About Caffeinated Corner:

Caffeinated Corner was created to replicate the feeling of chatting at coffee shops with new friends. From the warm taste of coffee, the slightly chaotic energy of the espresso machines, to the life stories shared, caffeinated corner aims to replicate this environment online. Join me as we talk with different artists about their favorite things, stories from their childhood, and new projects on the horizon.

Check out the interview here:

Laura: 

How have you been doing? I know you recently released Joiner today, how does that feel?

Sabrina:

It’s good. It’s always nice to get a song out. Especially since I am on tour right now. So it’s nice to have people who have heard more of the songs. It’s just nice to get more out in the world.

Laura:

Especially since you are releasing an album, being able to be on tour and perform those songs and get people to know you personally is the best way to do it.

Everything I do right now is kinda like a chill coffee shop interview. So I always ask everyone what their favorite things are. Getting to the core of who you are by going back to a life without music. So it could be from your favorite coffee order, favorite tv show, a specific song you feel connected to. It’s to reconnect with a world without music so if I am sitting here and I am not even doing music, what are some things I truly love in life? 

Sabrina:

Some things that I love are cute animals. That’s my favorite thing in the world. Otters and dogs and cows. It’s particularly great to be on tour where I am because I keep seeing cows. I love memoirs. I love reading essays and memoirs and interesting stories about people’s lives. I like political thrillers. I don’t know why. That is my favorite genre of movie. Like Argo with Jason type movies. I like Thai food. I’ve been eating thai curry every night on tour which is bold and brave but I have been doing it. It’s because it’s kinda consistent for all the places we have been going with others. I am unsure what I am going to get. Thai has been very consistent. What else do I like? I like taking naps. I’m listening to a lot of Laura Marling right now.

Laura

Also what you get a coffee shops

Sabrina

I have to be this person, but I do get an oat milk latte. 

Laura

That’s perfect. Those are fantastic. I always like asking that question because you get to know people a little bit better. It is fun to talk about little things that you like.

Sabrina

To be fair I was just watching instagram reels of otters. That was at the front of my mind.

Laura

I actually love otters especially when you go to the aquarium, and they put their feet up on the glass and you can see them.

Sabrina

They are so cute.

Laura

Awesome. They are so great. So I want to take us to discuss early in your career and we can talk about some of your inspirations in the album, then we are all good.

So I know you moved from New York to LA when you turned 18, is there a specific place you prefer to live more?

Sabrina

I like them for different things. I met a lot of people I work with and am inspired by in LA. Because I grew up in New York and I moved when I turned 18, my relationship with New York isn’t revolving around music. It’s just where I grew up. But I do miss the energy of New york. I really do love it there. And at some point I may move back, but I am happy in LA too. 

Laura

When you moved to California, was there a specific spot you missed in New York?

Sabrina

I missed the convenience of things. If you want to go to the pharmacy it’s a 45 minute experience in LA. But if you are in New York obviously it takes two seconds. And things are open much later. Like I remember being like what do you mean its 11 and I can’t go get advil. Like things are always closed. This is a cliche, but I really do miss seasons. 

Laura

I relate to that. I currently live in Nashville and before living here I had never lived with seasons before. 

Sabrina

Oh really?

Laura

Yeah because I grew up in Texas and there are no seasons there. 

Sabrina

A little bit, I guess it depends where in Texas.

Laura

Yeah it depends but even in Dallas it would get hot around 100 in May. No more spring.

Sabrina

That’s horrible.

Laura 

Pretty tortuous. 

Is there a specific place you really enjoy going to in LA like restaurants, or comfort places?

Sabrina

Hmm

I feel like there are only a couple restaurants I go to. There is a place called same same in silverlake. I like going there. 

Laura

I will definitely have to go there. 

To get a little deeper, I know you previously had another name for your artist project. Is there a reason you changed and how do you come up with Blondshell?

Sabrina

I changed because the music felt so different, the music I was writing and I just wanted to start over and reintroduce myself as a musician because I felt the music was so different. It was just so different. I wanted something that felt very strong and indicated the type of music. I don’t really know why but I feel like the name Blondshell just feels like the music. It just sonically gives the vibe, the confidence, and all the things I wanted to indicate. 

Laura

Along that same line, what do you think are three words that describe your artist project Blondshell? 

Sabrina

Well three words. So tough to narrow it down to three words. I think it’s raw, loud, and lets see. That’s a hard question. I don’t think I have been asked what the three words are. So I think there is humor involved as well.

Laura

Do you see it as an extension of you or do you feel like you are integrated with Blondshell in your personality?

Sabrina

I think it’s very integrated. I don’t try to be anyone else or put on some sort of act or even performance. Even, I have been really tired when doing shows, I am just going to show up as I am. So it’s never like I am trying to show up and be anyone else. So I feel like one with the project. 

Laura

So now since we are on that same wavelength, let’s talk a little bit about the album, your overall inspiration and just thoughts and feelings toward the project.

How did you come up with your album name?

Sabrina

I think since it’s the first album and an introduction I just wanted it to be self titled. 

Laura

Is there a significance to it being self titled besides it just being the first album or did you just decide since it was an intro to call it that?

Sabrina

I just felt I wanted to use it as an introduction of who I am as an artist. Not just because it was the first album. It feels like I figured out more of who I am as an artist. That is why I wanted to and the name change that is why I wanted it to be self titled.

Laura

I think a lot of the best first albums I have seen are all self titled. 

Sabrina

Yeah I feel like that is true. 

