We caught up for a chinwag with total tommy to pick her brain about all things memories, moving cities and music. Spy our chat with the superstar below and wrap your earholes around the brand-spanking-new record Trapezoid this-a-way.

Describe your new album, Trapezoid, in a sentence. She’s scuzzy, brash, a little nostalgic and very unapologetic. 

What’s your favourite memory from making the album? Listening to the demos on the flight home from London to Sydney was sooo special. In particular I played the song “Trapezoid” on repeat the whole flight. It was written on the day I was flying home and it just felt like the most perfect end to this particular trip. I started to see the whole world around the song on that flight – I call it ‘context listening’ because there’s something magical about listening to a song outside of the studio for the first time and having a little taste of how other people might listen to it. 

How did you approach making Trapezoid that was different to how you made your first album, bruises? I guess the main difference between the two albums was time. bruises was written over three years and I could really take my time because I hadn’t started the total tommy project yet – and no one knew it was coming! And then I started writing for this album Trapezoid about a year after my first record came out. The whole process was a lot quicker than bruises. I wrote the songs over about six months between London and Sydney and then recorded them in London. We’d been touring a lot and I’d really put my voice through a lot on the road – it was getting pretty raspy and that kind of unlocked a new vocal tone which was a really fun place to start. I came into the studio with about 15 songs and flew to London to work with my friend Tom Stafford. We bunkered down for three weeks and spent so long producing the album together and trying to get every single exact sound I had in my brain. It was super-fun!

How has the changing of cities changed the way you make music? I feel a lot more grounded with where I am in life at the moment, so I think that’s brought more of a quiet confidence to the music. I’m learning who I am as an artist and what I want to say, which is something I didn’t have a few years back. I also spend a lot more time by the ocean living in Sydney, and it really helps when I’m labouring over lyrics or listening to mixes to have this kind of landscape! But I do miss the grittiness of Melbourne – that city will always be home and where I cut my teeth. 

Is there a moment on the album itself that stands out as your favourite? I feel like my answer to this changes a lot depending on my mood, but today I’m really feeling the broodiness of the song “City of Mannequins”. It’s got this swelling kind of brash energy and darkness to it which just feels really good. Another moment I love is “Gutterball” – it’s got this fun instant energy that feels really special and is the song I’m excited for people to hear the most, I think!

How does making music ground you in the moment? Playing shows with my band is my favourite part of it all! I write mostly solo, so having the band bring in their own parts for the live show is so much fun. I also get so much energy from the crowd. I’m super excited for our upcoming Aus tour – we’ve got loads of surprises up our sleeve and are going to be playing some of the new album tracks for the first time! 

If there is one thing your listeners should know about you and your music, what is it? I write music with my live show in mind and always want to create a safe space for people to let it all out, no matter what they might be feeling on the day. I definitely want people to experience my music outside of the internet, so getting on the road and going to new places is super-important to me. 

For more rad music chats, have a squiz at Ruby Gill's stories of her hometown or take a gander at Babyccino’s playlist of nice tunes. Plus, sign up to our newsletter to stay in the music loop.