motel void

MOTEL VOID: Your debut single, “tastes like cherry,” dropped in February, and now you’re following it up with your new track, “your favorite girl,” under the FADER label. Can you share what the writing and recording process was like for this latest release?

COUNTRY GIRL: The creation of the song was pretty simple: after I’d demo’d all the parts in my bedroom studio, I hit up friends in various bands around NY to rerecord the drums, rhythm guitar, and bass guitar on better gear. I was pretty set on bouncing all the stems to tape, but I’d also heard many horror stories from tape-machine-owning friends of mine about the constant expensive repairs involved, so I ended up finding this spot Phaser Studios outside Milan that prints your stems to tape for cheap. I mixed the song myself, and having all the parts in tape form really helped me bring the song into the warmer soundworld I was looking for.

MOTEL VOID: Is this your first project? I haven’t been able to find much information about you—could you introduce yourself briefly for those who are just discovering your music?

COUNTRY GIRL: Oh man, I’m not great at this kind of thing… I’m country girl, I make music in Brooklyn, NY, I hope you like it? I don’t have much more to say there, sorry!

MOTEL VOID: Who or what is currently your biggest inspiration?

COUNTRY GIRL: For a while now, I’ve been very inspired by the sound of “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac. The way the arrangements fit together so perfectly, the way it’s recorded in this bright punchy dynamic way — it all feels so open, not over-compressed. I ended up recording a lot on the same pre-amps they used throughout the process, just to try and capture the warm, precise sound of that record.

MOTEL VOID: Are there plans for a full-length album this year?

COUNTRY GIRL: An album is done, and it will come out sometime in the first half of next year. That’s all I can say for now. 🙂

MOTEL VOID: And finally, can we expect any live shows in the near future?

COUNTRY GIRL: Yeah, I’m playing a show at The Delancey on August 30th, a stripped-down acoustic set at Rockwood Music Hall on September 24th, and a show in Herbert Von King Park on October 13th. All in New York.