Wellington Music: New E.P - Charlotte Yates

When/where was the new EP recorded?

In several bouts - the rhythm section ( Hikurangi Schavarien-Kaa - drums, percussion and Phoebe Johnson - electric/double bass) were recorded in The Surgery, Newtown over two days at the end of September 2024. From there, I took the files and worked on electric/acoustic guitars and vocals at my project studio - Semaphore Sound - at Waitaree Beach mid Oct to just before Christmas 2024. Those stems were fired off to Brooke Singer who did synthesizer parts at her home studio in Vogeltown. We met up again in early February 2025 for a couple of days adding backing vocals, clarinet and other synth ideas, and then a last recording day mid Feb at The Surgery with other live instruments, namely the piano (Brooke/me) and backing vocals from Wayne Mason/Brooke plus a great last minute viola part from Elliot Vaughan. Pretty local!

Who produced/engineered the EP? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?

Brooke and I co-produced 'Winter's Eye'. We record our own parts and have pretty focussed 'what now' sessions in person - Brooke writes it up because no normal person can read my handwriting. I had a pretty comprehensive set of demos which I'd made at my studio to kick against at a starting point and charted them out at home. Brooke suggested musicians to work with and other references of artists we used for timbres, production ideas which kept us working in sync. I enjoyed this very much. Lee Prebble recorded the other live instruments at his studio - although he let me audio engineer at his one afternoon which was like driving a spaceship - all Pro Tools though. Lee mixed the ep. He's very quick and organised.

Did the shorter format of an EP give you the option to experiment in any way with your sound or with different forms of song-writing?

Initially, I thought we'd only record 3 or 4 songs but it's been great to use the full complement and explore working in a different way with some other incredibly talented musicians. Refreshing and inspiring. The E.P format allowed me to keep things on a schedule around other projects but also the 'things of life' eg the birth of Brooke's son, Wynn and the summer holiday season. It allowed more flexibility with timing and trying various musical ideas/options out.

Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?

I used a relatively 'new to me' acoustic guitar to work with, a different but pretty basic vocal mic - Rodes NT1 A( my previous one gave up the ghost) and an Epiphone electric guitar. It's the first major original project I'd recorded at the beach in the wee cabin which has been acoustically treated, but seems to passed muster in the mix. That kept things relaxed and easy to work on the songs.

Is there a particular track or theme that the EP was formed around?

Not deliberately - the songs have been written over 2-3 years, but there's been feedback about the abundance of natural imagery and that the lyrics are 'arresting'. Fair cop!

Where do you see the EPs place in growing an audience online? Do you see it as a progression towards an album or a separate entity?

Yes, I haven't made an ep since 1987 with Putty In Her Hands and the format is so useful as a stepping stone from singles to a full blown album.

Which digital platforms is it available on?

All of them via the NZ aggregator, Digital Rights Management. The first single 'Push Back' is available on Youtube with a companion video created by Emma Robinson and the physical/digital copies are available on Bandcamp.

Are you doing any gigs or promotion for its release?

I just did a sold-out release gig with Show Pony at The Shed, Alicetown last Saturday. Next is Dale Webb's Ohau House Concert April 5th, plus Jam Factory in Tauranga and the Kauaeranga Valley Hall May 2nd & 3rd, with more shows later in the year in the South Island. More info on my Website as bookings open. :)