Where are you from?

Jill Townsend: I grew up in rural West Tennessee in a small town with one red light and the world’s largest raccoon hunt. I currently live, and have for many years, in Nashville, Tennessee.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?

A blogger reviewing my previous album called me a jangly Kate Bush. A fellow musician said our recent live show sounded like Broadcast wrote Pixies songs for New Order to play. I feel a bit eclectic but sitting somewhere near the dream pop genre.

Tell us about your release on Nina.

For me, this song is about the transformative experience of motherhood. The before and after. I wrote it when my daughter was a baby. “Shattery” is the first release with my new band from the album we are currently working on. I created my debut album Telekinesis for Beginners mostly in isolation, playing and recording everything myself. This time around, I wanted to include my band more in the recording process. You’ll be hearing more synthesizers and electronic drums in this new batch of songs, which is always a good thing if you ask me.

What kind of tools do you use to make music?

I used Ableton to record my last album. I love my Tascam Porta One 4-track, but it breaks often. Give me GarageBand, a Focusrite Scarlett, and some Apple earbuds with the built-in mic, and I can make a pretty good demo any day. When writing some of my recent songs, I’ve used an Arturia BeatStep Pro sequencer, Alesis HR-16 drum machine, and Korg Volca Sample. I’ve always played guitar live until our recent setup in which I play a Roland Juno-Gi that I’ve had forever and a Novation Bass Station. I use MainStage for backing tracks.

Who are three artists you are listening to right now?

Bill Callahan. His deep voice and style of songwriting are so distinctive. I return to him often. The Polish composer Andrzej Korzyński. I discovered him through the 1981 film Possession (I love composers of 70s/80s foreign horror). Quirky scores with strange and sometimes cheesy synth sounds are good for me. The Cure have been on repeat lately, as my bandmate suggested we cover a song which sparked me to dust them off.

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