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New Album: French for Rabbits

‘New Album’ is where a band or artist answers some questions about their latest release. Up next is dream-pop band French for Rabbits who have just released their 2nd album ‘The Weight of Melted Snow’.

When/where was the new album recorded?
The album was recorded over two years – mostly it was recorded at the Blue Barn in Wellington, and at Lee Prebble’s studio called The Surgery. I like to record all my vocals in intimate spaces by myself though, so this was done in a small room in Port Chalmers, and in my living room in Wellington where I can see out over the harbour, Newtown and Island Bay.

Who produced/engineered the album? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?
Ben Lemi mixed the album at his home studio in Wellington. Ben and I work together as team to produce and shape the album. We think a lot about the colour and feel of each song. We spent many an hour pondering sounds, with me using extremely vague metaphors to try to describe what I was hearing in my head.

How did the songwriting happen?
Generally I like to write alone, it is a very personal experience. But, then I will bring the songs to John or sometimes straight to the band and we will work together on the instrumentation and sometimes the structure. Sometimes John and I write together, and on this album Ben contributed the song ‘Birds Eye Point of View’. It’s one of my favourites on the album.

Were you going for a different sound/approach on this album?
When we started producing it we knew we wanted it to be more intimate than our last album Spirits, but also more expansive. I wanted to create an honest album, and I think that’s what we did.

Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?
We used some good microphones for the vocals which was important, and I went to the Christchurch Jazz School to record on their grand piano for some tracks so that it was organic and lush. I’m not too much of gear fiend so I don’t know about all the other instruments! We did use more electric guitar on this album!

Is there a particular single/track that you feel captures the essence of the album?
I think The Weight of Melted Snow is my favourite, or perhaps One & Only – it kind of ties up many of the feelings running through the album.

Is there a physical copy available? If not which digital platforms is it available on?
Yes – it will be available on CD from record shops throughout New Zealand, and we definitely recommend supporting the great independent shops around. We will be running a pre-order for the album on vinyl later in the year. It will also be available from the usual places online from March 10!

Are you working on a video/videos for any of the songs?
We have two beautiful videos waiting in the wings made by Dunedin filmmakers Emily Berryman and Pheobe Lysbeth Kay. Very much looking forward to sharing them soon!


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