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fodder for these tracks is over (“It
went south, so to speak – pardon the
pun”), Polvere attests she can look at
the songs as monuments to a specific
time, rather than find their emotions
mawkishly nostalgic. “I don’t listen to
the music and reminisce, or anything
like that,” she smiles. “I’m really proud
of the record, and that’s the good thing
that came out of that, in timing. It was
a massive challenge, but there’s a lot of
feeling in it. There’s a lot of meaning to
it. All of the songs are about him and us
in that time – it’s quite revealing.”
Within single
Shut Up And Ride
you
can hear the legacy of several country
artists behind Polvere’s vocals; in
All
I really Wanted
her voice contains a
breathy Stevie Nicks quality; and all the
way through, Polvere doesn’t polish her
notes but allows emotion to eclipse
precision. “I don’t overanalyse my
voice,” she says. “I don’t even know
what it sounds like, ‘cause you’re so
close to it. I think it’s probably like your
identity, or the way you look, the way
you see yourself… it’s not always the
way other people see you.”
For a taster of what’s to come, get
a peep of
Devil In Me
(which features
on Polvere’s currently available EP
of the same name) – a lament of
dissatisfaction in love. “It’s desire and
a desperation for somebody that is
emotionally unavailable,” Polvere says.
“It’s about that feeling of being so
frustrated, but wild for them.”
1 2
The way you look, the
way you see yourself... it’s
not always the way other
people see you
T
he airy, sensual style of Krista
Polvere’s country-tinged folk
has impressed many over the
singer-songwriter’s career – but with her
upcoming album, that little web of
people is set to expand. The release
collects together a series of tracks
Polvere wrote during a highly
tumultuous period of her life, which
spanned a fervid and musically prolific
romantic relationship which saw her
constantly travelling between Australia
and the American South. “It was a very
artistic, creative relationship fuelled by
passion and craziness as well,” she
says of producer and musician Brian
Elijah Smith. “Obviously it was a
difficult situation to be in. I mean, long
distance is just a nightmare for anyone
really. I would never recommend it. The
amazing part was that I got to travel
around the South and play so many
shows.”
From their base in the Shenandoah
Valley in West Virginia, the pair were
playing live every weekend; in addition
to festivals they often performed the
kind of intimate house shows very
popular in the South. “I know there’s a
lot of people doing house concerts here
now; over there that’s what they do,
and they’ve been doing it for ages,” she
explains. “When I say ‘house concerts’
I mean like, anywhere from 50 to 200
people who just get together from the
community. It just gives artists more
of an opportunity to reach out to the
general public without having to go to
bars, ‘cause some people just like to
hang out at home. They get to talk to
the artists as well, create friendships
or just chit-chat. It’s more face-to-face
interaction.”
Though the relationship that was