Last time we talked in 2016, you said you were yearning for a sense of balance where you were less obsessively dedicated to work. Have you achieved that?

ADVERTISEMENT

I was like, I’m not going to make music, I’m going to rescue a puppy, have a nice boyfriend, cook, but obviously I just have to do creative things. I wanted to focus on writing, painting, and taking desert trips, but that served to fill the cauldron of inspiration. It was bubbling away, and that’s what made Lost Girls so effortless and easy — it was popping out because I was almost not wanting it to.

Through this whole process I’ve managed to hold down a relationship, go for walks with my dog, and have a community of friends. But I’ve also made work, and I’m making work. Touring is the biggest thing that takes you away, which I’ve yet to deal with. But up until this point it’s been a symbiotic relationship between creativity and life.



You didn’t really tour behind The Bride.

I don’t really want to tour because it takes me away from making stuff. For me, the joy is in the creation of bodies of work. I want to get better at painting and writing scripts — or at least collaborate with someone on a script that’s great. There’s horror films I’d like to make soundtracks to. I want to make a baby! I want to make shit! I don’t want to trawl it around for 10 months. The only thing I’m not making is money because I’m not doing the fucking touring! [Laughs] That’s hard, trying to balance out living in the world and being responsible. But I’ve got lots to do, and I’ve got to do it.



“Desert Man” really gets me in the gut.

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s an obvious reference to the landscape, but also about being in a relationship with someone who doesn’t feel a sense of home — that romance about the nomadic wild guy and how difficult it is to penetrate people that don’t want to be. It was one of the earlier songs where I was using the landscape as a metaphor for these stark people, empty promises, and vast distances. In love, it’s not the real thing.



Did you ever consider yourself ambitious?

Definitely. I was ambitious to be successful, but not for the sake of success. I wanted to professionally make things. If you stop being ambitious or having a desire for things, you die out. The desires I have now are different, but they’re still passionate. You definitely change your perspective with age, and I think that’s right.

