Ok.Flay opens up concerning the creation of her upcoming new album ‘MONO’, out September 15, that includes a few of her most private and guitar-driven music but, on this newest version of our digital cowl function sequence, The Album Story.

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Again in summer time 2022, Ok.Flay climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

Ticking a formidable merchandise off her bucket listing, it turned a life-changing enterprise for the LA-based musician in any other case generally known as Kristine Flaherty – however not simply within the methods she’d anticipated.

Round one week after stepping foot again on stable floor, Kristine wakened with full listening to loss in her proper ear – a freak prevalence that she quickly realized was deemed everlasting by her docs.

Grappling with the query of whether or not she’d ever make music once more following the alterations to her sensory world, the Illinois-born inventive was pressured to return to sq. one.

Rediscovering her love for music while adjusting to the modifications inside her listening to, equilibrium, and stability, Ok.Flay discovered a contemporary sense of function – ensuing within the creation of her fifth studio album, ‘MONO’. An pressing and thrilling trendy rock document that encapsulates a very outstanding interval in Kristine’s life, right here she joins us to inform the story of her newest period.

THE SOUND

“That is in all probability the quickest I’ve made an album, in addition to my debut. I needed to make the most effective document of my profession and I needed it to be imbued with a way of rigour, pressure, and exhausting work,” Ok.Flay displays.

Pondering methods to method a observe as much as 2022’s ‘Inside Voices / Exterior Voices’ while navigating unchartered territory inside her private life, for the primary few months following her listening to loss, Ok.Flay scrambled to search out her bearings.

Feeling disorientated and struggling to even take heed to music – not to mention create her personal – she steadily discovered herself reverting again to a newbie’s mindset. Casting apart any earlier notions of what she thought she knew about songwriting, and permitting herself the liberty to observe her instincts in a manner that she hadn’t since her first album, as soon as the inventive power began – it was troublesome to cease.

“The listening to loss was a catalyst for a musical rebirth. There’s rather a lot about my listening to that modified, and in a great way, it eroded my sense of experience.”

“I’m at all times looking for artwork, music, literature, and podcasts that give me a way of non-public energy. For me, the pure sonic expression of that’s rock music. Due to my listening to, I needed issues to essentially really feel and sound a sure manner.”

Being naturally led by the modifications she was feeling, the fifteen songs on ‘MONO’ are a few of Ok.Flay’s most guitar-focused up to now, dripping in saturation and brimming with uncooked power.

With instrumental sections tying collectively every chapter of the story, a tinnitus noise additionally seems as a motif all through ‘MONO’, a refined nod to the way in which during which Kristine now experiences the world round her.

“My listening to in my left ear is regular. In my proper ear, I don’t hear something externally, nevertheless I’ve a ringing in my ear that doesn’t go away. It’s sort of like a phantom limb. If you happen to’ve been a listening to individual for lengthy sufficient, your mind responds to the loss by producing its personal neural sign.”

THE COLLABORATORS

Craving a sense she refers to as “productive pressure”, ‘MONO’ sees Ok.Flay calling upon an govt producer for the primary time in her profession, welcoming the steering and perspective of long-time good friend Paul Meany.

“I texted him at some point and requested him to come back over for dinner. While he was there, I informed him, ‘I’m engaged on this document. I really feel like it may be nice, however I would like somebody to push me. I believe you’re the individual to try this’. We each inspired one another to consider issues in another way.”

“Paul recognized songs that I had written off as issues to pursue. ‘Spaghetti’ was a tune that my girlfriend and I wrote in my house studio a couple of month after I misplaced my listening to. I wanted to attempt singing once more as a therapeutic train, so we wrote a tune for enjoyable. It wasn’t meant to be launched, however Paul heard it and was like, ‘No, that must be on the document’.” 

The 2 developed a pure collaborative course of that allowed Ok.Flay’s imaginative and prescient for ‘MONO’ to thrive, and that spirit additionally flows by means of the album’s visitor appearances.

With Kristine’s girlfriend’s band Child Sistr that includes on ‘Spaghetti’, the album’s solely different musical collaboration comes from Pierce The Veil’s Vic Fuentes, with the pair first assembly at Ok.Flay’s Seattle present shortly after Vic had had begun writing for Pierce The Veil’s fifth album, ‘The Jaws of Life’ (coincidentally additionally produced by Paul Meany).

“I can inform when any individual shares my values of humility and generosity of spirit, and I at all times felt that from the early time I spent with Vic. I had written a model of ‘Irish Goodbye’, and I used to be screaming on it. I assumed to myself, ‘Hey, I’ve a good friend who screams professionally!’”

“I went all the way down to San Diego, and Jaime [Preciado, Pierce The Veil] tracked all of the vocals at their house studio. Vic was about three weeks away from having his first daughter on the time, and it was a extremely homegrown and pure surroundings. As soon as we bought into the house of collaboration, the tune began to essentially make sense. There are methods during which our tastes intersect and methods during which they don’t, and I believe that at all times makes for thrilling collaborations.”

THE LYRICS

An album that journeys by means of the various emotional levels of loss and transformation, all through ‘MONO’ Ok.Flay delivers her most private songwriting up to now.

