interview: catcall

What do you get when you mix a dash of lo-fi disco synth, a pinch of cosmic pop sensuality and a smidgen of soulful songwriting? Catcall. Catherine Kelleher is the spearhead of this Sydney-based sonic outfit and has been making waves in the music pool with her soon-to-be released debut album ‘The Warmest Place’ that boasts collaborations with a chain of local producers such as; Gloves, Van She, Youth and Toni Toni Lee.

The first single ‘Swimming Pool’ was remixed by acclaimed producer Julian Mendelsohn (INXS, Pet Shop Boys) and has already sparked interest amongst music critics, being labeled “the most resonant pop song to unexpectedly emerge in 2010” by Mess+Noise.

You may recognize Catherine from her early teenage days in boisterous punk group Kiosk. But that bratty rocker has long been put to rest, allowing the 23-year-old indie hip-pop songstress to reinvent herself and take the creative helm for Catcall.

Apart from their appearances at Hot BBQ and the Big Day Out Festival, Catcall won’t be gracing the stage until their first record is completed and released later this year. But in the meantime we caught up with Catherine to chat about musical collaboration, the birth of Catcall, the ghost of punk rock and ‘The Warmest Place’.

What can you tell me about your soon-to-be released debut album ‘The Warmest Place’?

It’s basically a whole lot of different collaborations with several local electronic music producers and though I like to think it’s not bound by any particular genre, I guess I’d say it’s a poppy, soulful record. ‘The Warmest Place’ are the lyrics from one of my songs called ‘August’, which is the introductory acappella piece that opens the album. We’ve got the bulk of the album done, but we’re still trying to polish off the final tracks so I haven’t yet confirmed a release date for it.

What has it been like collaborating with local producers such as Gloves and Van She?

It’s been really great! I’d get material sent from them and we’d play it all together and see where it took us. It just all seemed to click, especially with Gloves who I think is just amazing. I’m going to try and stay based in Australia and work with local producers, I think it’s important to expose and work with these talented Australian producers whom people seem to always bail on. Even Julian Mendelsohn whose been doing some of my mixes, is an Australian (though he’s lived in the UK for a very long time). He was responsible for the ‘Swimming Pool’ track and I think he’ll be doing a lot more mixing on the rest of my album.

Apart from ‘Swimming Pool’, which has been very well-received, are there any other tracks you’d recommend off the new album?

There’s plenty of material I’m really excited about, a lot of which I’ve been playing live recently, but I want to keep it all a surprise.

What made you change direction from your punk pop band Kiosk to launching a synthy pop solo career?

Kiosk came to its natural end in 2006. Towards the end my musical tastes were changing; I was getting into a lot more pop, electronic and hip hop music. I was listening to Timbaland productions, M.I.A. and The Chromatics. I felt inspired by the new direction they were taking and began contemplating a solo career. I wanted to do something pretty and melodic rather than aggressive, shouty and loud. I began writing tracks using simply software and eventually it opened the door for collaborations with music producers.

Have you found it difficult going from being a fixture in a band to front woman in the spotlight and having to develop your vocals?

To be honest, initially I did find it difficult performing without a band. I need the live instrumentation of a band with me to really feel the most comfortable when performing. I love doing live shows, it’s my favourite thing about being a musician but if I don’t feel comfortable I can also hate it very easily. Once I put together a band for Catcall, I found my songwriting became more open and I was able to recreate my music into a live performance, which I previously couldn’t do when I was playing with a DJ.

Do you play any instruments yourself?

I’m mainly a keyboard/piano kind of girl, but I play a bit of percussion in the live shows too.

How would you describe your live performance?

Energetic and rough around the edge; that’s just the way that I developed my performance style when playing in a punk rock band. While the songs can be quite pretty to listen to, I think that when translated live they’ll always have a raw, punk vibe to them.

Are you looking forward to performing at the Big Day Out festival?

Of course! It’s my first time playing with Catcall, but I’ve played there once before with Kiosk. I love festivals, they’re really fun to play at and I feel there isn’t as much pressure on the artist. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity one day to do the whole BDO tour around the country, I’m just appearing at the local Sydney show this time. I’ve been holding off on touring for the moment, because my main priority is finishing and releasing the album.

How and when did you know that you wanted to pursue a career as a musician?

My original plan was to be a film director; I studied that at university. But during this time I also met the guys from Kiosk and became infatuated with playing music. I was losing interest in my career in film and found I didn’t enjoy the process of making a feature film as much as I did playing live music to audiences. I felt I was getting better at is and opportunities like a record deal and management were coming my way so I thought there was a possibility that I could turn music into a career, which is an absolute dream but  very hard to do. I’m young, I’m giving it a shot and making it my focus in life right now, I’m just going to enjoy the ride and see where it takes me.

What would you say your long term goal for Catcall is?

To put out an album internationally. I really want to be able to tour overseas as well as locally and be able to make a living from touring all over. I want to be able to reach lots of people. I have no idea how it’s all going to pan out, but that’s the nature of pop music and of putting out something creatively. You can’t really predict what’s going to do well in the pop world.

Where did the name Catcall come from? Is it simply a reference to your first name Catherine?

Well, I was listening to Huggy Bear a few years back and I saw one of the songs was titled ‘Catcall’. I thought that would be a great band title because of the reference to my name. I always just wanted one word so when this one came along I thought it was great and decided to go with that. It just happened.

Check out Catcall’s MySpace page here!