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So Far So Good, the second album from Meernaa, finds Carly Bond constructing a layered world whereas processing loss, deciphering goals, and studying to simply accept love. The truth is, Bond’s mesmerizing guitar and vocals — together with the slinky contributions from her longtime collaborators Rob Shelton, Doug Stuart, and Andrew Maguire, plus a number of different musicians — current a tranquil, sublimely psychedelic expertise that was made out of scratch. “I want I had extra thorough intent going right into a report,” she laughs. “I attempt to simply write within the second, after which no matter occurs, occurs. It’s at all times ever-evolving.”
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Both method, it displays a measured step ahead for the Bay Space-bred songwriter. The simmering “On My Line” opens all the things up, whereas “As Many Birds Flying” blooms right into a lysergic trance because the report floats towards the soulful finale “Love Is Good.” It’s a classy distillation of the Oakland scene that Bond started absorbing when she was barely 20, falling someplace between rock, jazz, and R&B. For those who decrease your guard, the songs can take you out of your individual area, into intense moments of calm that always solely really feel potential within the early stretches of morning or the small hours of night time.
As its title suggests, So Far So Good is an ethos, but it surely travels additional than the music — it’s an indication to take issues as they arrive. Nothing is ever assured, and alter can occur on a dime, however optimism is at all times an choice. Generally the easiest way ahead is to maneuver with the present — till it takes you someplace new.
With it being 4 years from the debut report to now, what sort of issues did you uncover about your self in that point?
I believe I simply realized quite a bit about writing and music and the enterprise facet of issues and the way a lot persistence is required in each step of that — and discovering peace and persistence. Persistence was an enormous one for me, particularly with the pandemic and all the things. You don’t have any management over something. All you are able to do is wait and see how issues unfold.
A giant a part of the previous 4 years has been being snug with being affected person, but additionally revising issues. After I write one thing, I’m like, “OK, it’s performed. I’m transferring on.” And with this report, I used to be actually pressured to have to take a seat with it in an uncomfortable method. I’m tremendous stoked that it’s out, but it surely’s been by way of so many iterations up to now 4 years, which I by no means wanna do once more. However I did be taught quite a bit in that. Not attempting to hurry something is admittedly essential and what number of totally different variations of myself I’ve been in simply the previous 4 years and what which means for writing, too, has been actually fascinating to watch.
One other factor I needed to the touch on is your partnership with Rob and the way a lot of the report focuses on the way in which you view love. What’s one of many best joys of being married to your individual bandmate?
That’s a cool query. I believe it simply makes issues a lot simpler. Like having a accomplice who understands the work you do, and there’s no query about, “Oh, I’m gonna be out late tonight, doing one thing.” Or, “I’m within the zone engaged on one thing.” There’s no confusion about that, which is very nice. Additionally, it’s nice to economize. [Laughs.]
Is he the primary individual you present a brand new track to?
Not essentially. He was. He’s helped me overcome my very own insecurities, in an enormous method. I can have the ability to belief myself, which has been tremendous sick. He’s additionally challenged me in a variety of methods, which is good. Now I’ve mustered up the gumption to have the ability to push again once I really feel like I have to.
What concerning the different individuals who seem on the album? I do know there are fairly a couple of. Have been you all in the identical room while you recorded these songs?
No, however everyone who performed on the report are actually, actually good mates of mine, particularly Doug and Andrew. They have been collaborators on the final report and have been with me for the reason that starting. More often than not, I might begin the songs on my own, simply guitar and voice, after which perhaps Rob would add keys, after which we’d convey Doug and Andrew in to play drums and bass, and all the things was a gradual layering course of. To not say that we haven’t performed that previously, however with this one, I actually needed to start out from the bottom up as an alternative of unexpectedly.
What sort of stuff do you join over with these guys?
After I work with different individuals, I like to only belief that they know what to do and so they’re gonna add their very own shade to one thing, however I’ll usually go in and be like, “Hey, consider these references or these colours or no matter and go for that.” I name it shaking their jimmies out. They should play all of the issues that they should play or they suppose is gonna work earlier than they lastly get to that factor that’s the spirit of the track.
The video for “As Many Birds Flying” is so grounded in location and motion. Do you’ve got a relationship with nature, and does that affect your artistic course of in any respect?
Yeah, undoubtedly massive time. I’m actual granola, as they are saying. I’m a little bit bit crusty once I’m not polished. I attempt to be crusty. [Laughs.] I’m an enormous backpacker, and I simply don’t actually like individuals very a lot, so I prefer to be exterior as a lot as potential. I grew up in California and alongside the coast and actually prefer to be in locations that aren’t very populated and really feel actually impressed by these landscapes.
Inform me about these actions that you just’re doing within the video — do you dance quite a bit?
Traditionally no, however I actually needed to recover from myself and be extra snug in my bod. And I simply occurred to satisfy a few of my now very, excellent mates who’re each dancers and research dance. I talked to them about this concept, and at first, it began off with them serving to me choreograph one thing, but it surely become a deep collaboration, and we slowly got here up with that piece. I actually needed to be intentional with that music video and never have or not it’s only a music video, however extra of a dance piece.
What does the phrase “thus far so good” imply to you? Are you an optimistic individual?
Oh hell yeah. I’ve adopted the time period “zen nihilist” ’trigger I really feel like, particularly once I wrote that track, too, it was just the start of the pandemic, and I didn’t have any cash, and I simply moved to LA with Rob, and we had no plans. Once more, again to persistence. You don’t have any management. All you are able to do is wait it out and see what occurs. Thus far so good is such a humorous phrase to me ’trigger it’s like, “Effectively, you recognize, we’ll see if shit hits the fan. I don’t know, however proper now, it’s chill.”
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