list.co.uk/music GEORGIA | MUSIC
O N O U R
M I N D S P H O T O
: J O S E P H C O N N O R
Georgia’s second album Seeking Thrills is now out in the world. Craig Angus catches up with the London producer and multi-instrumentalist who’s trying to connect more with her audience
O ne of the highlights of Lizzy Goodman’s oral history of New York’s early- noughties music scene, Meet Me in the Bathroom, is LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy describing his fi rst proper night out in the city. He recalls sharing dozens of packs of Juicy Fruit with strangers and the thrill of dancing in public for the very fi rst time. Chemical assistance aside, it’s a warm tale of an ageing punk curmudgeon fi nally connecting with people. Like Murphy, the magic of the club experience isn’t lost on Georgia, whose long- awaited second album Seeking Thrills invokes that euphoric spirit.
The 28-year-old producer and multi- instrumentalist has a stronger connection to electronic music than most. ‘My dad [Neil Barnes] was in Leftfi eld, and from a very early age I was informed by dance music. That was really my childhood, going to see him perform and see crowds dancing to electronic music. I was returning to my roots really, and I wanted to go to the originators of that music. So I found myself in Chicago and Detroit, and once I found that direction I knew it was pretty much the record’s direction.’
It’s something she’s stuck to during the writing process and is perhaps best evident on ‘About Work the Dancefl oor’, which was written after a weekend in Berlin. Effectively, it’s the sound of getting lost in music, right down to the immaculately observed detail of losing yourself mid-thought. ‘I guess I wanted to make this album a bit more accessible to people,’ she explains. ‘The fi rst record, as much as I loved it, just didn’t really connect with people. I didn’t want that to happen this time around.’ She then refers us to some classic songwriter infl uences, that alongside 80s pop staples like
Depeche Mode and Madonna, inspired the writing of Seeking Thrills. ‘I returned to people like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. I wanted the vocals to be the main element and I really worked on lyrics and melody. The fi rst record was more of an experiment, chucking loads of ideas into one song; it was really more about the songs this time.’
Seeking Thrills was made with great patience and discipline, the end result sitting between Robyn’s anthemic club bangers and the big- hearted electronica of her Domino label mates Hot Chip. The production’s tighter focus is clear, with the time spent honing her craft certainly paying off on an album with multiple highlights. ‘Til I Own It’ (her personal favourite) is a lush soundscape that glistens, while on the other end of the spectrum ‘Ray Guns’ is a technicolour adrenaline rush with percussion that recalls Missy Elliott’s high-energy hits, and the bass- heavy ‘The Thrill’ is an aptly titled triumph. Her journey of musical discovery has taken her all over the world, but Glasgow holds a special place in her heart. ‘I’ve spent a lot of time in Glasgow and I love it,’ she says. ‘I’ve had a lot of nights out in the Sub Club, I’m very good friends with The Black Madonna who still thinks the Sub Club is the best club in the world and an amazing place. And do you know who are my favourite band? The Blue Nile. Making this album I got completely obsessed with Hats and tried to emulate some of their production and amazing songs. I love that band and I adore Paul Buchanan’s voice. There’s something about Glasgow that fi ts those esoteric, dark sounds.’
Georgia, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, Wed 4 Mar.
1 Feb–31 Mar 2020 THE LIST 81