Rolling Stone AU/NZ: Womb
How Making Music Together Strengthened the Bond of This New Zealand Family Band
Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately and some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken + some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes it takes completely different forms.
In my latest for Rolling Stone AU/NZ, I profile the Tāmaki Makaurau and Whakatū-based dream-pop trio Womb, who recently released their new album One Is Always Heading Somewhere through Flying Nun Records. Here’s an excerpt from the story.
Dream-pop trio Womb discusses their ethereal new album, revealing how their music is emotionally impacting the masses
“In a day-to-day sense, feelings can be quite elusive to me,” says Cello Forrester. “I think it’s such a blessing to have art as a means to explore what a feeling is trying to say before using words and sound to put those feelings in context while reflecting your internal world into the external.” A singer-songwriter, guitarist and string player, Forrester is the frontperson of Womb, the Tāmaki Makaurau and Whakatū-based dream-pop band they share with their siblings-cum-musical collaborators, Haz Forrester (synth, guitar) and Georgette Brown (drums).
Together, the siblings are a tender and gentle trio who listen closely and speak thoughtfully, often cracking sly grins and chuckling wryly between making serious statements. Speaking with Rolling Stone ANZ via a group Zoom call, they’re talking about their recently released third album and the experiences that led them towards it.
Paired with cover art that combines a photograph Haz took on a long bus ride through upper Te Waipounamu with four Hilma af Klint-inspired icons created by Georgette, One Is Always Heading Somewhere feels like a significant moment for Womb. Over twelve lovingly fleshed-out tracks, they continue to build on the Elysian fusion of lo-fi folk, slowcore, chamber-pop, and indie rock they’ve spent the last decade exploring while delivering some of the most pop-aspirational music they’ve made yet.
Read the full story here.
While we’re at it, I thought I’d dig up something I wrote about Womb for the now-defunct New Zealand music website The Audience back in 2015. That’s ten years ago. Damn.
The Audience: Martyn Pepperell introduces Womb (2015)
While it starts with guitar work, drones, and a marching drum groove imbued with a deep sense of finality, when 'Airplane' by Wellington-based singer/instrumentalist/producer Womb (Cello Forrester) bursts into the full flight of song, we're reminded that as one story ends, another begins. A classic break-up tale delivered in translucent curling tones, 'Airplane' represents our first peak into a five-song EP she has been recording over the last five months. Describing their music process as ritualistic, Cello has found they write best within a sacred space and the correct accompanying headspace. "I feel it is necessary to return to the emotional landscapes the songs were written in so that the recordings will harness the nature of the song I've written," they explain. Afterwards, they give themselves space to reflect on the song before adding the final touches. Sometimes it’s weeks, other times months.
"Another important part of the recording process was emulating a bedroom/lo-fi vibe," Cello continues. "Kathleen Hanna of Riot Grrl is a big inspiration. When she talked about the bedroom demo recordings for her project Julie Ruin, she said something about how she felt girls are all connected to one other through creative endeavours explored in their bedrooms. I wanted this to resonate through my own sonic explorations; for it to be at once personal and creative." Describing music as "a need, and an outlet", Cello notes that while their songs often feel sad, they generally aren’t. "I think this is because I use writing, music, and the composing of songs as a way to expel negative energy. Once the emotion is captured in a song, it is out of me…"
Still at the start of their twenties, Cello began playing music with their twin brother Haz in their duo Athuzela Brown. Together, they recorded several records worth of down-to-earth and wide-eyed dream folk before putting the project to rest close to a year ago. "We were very young when we wrote those songs," they admit. "I feel they contain much of our innocence. It was essential for me to cut my ties with Athuzela Brown and develop my own music as a one-piece. Haz is currently working on his own one-piece too, A Hum of Voices.
Aside from Haz, who they describe as "the spine to everything I'm exploring in music" while developing as both a group and solo creative, Cello has drawn inspiration from a wealth of New Zealand musicians, including Seth Frightening, Glass Vaults, Paperghost, i.ryoko, i.e. Crazy and The All Seeing hand to just name a few. "These are all musicians who are totally present and give all their energy into their performances," they enthuse. "Some really important influences while writing this EP have included Batrider, Built To Spill, Laurel Halo, Lorde, and Bjork."
In anticipation of the release of their EP, Charlotte recently leaked the cover art, which depicts a psychedelic bedroom. "Visuals are very important to me in relation to music," they say. "I think I get this from my sister Georgette Brown, who is an artist [and created the imagery for them]. Cello is currently working on two music videos with their sister and collaborating with visual artists Tristan Brooks and Dan Harris. "We're exploring images relating to empowerment, sexuality, and blood, positive and negative energies." With the release of their EP and the art projects associated with it, we'll get a clear idea of how it all fits together. But if 'Airplane' is any indication, we can expect beautiful melodies, emotional vulnerability and charged meaning. "I see music as a platform for expression," they conclude.
MOUTHFUL RADIO:
From 2-3 pm NZ time on Friday the 28th of March, I’ve got a special one-hour DJ mix of house music produced in Aotearoa New Zealand, during the ‘90s and 2000s broadcasting on the independent non-profit internet radio station Mouthfull Radio (est. 2017). You’ll be able to tune in here.
FIN.