost cave-like) place where you could bare all to the tall ceilings and know nothing could escape the thick bluestone walls. I would do it all over again.
How did you and Virginia initially meet before forming Brighter Later?
I went and studied contemporary music in Northern NSW (Lismore) and Virginia was doing the same course. Lucky for us, the rest is history.
The wolf is a powerful animal totem, often connected with instincts, intelligence, freedom, and valuing the inner voice. Did you resonate with any of these virtues of character whilst recording your debut album The Wolves?
All of those things, I hope...though not always consciously. But yes, they are values I hold dear. We went into the recording process not knowing how the songs would sound at all, so there was a lot of working from instinct that we went with. It was almost like playing into the proverbial black night to see what the night played back. Valuing the inner voice was also particularly relevant here, especially when, musically, there are so many voices out there already speaking so clearly and beautifully and doing it better than one ever will. I remember reading somewhere that the auditory perception of wolves is greater even than that of the fox. So much so, and in some cases, with the ability to hear such low frequencies, that they can literally hear the sound of leaves falling in Autumn. Now there’s some inspiration for tuning in - literally and otherwise.
Upon first listening what would you like new fans to take away with them when they hear your music?
One of the best things about putting music out there is having no idea what people will take away from it and the incredible surprises that come from it. There are always surprises - and such welcome ones - when people take the time to share with you what they found there. Having said that, one of the things that inspired me personally to make music, was having experienced in other people’s music, is this unnameable feeling...like an unmistakable pull to move closer to life; to my own life, to people in my life, to the things that I was doing and to just ‘feel’ more. It’s corny I know, but it’s almost a call to live more fully, whatever that may mean in that moment. I’ll never know if the music of Brighter Later will move someone else to feel that even in the smallest way, but one can always aim for that. At the very least, it keeps you honest.
Famous last words...
“It’s a long way home,” (Track 9).
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