INTERVIEW: Little May release new single 'Apples' and announce second album 'Blame My Body'

Sydney indie-rock band Little May was formed by friends Hannah Field and Liz Drummond, along with Annie Hamilton in high school. Their debut album For The Company was released in 2015 to critical acclaim and they have since racked up over 110 million online streams. Now a duo after Hamilton’s departure, Little May have today announced their highly anticipated second album Blame My Body will be released on May 3, preceded by the release of the new single ‘Apples’ today. We recently caught up with Hannah Field from the band to find out more about the album along with their new sound.

Hi Hannah! Thanks for taking the time to chat to us. You are preparing to launch your new album Blame My Body, your first album in 3 years. What have you been up to in the interim?
Hello! It’s been a while! We were away writing and recording our album and we also played some shows supporting The National but that’s about it really! 

New single ‘Apples’ was released today, it’s a fantastic track! Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration for the song?
Liz wrote ‘Apples’ on the spot about two years ago. It was at a time when she was feeling a bit stuck and was wondering how she (or anyone) would ever make a living off music.

The video has a great vibe as well, what was it like to shoot?
Thanks! Liz and I were slightly hung over in this video to be honest (laughs). We were staying at my parent's place in Annandale. They get pretty excited when we come to stay so we had a few bevies with them to celebrate our arrival. We were slightly dusty in the morning but Nath and Nick of Stupid Genius and the entire ‘Apples’ video team were bloody lovely and professional so it was very enjoyable and they made us look as groovetown as possible.

Can you tell us a little about the creative process for Blame My Body?
We made Blame My Body over a couple of years in a few different spaces and Rob Muinos, Dylan Adams and Liz produced it at different times during the making of the album, together and sometimes individually. When we first started writing again I was keen to attempt to write some stuff that was outside of my own experiences, so I did and some of the lyrics that were coming out were much bolder than I was used to seeing from myself. Liz’s writing was also becoming bolder and It was pretty obvious she was just creating what she’d always wanted, what was natural to her. We realised quite quickly that this album was going in a different direction and it felt right so we committed to making something we wanted and turned away from expectation. It’s different from our old music, but still vulnerable.

Was there a particular message you wanted to get across with this album?
Not intentionally. These are our experiences and observations presented in the art form we love and in the way we feel comfortable - ask me to my face how my day was and I struggle to string two sentences together! Upon reflection though I reckon collectively the songs on the album are mostly saying “no more shame in honesty”.

This will be your first album as a duo, how has that changed the dynamic throughout the whole process, from writing music through to recording it?
Between Liz and I, I didn’t notice the dynamic change too much. We’ve been writing songs together since we were 15 so it wasn’t a huge shift. We’ve only recorded one other album so there wasn’t a whole heap to compare it to dynamically. It was definitely a different experience.

Did you feel any extra pressure going into the album, given the new line-up and also as you were following up on a super-successful first album?
I felt pressure from myself mostly but after the release of [2018 single] ‘Lover’ there was a sense of just let this be what it is. I think that comes when you start to respect and trust your own opinions and begin acting on what your gut is saying rather than what people expect from you. I feel that’s what happened with me anyway.

What are your thoughts on the current gender equality debate? Do you think we have a problem with sexism in the music industry, both from within the industry and with how the general public perceive female artists?
There is a problem but it’s good to see small changes happening somewhat. I noticed some of the festival lineups over Summer were slightly more balanced this year in relation to more female fronted acts being on there. There are so many incredibly strong, articulate voices representing and speaking up for women in music, we’re in good hands.  

What’s up next for Little May?
Well! We’re starting our mini tour tomorrow night (15th February) in Sydney at Oxford Arts Factory then Melbourne at Northcote Social Club the next night, and Brissie at Blackbear Lodge the following Friday (22nd February). Album is out May 3rd so I assume we’ll be doing a album tour at some point and maybe get overseas later this year if things go to plan!  We'd like to start writing again as soon as we have a spare minute.

Blame My Body released on May 3rd and is available for PRE-ORDER now via Dew Process & UMA

The single ‘Apples’ is available now

The keep up with all things Little May, you can follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

LITTLE MAY 2019 TOUR DATES
For tickets and info, head to littlemaymusic.com
15 February – Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst, NSW
16 February – Northcote Social Club, Northcote, VIC
22 February – Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley, QLD