It is fascinating that for her most intimate project yet, Bess Atwell surrendered entire control over its production — something the multi-disciplinary artist previously held a tight grip over. But when a collaborative partnership is as intuitive and connected as hers is with Aaron Dessner, it is no surprise that the songs ended up sounding exactly like she had dreamed they would. Tucked away in upstate New York at Dessner’s snow-covered Long Pond Studio, the duo recorded Atwell’s Light Sleeper, a sophisticated, complex, and personal project that is, in the singer-songwriter’s own words, “ultimately about finding the bravery to surrender to what is.”
“Working with him was inspiring and joyful, which is saying a lot for me because I don’t generally like being in the studio,” Atwell tells Wonderland about working with Dessner, for whom she is also supporting on The National’s European tour. “He was super relaxed and intuitive and didn’t fuss over the “perfect” take, etc. Being such a fan of his, I had complete trust in his instincts.”
Read the full interview…
Hi Bess! How are you doing?
Hello! I’m well thanks – currently somewhere in Germany sitting at my hotel room desk, wind in my hair courtesy of a very noisy old fan.
Can you tell us a bit about how you first got into music? What were some of your early inspirations?
I was only really any good at creative stuff at school. I originally wanted to be a fine artist, like my mother, but when my older sister began to excel in that area I decided I needed a new ‘thing’ and picked up the guitar. I learnt Taylor Swift’s entire catalogue, as any self-respecting teenage girl would, then became obsessed with that nu-folk scene that emerged in London around the 2010s – Johnny Flynn, Lucy Rose, Bombay Bicycle Club, etc. I would upload covers of my favourite songs to YouTube (thank you Youtube for your privatisation feature).
Congratulations on Light Sleeper! When did you start working on this project and did it change form as you were developing it?
Thanks! I started writing the songs for this record a couple of years ago. The writing process was pretty organic and I decided to make a record once I felt I had a cohesive body of work there. To be honest, it’s kind of the exact record I expected to make. The one caveat being that I didn’t have a title for it yet and I wasn’t sure what the common thread was throughout the tracks, it just felt like there was one. So it was quite fun to have that revealed in the process!
How does it differ from or build off of your previous releases?
It deals with more complex experiences and feelings. I like to think it makes sense as a follow up to Already, Always in that it’s just more mature in content and sound. It’s funny that Light Sleeper turned out almost exactly as I expected because my approach, sonically, was fairly hands-off because I wanted Aaron (Dessner) to put his own magical touch on the songs. With the previous record, I was extremely involved in the production and had quite a firm idea of what I wanted.
You cover so many ideas and themes on the album and yet it feels completely cohesive — to you, what is the through-line?
When I was naming the record I went through all the lyrics to find that through-line which was a really revealing and interesting process. I called it Light Sleeper because the theme of sleep/bed/dreaming appears in almost every song, unintentionally. ’Sleep’ symbolises surrender which is something I find very difficult to do – to lose control. Although it covers lots of themes, the record is ultimately about finding the bravery to surrender to what is.
How did you get connected with Aaron Dessner and what was it like working with him?
I toured with an artist called Eve Owen a few years ago. She had just made a record with Aaron and, unbeknownst to me, showed him my music. A few months later he posted on Instagram about a song on my last record and we got chatting on there. I’d been a huge fan of his for years as The National are one of my most favourite bands, and I’d always wanted to make a record with him so it was very surreal to be in touch. I sent him some demos and he was really excited about them and offered to make my record.
Working with him was inspiring and joyful, which is saying a lot for me because I don’t generally like being in the studio. He was super relaxed and intuitive and didn’t fuss over the “perfect” take, etc. Being such a fan of his, I had complete trust in his instincts. His studio, Long Pond, is stunningly beautiful and it snowed all week which was magical.
Is there a song you’re most proud of?
Probably “The Weeping”. It makes me proud on a very personal level – proud of myself – for finally being able to articulate something so difficult.
What other artists are you currently listening to?
Like the rest of the world, I’m loving Charli XCX’s new record Brat. I’m really enjoying indulging in a more fun, upbeat world of music at the moment. My friends, a band called Memorial, just released a beautiful new album Redsetter that I often have on repeat.
Anything you’re looking forward in the near future?
Yes! I’m currently on a little run of Europe dates which include opening for The National! Total bucket list gig for me.