Ethereal, intimate and sprinkled with mysticism, Patchwork Guilt’s new single ‘My Home’ is a beautifully crafted offering from the Manchester-based producer. Phoenix Mundy’s mesmeric voice, musing piano chords and use of space within her production come together to form a beautifully crafted track that is moody yet delicate and dreamy. I caught up with Phoenix to learn more about her production methods, how she learnt to overcome stage fright and the story behind writing ‘My Home’.
Words by Annie Rew Shaw
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Annie) Hey Phoenix! How’s it going? Can you tell us about how Patchwork Guilt came to be?
Patchwork Guilt) Hey! When I was 18 or so, Patchwork Guilt was the username for my Soundcloud account when I was just using it to listen to music. I never intended on it becoming my music name. I’ve written in one way or another since I was a teenager and was writing some songs at the time, but not as part of a proper project. I wasn’t sure what music I wanted to make yet so was writing some piano pieces, some folky stuff, just trying my hand at different things. At this time I was using a free tablet app to record and the songs sounded super grainy and lo-fi. A couple of them are still up on my Soundcloud actually!
Then, I went through my first break up and the songs just started pouring out. I played one of them to my friend and he persuaded me to share it with people. The first one I shared on Facebook was called ‘Whittled By Wind’. I remember having to go and have a long shower after I’d done it because I was too scared to see if anyone had seen it, I was shaking so much! But the response was lovely and gave me a lot of confidence to keep writing. This friend really believed in me and I’m still so grateful to him for that. So the name ‘Patchwork Guilt’ just kind of stuck from there.
I love your new single, ‘My Home’. What was in your head at the time of writing the song?
Thank you! The song started out a couple of years ago as just a guitar part and only came together as a whole last year. The lyrics are about giving yourself time to grow and learn from experiences and to decide how you are going to move forward from them. I wrote the song at a time when I was coming to terms with a lot of issues surrounding relationships and the unhealthy patterns I’ve found myself in over the years. Seeing them clearly for the first time was quite an intense experience.
I had this slightly abstract image that there are several different versions of myself throughout different life stages, and that I needed to leave one behind and walk into the next one. I imagined that all these versions were connected by a thin string, and that string is the ‘home’ that the song is referring to; it’s that bit that keeps you going through hard times. The song is about taking care of and being kind to yourself throughout that transitional period when everything can be a bit overwhelming.
You produce all of your own songs. What would you say are the pros and cons of self-producing?
I love the freedom that it gives me to take a song in any direction I want to. Most of my songs are very personal, so I love being able to have a close connection with them from start to finish, and in every aspect. For me, the pros outweigh the cons but there have definitely been some huge bumps! Sometimes you’re so close to the song that it becomes blurry. That lack of outside perspective can end up wasting a lot of time. If you self-produce, I think it’s crucial to get other people’s opinions once in a while and hear how their ears perceive it, because it will be completely different to what yours hear if you’re oversaturated by something.
Another big mistake for me can be to start producing too early in the writing process. If you’ve got all the equipment ready to use, it can be so tempting to start recording as soon as you’ve had a good idea. A good rule of thumb is to wait until the song is playable with a voice and one instrument before recording. Nowadays I’m not allowed to start recording until the bones of the song are there because I’ve learnt the hard way. I’d love to work with a producer someday too – it’s healthy to collaborate and bounce ideas off other people!
I love the influences you’ve cited – Aldous Harding, Cat Power, Connan Mockasin. If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, who would it be?
That’s a tough decision! If I had to pick one I would choose Devendra Banhart. I’ve been a big fan for years and I love his versatility and how each of his albums has such different character. I’m sure there is some of his influence in ‘My Home’, which draws on the Latin sound that lots of his music does as well. I think he could inject some danceability into my style of writing, which can often be quite mellow. Devendra’s got some really upbeat, sunshiney music! He always sounds like he’s having a lot of fun. I especially love some of the heavier stuff he’s done, like ‘Rats’, and would love to do something like that. I’ve also always loved the idea of singing a duet with a man… not like a soppy musical one but just for the contrast in voices.
Have you got any plans to play live soon?
At the moment I’m focusing on writing and recording, so won’t be gigging for a while. I spent the summer doing lots of acoustic gigs and that was great for writing new material, but now it’s time to be a hermit for the winter and finish writing the next album.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given as an artist?
I’ve always struggled with stage fright, to the point where it took me years to actually play live. A few months ago before a gig I was feeling jittery and nervous and my friend told me that, neurologically, fear and excitement are the same thing and that one can be turned into the other. So I started pretending I was really excited and doing a little excitable groove. As soon as I got on stage I felt at ease and actually it ended up being the most fun I’ve ever had at a gig.
In terms of writing, the best advice I’ve had was given to me recently by another musician who said that it’s important to make things with no expectations and not think about what it’s going to turn into. Or make something completely different to what you normally make just for a laugh. I’ve wasted time getting bogged down by ideas like: “Will this fit with the rest of the album?” or even just, “Will people like it?” It can completely stifle what you’re doing. It’s good to have discipline but you also need to allow yourself room to be spontaneous and not create too many walls for yourself.