A Conscious Minute with Chloe Foy
There is always something special about an album that hits you on the first playback. I often think it isn’t only the album, but the time and place you inhabit, or your own mood and wellbeing. Just as it’s never only about the music when the artist is writing it. The elements really align when you feel an album is a reflection of yourself, even when you don’t know any of the songs or the words, or where the album is going. This is what I experienced the very first time I heard Chloe Foy’s debut album ‘Where Shall We Begin’.
Chloe Foy has been making and releasing music for some time. Her single ‘In The Middle Of The Night’ was released in 2013, with the EP of the same name arriving the following year. It would be three more years before Foy’s 2017 EP ‘Are We There Yet?’ would see release, with the opening track ‘Flaws’ enjoying significant streaming popularity. Chloe would release many singles in between this and 2020’s ‘Callous Copper’ EP including a cover of Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You’, ‘Oh You Are Not Well’ and ‘Without You’.
Chloe Foy has toured the UK many times, played her own shows in Europe and toured the US supporting Jesca Hoop. Foy embarked on one more pre-pandemic UK tour on the eve of the March 2020 lockdown in support of Callous Copper. In the spirit of this EP, which features Foy reinterpreting her songs with string arrangements, a string trio would accompany her for these special dates.
In October 2020, Foy performed a livestreamed gig, ‘Live From Abbey House’, with a couple of those performances being released as an EP under that name. This was swiftly followed by ‘Covers, Vol. 1’ in December which sought to further describe her musical palette. The recorded covers included pieces by The Cure, The Velvet Underground and even a number from the ‘Annie’ soundtrack. This October, Chloe Foy will take her album out on the road across the UK. She’s already released a few singles in support of the record, including the album’s title track.
How do you begin an album such as this? By asking the question. With acoustic guitar from the album’s co-producer and co-writer Harry Fausing Smith, this is the dominant instrument beneath Chloe Foy’s beautifully soothing voice on this track. One of the things I’ve come to enjoy about this album is how occasionally an instrument will mirror the vocal melody as the acoustic guitar does in this song. This is boosted by electric and bass guitar, though the less prominent instruments really add weight to ‘Where Shall We Begin’. This includes piano and synth from Foy, as well as her layering of live cello along with Harry’s violin.
Lucie Phillips, with help from Fausing Smith add backing vocals in a critical ascendent moment in the song: ‘And take your time and feel it, my heart is slowly grieving. I’ll take my time and feel it, I may have been daydreaming. Take your time with me, feel your heart be free. Hold on, hold on…’
‘Deserve’ is the latest single and music video, beginning like David Bowie’s ‘Where Are We Now?’ with a desolate electric guitar chord, but unlike the album’s opener, this is a full band song. Drums and percussion are handled by Dan Wiebe while those trilling string parts are mostly performed by Henry Rankin, with extra violin provided by Harry Fausing Smith. Chloe herself adds a multitude of elements besides her unwavering voice in harmonica, harmonium and acoustic guitar. Particularly Foy’s harmonica parts blend well with the lone backing vocal sections - it’s here where slide guitar can be heard most prominently, laid down by Samuel Quinn.
Lyrically, Deserve is open to interpretation. Foy’s drawn-out delivery means the words are few, but carefully chosen. There are only three verses, beginning with: ‘This is more than you deserve, so throw your caution out, take a conscious minute with me, and delicately feel my bliss.’
This is heightened by Chloe’s moving direct-to-camera performance of Deserve as part of the music video by People Staring. Sometimes, all a music video needs is heartfelt honesty portrayed in little more than facial expression. It tells you everything you need to know.
But occasionally, a splash of colour never hurt anyone either. The album’s third single is given a music video filmed in a studio space with the help of green screen and expertise from People Staring and Rich Williams. A behind-the-scenes edit brings to light some of the more light-hearted moments from that day.
