Interviews

Published on November 25th, 2019 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

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Exclusive: Bird Call’s Chiara Angelicola Talks New LP ‘Year of the Dogfish’

Back Story – Bird Call, the musical project from Chiara Angelicola, earlier this year released a brand new single titled, “Soliloquy.”

Angelicola adds, “In Soliloquy, I discovered that in order to deeply change my sense of self and belonging on this earth, I had to be able to stand on my own two feet through heartache and loneliness without a bottle or a relationship. I feel like my relationship to the music industry has been this way as well over the past decade, me struggling to fit in, expecting acceptance from others… I  feel so much freedom now as an artist. My willingness to stand on my own without producers, labels, and outside influences couldn’t have happened without the time and experiences I went through.”

In addition to dropping these new singles, she has just released her newest record,  Bird Call’s LP, Year of the Dogfish, which is Angelicola’s first full-length release since her Will We Get to Mars LP (Zap Records, 2013).

Year of the Dogfish is a collection of songs written by Angelicola between 2016 and 2018, during which Chiara left the Bay Area and moved to Los Angeles after a turbulent break-up with her partner, the loss of her 15-year-old dog, and a long struggle with depression and alcohol. Year of the Dogfish is Angelicola’s representation of the complexities of solitude, isolation, loss, recovery, and, ultimately, transcendence. It is her most honest work to date and produced by the artist herself alongside longtime friend, engineer, and mixer Gabriel Galvin of Four Foot Studios in Brooklyn, NY. The album features contributions from former producer Bryan Senti (Mark Ronson, Rufus Wainwright, Feist), Lyenn (Mark Lanegan), and the Budapest Film Orchestra. Mastered by Patrick Brown at Different Fur Studios (San Francisco, CA). All songs are written by Chiara Angelicola. Album Art by Mario Santizo (Guatemala City, Guatemala). Album jacket layout and design by Olivia Hutto Lopez.

Since its inception in 2009, Chiara Angelicola’s most well-known project Bird Call has lured fans and perked ears from music critics like Under the Radar, who describe Bird Call as “dangerous and romantic, emoting over a bed of cinema-worthy synths like Grimes on downers.”  Because of the artist’s known propensity towards having a mercurial presence and sound, she is always evolving, yet rooted in a foundation of vulnerable lyrics and a voice that WNYC describes as “direct and impassioned”. Since her 2011 International Songwriting Competition win for “Best Performer”  beside pop artist, Kimbra, Angelicola has gone on to share the stage with artists such as Angel Olsen, Empress Of, Kyp Malone’s Rain Machine, Ice Balloons, Donna Lewis and Reptar. In the last decade, Angelicola has released seven EPs and two LPs. Bird Call’s music has been licensed for widespread use and heard on several television networks including Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Fox, and Lifetime.

The Hype Magazine got Chiara to weigh in on the new release and where it lies in for her in her overall body of work

Tell us about Chiara the artist

What an overwhelming thing to think about…I’ve reflected on this identity consistently throughout my adult life, and I find that my answer is always evolving. Overall, I have a need for mercurial projects. I’ve never been one to make one particular type of music or work in one specific medium. During my early creative years, I had, of course, a very sophomoric expectation of myself that I had to stick to sounding a certain way and writing a specific genre of music. That’s just not possible for me anymore. Mainly because I have an inherent need to use several mediums as conduits for self-expression. For a period I needed to play with more synthetic music, later I had a strong desire to explore more aggressive sounds in Motel Pools. Now, this latest record as Bird Call is more of a culmination of life experience and a conglomerate album of sorts that I feel best expresses the past few years of self-work and self-unveiling.

What brought you to music?

I think it started at a very familial level. My mother is a jazz pianist and singer and I grew up sitting in the living room listening to her rehearse with her various bands. Her record collection was formative in shaping my attraction towards female voices of that late 70’s pop era. I really do believe our childhood experiences strongly shape our interests later in life. I’ve mulled over transitioning out of the music industry several times throughout my life, but it seems to be an inherent need of mine to use it as a form of self-discovery and communication.

Where does Bird Call lie for you in your body of work?

I think Bird Call is the project the best represents my insides. It has never been a specific genre either, so it lends itself to exploring various different sounds, instrumentation, and moods comprehensively.

What do you want listeners to get from your music?

I don’t have any expectations of listeners. I think it’s the first time in my career that I can say that. Just the other day I posted on Instagram about not honestly knowing who this record was for: myself or you…I think what you’ll hear regardless of what you get from it, is an honest story and sound that reflects on the human condition.

In a track by track analysis, which song from Bird Call is the best introduction to you as an artist and why?

That’s tough to say. I don’t think any one song on this record is like the other. But I think what you’ll hear is a progression of a story that begins with fragility, loss, and longing, and ends with resignation, surrender, and resilience. I think these are all parts of Bird Call equally. Musically, there is a cohesiveness throughout the record in the arrangements and instrumentation…the horns, synths, and strings. These are all instruments that have historically showed up on other Bird Call records. If someone were to ask me which record best represents Bird Call, I’d tell them to listen to this one because it reflects who I am today.

Is there anything else our audience should know about you?

Bernie 2020.


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Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.


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