Songwriters on Process

"It's trash that evokes emotion," says Chelsea Rifkin of Wilt referring to her junk journal. The singer for the LA-based band uses this journal as an important part of her songwriting process. The title is literal: "It's a scrapbook of trash that I get throughout the day." 
Rifkin showed me one of the journals. It was filled with napkins, stickers, cards, menus, wrappers--literally anything that might evoke a memory later on. This makes perfect sense because touching and seeing a concrete object from a past event would seem to evoke a more powerful memory than re-reading just your thoughts about that past event in a more traditional journal. It absolutely works for Rifkin. "The junk really unlocks a memory for me and exactly how I was feeling at that time." And it's often those memories that start the songwriting process for her.
Wilt's debut album "When No One's Watching"  (produced by Carlos de la Garza) is out now.

"I get a prebiotic soda and some popcorn, then head upstairs to write. And if I'm not feeling it, I leave." Joy Oladokun is nothing if not brutally efficient in her songwriting process. There's no room for wasted time. "I work fast but never in a rush," she says. Oladokun writes most of her songs in a matter of minutes, but that's because she's methodical, not haphazard.
Oladokun likes to write in the morning, ideally among birds. "I love the morning because I get to see the world change," she says. Oladokun sits on the porch in the morning with her coffee and engages in "mandatory bird watching," keeping a guitar by the door in case she gets inspired. "A lot of songs come from the moment of living the first part of my day."
Oladokun's latest album is Hope is a Heavy Thing on Concord Records.

“I love to sing out loud there. No one can hear me because everyone is, well, underground,” says Julia Jacklin. And if that’s not the best reason for singing in a cemetery, I don’t know what is. 
Walking is a daily and essential part of Jacklin’s process. “I’m obsessed with walking,” she says. There are two kinds of walks to Jacklin’s process. The first is when she goes with nothing on her mind; this is for filling the well with inspiration. The second is what she calls “intentional walking to get the lyrics right. I always get stuck on the second verse when I write, so walking helps me."
Now back to the cemetery, which Jacklin says was a “huge part” of the songwriting process of the new album. There’s one not far from where she lives, so she goes every day. There’s the flowers, the serenity, and of course the existential thoughts that accompany a walk through a cemetery. Quite simply, it brings her peace. “I’m always drawn to cemeteries when I’m feeling overwhelmed,” Jacklin says.
Julia Jacklin’s latest album is The Gem, out now on 4AD Records.

"I like to write at my desk," says Brennan Wedl. It makes me feel like a professor, so it's correlated with discipline in my brain. It's like a writing altar." This tracks with Wedl's penchant for adhering to a writing ritual and its attendant discipline. She's a big fan of Post-it notes, loves to get up early and feel the sun on a morning walk, and believes in the power of a schedule. But as you'll hear, when she really wants to "lock it in," she turns to the power of chewing gum.
Brennan Wedl self-titled debut album is out now on ANTI- records.

"I have my best thoughts in total comfort and complete boredom," Taja Cheek (known professionally as L'Rain) says. After all, who doesn't prefer a good couch or bed when they write? But when it comes to pure inspiration, Cheek likes to be "alone together": around people but deep in her own thoughts. That's why she loves the New York City subway and what she calls "intentional walking" on the city streets amidst all its distractions. But as you'll hear, nothing beats a good cab ride. 
L'Rain's latest album is fata morgana.