More upbeat than Deserve, the lyric to ‘Work Of Art’ is like a kind hand resting on your shoulder: ‘Made this for the weak of heart, bodies glow, you’re a work of art. Oh, it’s time to let go.’ The last line is featured in varying forms across the whole song, and whilst I thought perhaps calling it ‘Time To Let Go’ would make more sense, it’s the title ‘Work Of Art’ that unifies the themes in this song. The idea that someone is more than the emotional weight they carry is a comforting notion.
For the most part, Work Of Art is played by Chloe Foy and Harry Fausing Smith, who together wrote the music, while Foy penned the lyrics. The only additional player is Dan Wiebe behind the kit. Musically, this song is more regular than the previous offerings awash with strings and backing vocals, though there is still a hint of both. As well as this, it’s the most electric guitar driven song on Where Shall We Begin, and an ideal choice for a single.
Much of ‘Evangeline’ is led by the percussive edge of picked acoustic guitars, played both by Foy and Fausing Smith. Henry Rankin returns to contribute viola with Harry’s violin to create one of my favourite moments on this entire record. Strings sweep you off your feet and mimic the melody to Chloe Foy’s lyric in:
‘Don’t take my life away, oh darling can’t you stay? I hold my love so dear, why would she disappear?’
Dan Wiebe is most noticeable in these moments playing percussion, but helps to build the song up in the last minute on a full drum kit. It’s here that the full force of Evangeline is felt with picked electric guitars from the album’s core duo, soaring strings, and of course Chloe Foy’s seemingly effortless vocal – ‘Evangeline, you are my Queen. I promise that I’ll keep you warm.’
Originally released in 2018 as a standalone single, ‘Asylum’ sees a reworking on Where Shall We Begin in particular with an opening string arrangement that rises like the sun on a clear day. Henry Rankin, Chloe Foy and Harry Fausing Smith make up this ensemble, with the added beauty of Rachael Gladwin’s performance on harp.
The broader moments of this track are given an extra boost with backing vocals from Lucie Phillips, who, together with Foy and Fausing Smith aid the strings in bringing Chloe’s music to life. Dan Wiebe’s touch at the kit is light, alternating between toms and relaxed snare drum hits with added tambourine in the song’s final seconds.
The aural presentation the production duo have created on Where Shall We Begin is like a gentle Wall Of Sound where all of the instrumental arrangements are designed to be one unified voice. It’s this very fact that contributes to the album’s lasting charm. With Chloe Foy’s musical experience having grown immeasurably since Asylum’s original release, this album version is very clearly the song’s definitive telling.
I’m immediately taken by the deep guitar sounds of ‘Bones’, where the picking of electric and acoustic versions of the instrument weave together in a way that reminds me of composer Gustavo Santaolalla’s work. Other vital components of Bones include Harry Fausing Smith’s clarinet performance between the lines; ‘Too tired to think, but too tired to go’, but especially where Chloe Foy hums the melody. The opening lyric, like the rest of the album’s words, fits perfectly with the music:
‘What can you see in me that you love? Taking our boundaries and turning them up. My heart, my heart is so swollen now. Blurring me sideways, follow me down.’
The low rumble you hear on this track is Foy’s cello, and on this occasion, she also handles all of the backing vocals. With the multitude of layers on Bones, this is the only song on Where Shall We Begin that is crafted entirely by Foy and Fausing Smith, however hard to believe that may be.
This performance video for ‘Shining Star’, and the album’s second single gives a taste for how Chloe Foy’s upcoming tour may look and sound with a rendition of this song so note-perfect, it may as well be interchangeable with the album version.
Filmed and edited again by People Staring, it’s great to see some of the album’s key players in the flesh. The band includes Harry Fausing Smith on electric guitar, Henry Rankin on violin and Dan Wiebe on drums, augmented by keyboardist George Boomsma with bassist Hannah Ashcroft both on backing vocals.