Laura

So what are some inspirations outside of music you used for the album?

Sabrina

Outside of music I would say, Well I wrote a lot of these songs during the pandemic. I have been reading a lot and watching a lot of movies since I was isolated. And I think that was a lot of inspiration and just things that were happening, stories about my friends, people I dated, just real life experiences because none of these songs are hypothetical, they are all literal and about things that happened. 

Laura

I noticed with each of your songs, you can see some albums follow the same vibe or concept, very sad or very upbeat. I feel with your album each song is so unique with the songs you have released. So very unique in nature, do you think there is one song that truly represents the album?

Sabrina

I think Olympus represents the project, which is why I put it out first, I feel like it has a little bit of everything sonically and in terms of the lyrics. It covered a lot of those themes and sort of that song moved around a lot in terms of emotions. And so I thought it was a good way to show everything that was going to be on the project.

Laura

I love Olympus. I think my personal favorite is Kiss City. When creating the tracklist did you write for the album specifically or did you choose from songs you had already written?

Sabrina

I had been writing for a while and these were the ones that sort of made sense together. 

Laura

How many songs do you think you wrote in total during the period of time when you were writing for the album? If you had to give an estimate. 

Sabrina

Maybe 20.

Laura

I feel like that’s not that bad. I feel you kind of had what you wanted to say and sound prior to the conception of the album. 

Sabrina

Yeah it could have been a little less. I thought it was going to be an ep but then I kept writing and then we were like we have enough for an album so let’s just make an album. 

Laura

I think coming out with an album off the bat is great, I honestly am a sucker for albums right now. I go from front to back because for me it’s a form of art. 

When choosing the tracklist did you put the tracks in order or did you just randomly place them? 

Sabrina

I sort of listened to them in a bunch of different orders and figured out what makes the most sense here. I think part of it was based on what I do live. Veronica Mars always feels like an opener to me and there is a song Tarmac that has to be the last song. So for me sonically it just made sense in a certain order and the transitions made sense in a certain order. It wasn’t much about the lyrics in a certain track order, it was about the sound to me.

Laura

Is there a certain song that you like to play on tour

Sabrina

I like to do Sepsis on tour. I think it is just a comfortable one for me to sing and just a fun one for me to do. 

Laura

I know that you are currently on the road with Suki Waterhouse, is there a specific venue you are excited to play? Or that you really enjoy playing.

Sabrina

Well I am very excited to play the Fonda because that is my favorite venue in LA and I have always wanted to play there. I have been to so many shows there. So I am just excited for that one and all my friends can go. I am also excited to play Webster Hall in New York because that is my hometown.

Laura

I feel like it’s your childhood venue and your current home venue.

Sabrina

Yeah that is so true

Laura

When you are creating songs or writing songs, whose the first person you show an idea to or the finished song to?

Sabrina

I think it changes a lot. I’m trying to get in the habit of not showing people songs immediately because I think it can change your perspective on your own song when you show it to somebody and read into their reaction. So I’m trying to wait a little longer till its a finished product to show it to anybody. I think it was my sister for a long time when we lived together growing up. There have been different people at different times. 

Laura

You have to develop a level of trust and respect with someone to show something. It can be very vulnerable.

Sabrina

Definitely yes.

Laura

What was your favorite music video to film? was there a certain place or Vibe you were looking for to film in.

Sabrina

My favorite music video to shoot was Joiner, because that was the first narrative video we did. So it was just fun to have a full production and it was a whole thing. We had locations and it was so cool to watch the music come to life and sort of have an extended life for me, not just about the song but about all of these visuals. So I really like that but I also like doing things where it’s just me and my dog walking around silverlake.

Laura

I think it shows the versatility with how you want to grow with productions but also strips it back. This is who I am right now. 

Sabrina

Yeah totally totally.

Laura

Awesome so one of the last things I do is go into the lyrics where we break down some of the lyrics in your most recent songs. 

So I am going to take it from your new song “Joiner”

“Think you watched too much HBO growing up, now you got one arm cut off, now you make me throw up”

What were you thinking when writing those lyrics? I kind of read a little about how you were influenced by Britpop and just very nightmarish themes. Was there anything else you thought while writing the lyrics?

Sabrina

I had in mind like I guess I was watching a lot of HBO shows literally all the lyrics are very literal and I was watching a lot of HBO the time and I sort of I don’t think skins the UK version it’s on HBO I don’t know what it’s on but I sort of had this Euphoria/Skins, where you are seeing young people doing these things being glamorized but also unhealthy but look fun and I was like very into that whole those types of activities and that type of aesthetic and all of those things growing up. So I think I was trying to write about those shows and all of those parties and types of things you see on tv growing up. And I think I was trying to talk casually about the effect of tv on people and the effect it had on me. 

Laura

It’s a lot about what you saw in your childhood on tv showing a more glamorized version of the real world. 

Just to sum it up, on that note what is your favorite HBO show?

Sabrina

Well right now I am watching the Sopranos, I like that right now but it changes.

Laura 

I always want to have a new show because I always feel like I am in a show drought. 

Sabrina

White Lotus is an obvious one. I loved the second season.

Laura

White Lotus was so good. I was so obsessed. I was watching it while it was coming out so I was anxious to see the ending. 

So it was very good. 

So I don’t want to keep you. Thank you so much for chatting with me. 

Sabrina

Of course, thank you.

Laura

I hope the rest of the tour goes well along with the album announcement and joiner. 

Sabrina

Thank you. I appreciate it. Talk soon!