When Howling Bells’ singer Juanita Stein was growing up, “music was everything”. Little wonder then that she has gone on to pursue a career in the industry. Her father was already a musician (as is her brother) and “my Mum was equally obsessed with music”, she recalls. “It was as important as literature and art. It all impacted us very strongly growing up.”
Her previous band Waikiki had one of the most successful debuts in Australian music history – and they stuck it out for a couple of years, touring round the traps in, what Juanita coins as a very “comfortable position”, then just as the wheels seemed about to fall off the Waikiki wagon, Stein and her brother (Joel, guitarist) set sail into a new venture – Howling Bells. Judging by the praise the group has been receiving overseas, this new outfit is going to prove an even better fit than the last… (did we mention that 9/10 review from NME).
For Stein though, a musical career was not always the obvious choice. “I think it took me a few years to recognise that. I was always really interested in the arts – in the arts in general – and I really loved performing in terms of acting. But I also loved music – and eventually music won. I remember my first experience, I was six years old and my Dad took me into the studio to sing a song with him – and I got that on tape – that would have been the beginning for me and the real clincher.”
Like most young girls Stein soon progressed from her hairbrush to a guitar and found herself ensconced in her bedroom plucking away at tunes. “I remember when I was about twelve…learning all the songs in the Beatles’ book,” she smiles.
What is difficult for some came quite easily for Juanita, and pretty soon she realised that a musical career was inevitable. “That’s essentially how you know that you are on the right path,” says Stein. “That that’s what you’re supposed to do…It’s about the level of ease – more often than not that’s the indication that it’s the right thing – not that you don’t struggle – but it’s innate and intuitive – I live it and breathe it.”
Though it’s difficult to imagine that creating the Howling Bells’ debut album was ever an easy process; many of the lyrics are dark and intense, although the melodies do seem to flow from some inner stream of consciousness.
Stein is quick to agree: “It came from a really difficult place – I wasn’t really doing anything at the time I wrote most of the songs. The fact is I was either going to keep going with Waikiki or do something different. It came at a time when I was feeling really content,” she sneers.
“And content isn’t challenging at all – it’s a terrible thing if you’re an artist of any kind. It’s the worst enemy of creativity. I felt like I wasn’t fulfilling my potential – so I was really frustrated… So the songs came from this time where I was feeling really frustrated – but also I was falling in love – so the whole album is inspired by that. This general feeling of desperation on so many levels – wanting and needing and not having that – it was really intense.”
These days the desperation has quietened somewhat, but for Stein the album is a snapshot of another time, easily accessible and memorable. “I feel it most on ‘Ballad for the Broken Heart’” she says. “I really connect with myself – if that makes sense. Some of the songs are quite time specific on a personal level. So it was incredibly cathartic to record. Yes there was the desperation – but it was absolutely therapeutic being in the studio recording these songs.”
The recording process also marked a real change of pace for Stein. Her previous album with Waikiki was something she described as ‘overly polished”, the Howling Bells album is anything but… Producer Ken Nelson (Coldplay) has allowed space for the songs to breathe.
“It was all done live – we were just thrown into the room and it was like whenever you’re ready – GO!” enthused Stein. “It was so different to that first Waikiki album – that was way too polished – there were three producers on that and it was just too neat – I’m not a neat person. Everything I like is chaotic and messy and raw. So it didn’t make sense to me – but you’re young and you learn.
“And with this new record it was good,” she continues. “It’s a scary thing giving your songs to somebody and going – do it. But this whole period of being stuck in my room and writing these songs – its like you write a diary and then you’re essentially asking someone to publish it – but as soon as I met Ken it was great – I knew he a wasn’t interested in creating a platinum selling record – just a really good record.”
Such a good record in fact that the London press have been going gaga…particularly NME: “It was surprising,” admits Stein, “because you have no idea how a magazine like that is going to respond to you. They’re a sensationalist magazine in terms of bands and what they like – there is a very quick turn over.
“Saying that, they were the first to embrace us – which is funny because it was the mag I was most scared of and it was the most embracing. They were the first to go out on a limb – and as soon as they started to drop these three influences – they started to appear in every other magazine it was like it was the template – it was very interesting to watch.”
Influences and comparisons that would have inevitably included the big three – PJ, Patti and Chrissie.
Juanita nods, “It’s funny, if you’re a female in a band that plays guitar – you’re only ever gonna sound like Chrissie Hynde, Kate Bush or PJ Harvey and that’s it… but if you’re a guy there’s a universe of influences to be drawn from…”
So what does she consider her influences to be?
“Old music,” she pauses. “I feel very connected to that old world-y feel… French films and soundtracks and haunting, beautiful music… Everything from Edith Piaf to Elle Fitzgerald. And in terms of popular music, I love Jim Morrison and Kate Bush in terms of lead singers. It’s really eclectic – not so much from now – I adore elements of punk – and there were bands I listened to a lot while we were recording this album – but that’s not what’s in my heart. It’s all about the melody.”
She concludes: “That’s the most important thing for me – then of course the lyrics are important – but I know it’s going to be a good song if the melody almost writes itself….”
Howling Bells debut self-titled album is available in record stores from July 1 through Liberation. Grab a sneak peek of all the tracks with FasterLouder’s exclusive preview here