The studio line-up plays out somewhat differently, with Foy and Fausing Smith handling all the string parts and Lucie Phillips again adding backing vocal layers. As well as a rolling acoustic guitar in the top end, a bassline is played on another acoustic guitar. It’s this bassline that runs with the vocal melody in the three verses, starting with:
‘He steps out from day to day, fortune evades him still. A life that pays and money saved, to do with what you will.’
The wordless vocals that separate these verses are bolstered with Chloe and Harry’s cello and violin parts. An aspect missing from the performance video are the added handclaps from the band that steady this track like a heartbeat. Perhaps it’s the audience’s job to fill those in?
The first single for Where Shall We Begin is like a breath of fresh air with Rankin and Fausing Smith’s string performances taking centre-stage in the opening moments of ‘Left-Centred Weight’. The latter handles most of the song’s instrumentation, even performing the drum part while the co-write of the lyric is performed as Chloe Foy’s sole recording contribution to this track.
And what a beautifully poetic lyric – a series of verses delivered with the melancholic, yet encouraging air of ‘I’ll be ok one day, even if that day is not today’. It is completely deserving of the full lyric video it receives, rendered in the album’s accompanying visual aesthetic. My favourite of Left-Centred Weight’s verses is:
‘Hollow heartache, throw stone shapes, go easy brain, airglow grey.’
A slight overlap of cello signals the beginning of ‘And It Goes’, and one of the clearest and confident vocal performances from Chloe Foy on this album. And It Goes is largely created from layers of atmospheric sustained chords from Foy, Fausing Smith and Rankin on their respective string instruments. This is punctuated with strummed electric guitar chords, aided by organ by Chloe and Rhodes from Harry.
But what of those vocals? Chloe’s voice is like a beacon of light through misty air over open water. Not to mention the layers of additional vocals Foy builds up, with the recurring lyric; ‘All this time she’s watching me, in my dreams, it’s all I need’ being a central theme to And It Goes. It’s very quiet, and a rare case on this album of a lyrical backing vocal deviating from the lead. This is followed by a small piece of heaven in the form of the track’s second half - if I’d been told this song was the finale to the record, I would’ve believed you.
But that rightful honour goes to ‘Square Face’, which may well have been composed on piano judging by its more prominent use in the introduction. Coupled with Harry Fausing Smith’s violin and guitar, it’s a fitting conclusion to Where Shall We Begin. This is also reflected in the words, where you can’t help but feel a certain amount of healing has been done:
‘I’ve poured my heart out in the rain, what’s left to be betrayed? My face is square, my heels are cut from chasing black away….’
The narrative being in the first person influences the thought that this is a journey coming to an end. With all the focus on the carefully constructed production that helps to make this album so astonishing, the decision to strip all of that away in an a cappella verse is just as brilliant. Chloe Foy’s lone reverberating vocal is a reminder that in truth, her voice is the real foundation of this record - everything else is a bonus.
Continue reading for our Q&A with Chloe Foy. We ask about the recording timescale for Where Shall We Begin, plus working with Harry Fausing Smith, the meaning behind ‘Evangeline’ and shooting some of the album’s music videos. All this and more below.
1. Your debut album 'Where Shall We Begin' was recorded at Pinhole Studios. When did the sessions for the album begin? Did the pandemic influence the timing?
The sessions actually began way back in 2019 and we tracked the last two songs in early 2020 right before the pandemic hit. So it had been a long process already because of one thing or another and then finally it was ready to go but we had to delay even more.
2. You co-produced this album with Harry Fausing Smith, what was he like to work with on these tracks?
Harry is actually my partner and also one of my oldest friends so it was generally a joyful experience. However, the closeness that is afforded a significant other can certainly make things difficult to negotiate at times. It means your professional filter is off so no side stepping around things! On the whole though, he absolutely gets my reference points and the sound I want to make, plus he is a master string arranger and can play most instruments going. So it was a win win.
3. With your first EP being released in 2014, this album is a long time coming. Which is the oldest song written for this record?
