We caught up with Claire Duncan of Dear Time's Waste on the eve of releasing her debut EP.
----------------------------------
Who is Dear Time's Waste?
Dear Time's Waste developed as a bunch of songs and a sound that I wanted to explore after playing very stripped back music for a couple of years. It's mainly me and with a sort of rotating lineup which sometimes features Djeis and Rikki from Trees (Djeis produced the DTW ep) and Brent from Cut Off Your Hands and my friend Jono Lee. Things all sort of kicked off in about April this year when Djeis and I started working on recording some of my songs together.
What are your influences/inspirations?
I get excited about stories. History, genealogy, ghost stories... I'm pretty interested in varying ideas about life and death, in different cultures and at different times... I like how life and death are these epic, fixed poles between which people live and create. I am also very influenced by physical spaces, certain rooms and environments effect me tremendously and work their way into songs. For me, Dear Time's Waste songs are geographical, they paint aural landscapes and pictures. They are locations. I'd hope that people would hear the music and not so much hear a person singing words and playing guitar, but experience some kind of space, situated somewhere that is real and surreal, familiar and unfamiliar.
What were you listening to at High School?
I started high school at the turn of the millennium, and listened to a heap of different stuff.. I didn't really like much stuff that was coming out at the time. I listened to loads of metal for a while, I really liked Refused. I listened to a lot of Radiohead, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins - more stuff that my older brother had listened to at high school five years earlier. I really liked At the Drive In too. The most exciting band for me at High School was probably the Mint Chicks, I remember seeing one of their early shows, and then my sister bought me Octagon Octagon Octagon for Christmas. They had an energy and songs I hadn't seen or heard before from a local band. It was exciting.
What are you currently listening to?
Over the past two years My Bloody Valentine and Deerhunter have become pretty solid favourites. I really love the Beatles, have lately been really getting into Nick Cave and Slowdive.
What is your writing process?
It is different every time, but I usually just pick up guitar and keep playing until something I like comes out. I used to find that I got into a bit of a 'zone' and songs seemed to birth themselves, and now I sort of try to facilitate and manage that space so I can get more out of it. I generally write entire songs and then record later, I like the traditional ritualistic nature of writing like that - but I'm getting into re-writing and re-arranging while recording... getting a computer and protools in my bedroom a few months ago has changed the process a lot for me, I used to drive down to my family's house in Cambridge for a few days and record. It was a nice clean separation, and I loved listening to what I'd done on repeat in my car on the drive home, either getting excited or having a big cringe.
Your Dream Collaboration?
Right now maybe Bradford Cox, or Flood, he produced some of my favourite records
You are just about to release your first EP – tell us a little about this?
I started recording earlier this year with Djeisan Suskov (who has produced it). We did the whole things in his flat in Remuera which is this huge old house that used to be a hospice for old people. It was great working with Djeis because for a long time I've been recording on my own, so it was exciting to have someone to bounce off. We both came to it pretty casually, it was a really natural and spontaneous process, we tried out loads of different ideas and sort of whittled things down. There were some pretty magic moments when the sounds clicked together. It ended up taking ages cause I went overseas for a while and Djeis has been really busy with other projects (Trees as well as producing Mean St and Brand New Math among others), but it was good having time to stand back and reassess things throughout it.
Are you signed to a label or self-releasing the EP?
Self-releasing.
When can people expect to get their hands on it?
I'm working towards early-mid February
When are you playing next?
Trying to book a show for January
Where's your favourite place to play?
I don't think I've ever played anywhere I really liked. SFBH in Wellington was a really nice space with good sound.
Your favourite show so far?
Probably the Kings Arms show on the Cut Off Your Hands tour in November, we arrived about an hour before I was supposed to play as our flight from Wellington was delayed numerous times. NO sound check, mic problems, but it all came together and felt really good. The Christchurch show was also cool cause the crowd was so supportive despite none of them knowing who the hell we were.
The state of music in NZ is…
Where is this State of Music? I don't think I've ever been.
The future holds…?
More songs hopefully, if I get given some.
