PIP BLOM OF PIP BLOM
A debut record is often the distillation of years’ worth of experiences, sentiments and incidents all culminating in a richly varied emotional and sonic journey. So with the emotional bank account spent and the creativity overdrawn, how do you tackle the pit falls and expectations of making the infamous second album? You take lessons learned, new experiences and tales from the road, consolidate them and lay them down quickly to snap freeze a new record.
For Pip Blom that is exactly what she and the band did in producing their latest record Welcome Break. Having exploded onto the scene in 2018 with their infectious single Come Home off their Paycheck EP and delivering the amazing debut record Boat the following year, it is a curious thought as to how the initial experiences from the EP and subsequent LP shaped the direction their latest record? Pip explains that, “The experience that really sticked with me when recording the EP and LP was the recording process itself. I had zero experience being in the studio and I really didn’t know what to expect the first couple times. With Welcome Break I felt way more relaxed and in control. It was really nice to feel like I knew what I wanted and how to make it. There’s so much happening at the same time when you’re recording a record in the studio and before you know it a choice has been made that will impact the entire record. This can be a good thing, but sometimes it’s quite frustrating. This time around it felt like we knew a lot better what we were doing and didn’t run into those issues again.”
Evidence of this arises from how the record was produced as Pip goes on to say. “There were quite a few challenges in the recording process. We went into the studio with a producer but that didn’t work out and all of the sudden we had to self-produce the album, we had to quarantine in the studio for 14 days whilst recording the record at the same time and Gini got very ill when she still had to play four songs. So all in all it was quite chaotic. But a lovely surprise was that we figured out we really knew what we wanted and that ended up with a record we were really happy with!” A result that is the aim of the game yet getting to the studio in the first place can be a long and arduous process however for Pip Blom and in particular Pip, it was a highly condensed writing period that made the recording such a quick affair.
A self-confessed fan of deadlines, Pip set aside three months to write twenty songs with sixteen of those becoming the basis of the demos for the band to flesh out. For some writers having an imposed and condensed timeframe can channel creativity into a highly refined process and for Pip that fixed timeframe worked in so much as “I think I’m just better at creating stuff when I know I really have to do it. If there isn’t a need for it I never finish a song, or will spend ages on one particular sound. So when I set a deadline I’m probably working a lot less refined, but I do get a song in the end.” In terms of the lyrical content and what was addressed, Pip elaborates by saying. “It started out as a batch of twenty songs, all written in a short period of time. So I think some of the lyrics reflect my personal life, others reflect stuff I was listening too, watching or reading in those months. Cause I’m not a native speaker, lyrics always feel a bit like a difficult thing to me. I use a lot of rhymezone to help me write them, and usually that helps me direct the lyrics into a certain direction. I start out with one word and search for rhyme words, and the lyrics start coming together from there on.”
An honest and insightful explanation as to how Pip goes about crafting her lyricism and how writing in a second language for a global audience can be difficult to say the least. That duality begs the question as to how being a native Amsterdammer, in what ways has the current (pre-Covid) scene in Holland guided Pip Blom’s creative vision, both musically and artistically? “The scene hasn’t really impacted our sound or our music, but I do think it really helps with a general vibe. If you live in a town where you can always go to cool gigs by bands from people you really like/think are cool, it creates an atmosphere that’s very inspiring. It gives you energy. Often if I go to a cool gig I’m just buzzing and can’t wait to make a song of my own again.” And with songs in hand for Welcome Break, the more delicate process for track order comes into view.
There is a genuine flow to Welcome Break with its peaks and troughs. These ebbs and flows coming in the form of tracks such as You Don’t Want This, 12, It Should Have Been Fun and Different Tune. In deciphering how deliberate the ordering of the tracks throughout the record were so as to convey an overall story for the album, Pip summaries by saying. “I’ve tried out a lot of different orders for the tracks, some of them worked better than others but I felt this one worked really nice for what I envisioned the record to be and feel like. I would say it’s definitely a ride, you go from upbeat to slow, happy to sad and everything in between. The record has a very high pace as there are not a lot of breaks in between. But I think it works this well cause the record is quite no nonsense. Yes it’s quite a pop record, but still it’s very straight to the point.”
A no nonsense approach is one that has served Pip Blom well as the band have been receiving high praise from high places for some time now. And yet by being acutely aware of the critical eye that is invariably cast over ones work from peers and industry, that impact of pressure and the potential to dampen confidence in exploring new sonic directions with a defiant boldness, isn’t something that holds sway over the band despite some self-doubt. “I think a lot of artists struggle a bit with the imposter syndrome, and I’m definitely one of them” Pip says jokingly. “I always feel like it can’t be true that the stuff I've made is liked by people. And especially now, with the second album, I’m afraid that everyone will find out we’re not good at all. That being said: I’m making music cause I love making music. So I really try to focus on myself and the band.” That clear focus and deep understanding of knowing what you want shines through. Not just on the record itself but also as a testament to the fact that the band have toured with indie heavyweights such as Franz Ferdinand and The Breeders. It was from these tours some lifelong wisdom was gained. “One of the lessons I’ve learned from both those bands is: it is possible. You can live from making music and do what you love the most for longer than three years. These bands have managed to get their music careers to a level that’s the ultimate dream for us. Being able to make music, live from making music and also having a little bit more luxury than a beginning band is so cool. In the Netherlands people are usually a bit sceptical and often say stuff like: it’s impossible to live from making music. But these bands have shown me that it’s possible, and that whilst still making great and alternative music. Really cool”. It is instances like these and memorable conversations from such sustained artists that really resonate with Pip and subsequently alter the way in which she and the band approach their craft.
As Pip goes on to say, “I always like discovering new bands and new sounds, it’s something I’m really interested in. But I think that’s more as a fan than as an artist. I’m not a skilled musician at all so if I hear something cool it’s really hard for me to reproduce. But it can definitely be a starting point for writing a new song.” A candid comment but one that typifies not only her approach to absorbing influences and creativity but that of music on a far deeper and more philosophical manner because music is “Utter joy. I don’t think I could live without music, but it really is something that has given me so much thus far. I’ve been able to travel the world with my friends and play shows every night and that has been so much fun so far. I wouldn’t want to trade it for anything else!”
Nor would anyone want to deprive them of that when the result for the listening community is Welcome Break. Another quality record to their name, complete with the indie pop hallmarks we have come to expect from the band and the added finesse of having additional years under their belts. The second album syndrome is not one that Pip Blom fear as each track on the record testifies to. Experience, wisdom and life changing tours have all contributed to the shape and sound of their latest record and that quiet confidence permeates throughout the record making Welcome Break such a strong and purposeful second release.