I think it's Bones. I wrote that when I was still at university and it's about entering into a relationship with someone when the other most significant man in your life has left you and wondering whether you'll be able to cope with this new vulnerability. I never thought it was a strong enough song to go on a record and thought it was too dark even, but with a new arrangement and by embracing the darkness, I now feel it has taken on a new presence.
4. There are gorgeous live string arrangements across this album. How did it feel to hear those brought to life on the days when strings were tracking?
It's always a joy to hear strings adding their warm tones to your music. Harry is a violinist and I have been known to play 'cello and did so on this album, so we already had a pretty good sense of how it would go. Then Henry Rankin came and added extra violin and viola and the magic was born.
5. This album features a new version of your single 'Asylum' with beautiful strings, what prompted the reworking for this record?
I really wanted Asylum on a physical record as it's not been on one of mine yet. To me it triggered a breakthrough moment back when it was released, as it gained a lot of attention on Spotify and led to lots of plays which led to other good things. So I wanted it on there, but with a renewed take. We also remixed it to bring out the piano more and to bring it a little closer in line with the production of the record as a whole.
6. I'd love to know more about all the songs on this album, but for now, what inspired 'Evangeline'?
Evangeline is a song about a friend of mine who lost her mum a couple of years back. I lost my dad when I was younger so understand how painful a process grieving is. I wrote this to reassure her that she was loved no matter how big a hole her mum had left behind. It's become my anthem for female friendship and for women supporting one another.
7. The video for 'Shining Star' is a performance piece with your band, where was that shot? Did that come together quickly on the day?
It was shot at The Stoller Hall in Manchester. We were very lucky to get to shoot there, as outside of pandemic times it's usually very busy, but they were very generous with the space. We'd had rehearsals as a band prior to the day, but aesthetically it did come together quite quickly. There might well be more to come from that day so watch this space...
8. In contrast, the 'Work Of Art' video is much brighter in tone, what inspired the look of that video?
The director and videographer Rich Williams & Luca Rudlin came up with this simple but effective idea of bright colours and shapes, inspired by the muted North Korean colours aesthetic and artists like Kandinsky. We went quite literal with the 'Work of Art' theme. We did it all in front of a green screen and then Rich worked incredibly hard to bring it to life with animation.
9. Last year you released 'Covers, Vol. 1' which has a great variety of music on it! If you could add a song to it now, what would it be and why?
I think with that EP I was trying to show that I wasn't 'just' an acoustic folk artist and that I had all these different influences playing a part in my musical diet. However, I would now go for something more pared back and acoustic and perhaps do a faithful Gillian Welch cover. I'd also like to try some Edith Piaf but I'm not sure my sung French is up to scratch. Nor is my spoken French for that matter.
10. In one of your Instagram posts from this year, you have a Kate Bush 'Before the Dawn' poster - did you see one of those performances?
Sadly not! That was taken in a little studio in Stroud that I was using for writing in. I was envious of whoever went though.
11. You've undertaken tours in the UK as well as Europe and the US, what's been your favourite place to play?
That's an incredibly tough question. Europe was amazing as the hospitality is amazing and they provide you with such amazing food. And the US, everyone was so warm and welcoming and I loved every show. A highlight was playing the cathedral in Seattle. The reverb in there went on for hours and I indulged in it.
12. This autumn, you're embarking on a UK tour, what are you most looking forward to about playing these shows?
I'm just really looking forward to having real people in a room again. Music making is meant to be a communal exchange and so I hope I can rediscover the little bits of my soul that have lacked nourishment in the last year because of the lack of live performance.
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Purchase the music of Chloe Foy including her latest album, ‘Where Shall We Begin’ in CD and vinyl editions on her Bandcamp page.
For more information about Chloe Foy, including details for her upcoming tour of the UK in October, visit her official website.
Follow Chloe Foy on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @chloefoymusic.
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