Studying to embrace discomfort and ache as components of life in the identical manner as happiness and ease, the album’s story begins with the frantic refrains of opener ‘Are You Severe?’, an important marker of intent for the most recent chapter of Ok.Flay’s profession.

“‘Are you severe?’ is one thing you say in exasperation when a foul factor occurs, however there’s another excuse why I selected these phrases.”

“That’s the query all of us needs to be asking ourselves by way of {our relationships} and our pursuits in life. That is our one shot on this physique, so are you severe? Chillness has someway achieved cultural supremacy, and while levity about life is essential, I believe you have to be severe about no matter you’re placing your power towards. That’s the bravest, most susceptible factor you are able to do. If you happen to attempt actually exhausting and fail, that’s painful, but when individuals assume this album sucks – not less than I do know that I attempted.”

Battling with the notion of studying to be susceptible, and establishing the variations between performative and genuine vulnerability, Kristine has come to be taught that true vulnerability is about development. Whether or not that’s development in connection to your self, in connection to others, or by means of altering your perspective on the world, ‘MONO’ journeys by means of Ok.Flay’s private expertise of discovering peace in honesty.

“Over the past 5 years, I’ve been constantly placing myself in locations of genuine vulnerability. I give up consuming three and a half years in the past, which is an extremely susceptible factor. It’s why individuals don’t like being sober at a celebration, it’s sort of scary.”

“When the listening to loss occurred, I felt actually susceptible. I wanted numerous assist, and I discovered that by being in that place of vulnerability, numerous fantastic issues occurred.”

“Once you’re susceptible and also you want help, you give the individuals in your life a chance to be beneficiant with their time and power. Typically I believe we neglect that. I’m responsible of being like, ‘I’m an island. I can assist you, however I don’t need assistance’. That’s not a good change although. It’s exhausting to ask for assist, and it’s exhausting to be sincere about disgrace, however whenever you’re capable of do these issues – there’s a lot magnificence to be discovered.” 

THE TITLE

While there’s a really literal facet to the album’s title, given the monophonic manner during which Kristine now experiences the world, ‘MONO’ concurrently charts the musician’s notion of aloneness, dealing with as much as the truth that we’re all individually trapped inside our personal our bodies and minds.

“At many factors in my life, I’ve been very disturbed by that. I’ve personally engaged in behaviour to attempt to get outdoors of myself, however what I’ve discovered over time is there will be nice equanimity in accepting one’s aloneness. There will be numerous peace.”

“That’s the journey of the document. Firstly it’s like, ‘I’m alone and one thing terrifying is occurring, what do I do?’, however by the tip it’s a sense of, ‘I’m alone, and that’s truly okay’.”

“The final observe on the document, ‘Completely Alone’, is written about stepping offstage at an enormous present and discovering your self sitting alone on a tour bus. After I first began out, I might normally have a beer to distract myself from the strangeness, however as I’ve gotten older my capability for discomfort has grown. I’ve realized methods to be inside myself comfortably, and I believe all of us can get to that place. There’s a lot extra peace in my life, and there’s a lot extra space for exuberance.” 

THE ARTWORK

Shot by one of many first photographers to ever accompany her on tour, Justin Bettman, the paintings for ‘MONO’ depicts Ok.Flay laying in a field that has been sawn in half, as per the favored magic trick.

With the album’s entrance cowl that includes the highest half of her physique, and the again cowl her backside half, the thought got here to Kristine’s thoughts amidst the grief of shedding her listening to, originating from a easy sketch she had given to her inventive director, Jennifer Pearl.

“Typically after I take into consideration loss of life and loss, I conceptualise it because the world’s worst magic trick. It’s mystical, and it doesn’t really feel actual, however someway it’s actual. As a viewer of that picture, there’s one thing uncanny about it. There’s a spark of curiosity, I believe.”

“The duvet shoot was so enjoyable as a result of there was no Photoshop concerned. We went to the magic store, and I made positive I might match into the field. Then we reskinned it to the gray color that you just see on the duvet. I’ll be sincere, it wasn’t very comfy in there!”

THE FUTURE

Sonically targeted on evolution, and personally pushed by discovering her function, ‘MONO’ is not only the sound of Ok.Flay persevering, however undoubtedly excelling in each facet of her artistry.  

Created within the aftermath of a probably devastating setback, as she ponders the journey of arriving at her fifth album Kristine says it greatest herself, laughing as she proclaims, “I’m a born-again musician!”.

An artist intently targeted on development, Ok.Flay is proving that it doesn’t matter what life throws your manner, there’s at all times a manner ahead, and if you will discover the energy to adapt, overcome, and pursue it – one thing actually magical might lie forward.

“Resilience is a ability. I believe it’s taught, and I believe we be taught it. I’ve two dads, my organic dad – who died – and my different dad who raised me. My dwelling mom and father taught me a strong type of resilience. It’s about not merely enduring – however rising.”

“I definitely don’t consider that all the things occurs for a purpose, however I do assume all of us have the capability to take what’s given to us on this life and create which means out of it. That, to me, is the core of being human. You’re taking these items that occur, you retain your eyes extensive open, and also you attempt to construct one thing out of it.”