Crystal Dorval first released music under the guise White Poppy in 2012 on a Not Not Fun release entitled, I Had a Dream. Since then, she has dropped two more cassettes on Constellation Tatsu and Green Burrito, a single-sided 7-inch, a split release with Samantha Glass, and a full length, self-titled LP/CS last year.
Dorval is heading to Canada’s East coast this week to play a few shows and dabble, but before she left, TMT was afforded the opportunity to get a good Q&A sesh with her. Scope ‘em below and enter the mind of White Poppy.
So satiate my curiosity, how did you hook up with Britt and Amanda at Not Not Fun?
Well, I just sent them an e-mail. [Laughs] It was actually my friend Daniel ( recent Euro tour-mate, Pan) who suggested I contact them. I was a fan of the label but was intimidated to contact them. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try, so I just sent this super casual e-mail. I didn’t hear back from them for awhile, so I thought my email just went out into the internet void. Eventually I heard back from Britt, and he suggested a tape, and everything began unfolding after that. I really like working [with] them.
What was this “dream” that inspired the title for your debut release I Had a Dream?
It’s actually kind of sad. No, it’s interesting to me because I had been working toward this dream of pursuing music and art, and it started to get really hard. There were no breaks and nothing was coming my way and I was becoming hopeless and felt like quitting, thinking, “I guess I’ll go back to school and become, I dunno, an administrative assistant or something.”
“I Had A Dream” was this sad defeatist song about giving up, but ironically, that tape opened up a more successful path for me, and things have been going quite well ever since that release. It’s symbolic to me personally as something that was intentionally named and made in the death of something, but in turn started to help me become more successful. Thus, it wasn’t an ACTUAL night dream. Which I think most people consider.
I’ve noticed differences between your first CS I Had A Dream and your latest Self Titledrelease, what changed there between your recording processes?
I Had A Dream was recorded completely to tape and I mixed it myself and it’s pretty harsh. It was a trial-and-error process because I had just bought a four-track and was teaching myself how to use it while recording the songs. With the S/T I wanted to capture aspects of that original sound from I Had A Dream, but also make it more polished. I recorded all the songs to tape, then added more layers digitally. The real difference is that I had the S/T professionally mix and mastered.
Right, and they just re-released your Self Titled album on cassette. Do you prefer your music on tape or vinyl?
I requested that; I like having tapes. Actually, I just realized that I haven’t listened to the Self Titled yet on vinyl [Laughs] [Laughs]. I feel bad saying it, but I don’t purchase or collect vinyl. And it’s like, NOW I’m just too old to start a record collection.
Recently, I’ve been trying to get rid of a lot of stuff. I don’t want many material possessions. Just trying to get rid of everything I CAN get rid of. Mostly I listen to music on my computer or iPod. I love records as THINGS. I just don’t want them in my house.
Wasn’t your Drifter’s Gold cassette on Constellation Tatsu about all this longing for warmer weather that you’re currently enjoying?
When I made Drifter’s Gold I was still living in Vancouver, in the the city. For years and years I’ve been obsessed with this idea of paradise, and my music is so inspired by that longing for an escape from the city into this idea of paradise. To me, summer is the paradise season. It gets brighter and greener, and all the flowers and animals are out, people are happier; it feels very blissful.
Last October I moved out of the city and into a rural farm community, and now I’m just living in a type of “paradise.” It’s weird, because I found it harder to become inspired to make things without the longing.Drifter’s Gold was more of a longing for paradise, and now I just live in it. I think a lot of my creative inspiration comes from longing for something, but I am now trying to work on being satisfied with what I have, so maybe contentment will be a theme in the work I make at the farm.
Damn. Well, you also did that Song A Day project too. Do you feel like these on-the-fly ideas (song-a-day, seasonal music) will continue under the White Poppy name?
Um — I’m in a space right now where I want to spend a significant amount of time perfecting one thing, ie, another full length. However, I like the idea of bouncing back and forth between the two methods, of spending time working long and hard on something, and also creating things more spontaneously or on the fly.
That’s what happened between the Self Titled and Drifter’s Gold. I spent many months making the S/T, and then right after I completed it, I was inspired to make Drifter’s Gold, almost as a way to decompress from the rigid work habits of creating the S/T. I finished Drifter’s Gold in a matter of weeks, like: BAM BAM BAM done. So, it’s very different how the two emerged, but I feel that if one didn’t exist, neither would the other.
Not to be one of those people who LOVE their own shit always, but I love that song. It’s such a simple song, but I have no idea how to recreate something so simple. I don’t even remember creating it.
What is that a bird in the background? It’s storming where I’m at and it sounds like you’re just chillin’ on the lawn! It’s trippy.
No, um, my house is very thin. It’s like half-outside. Thus, the birds outside are quite loud. They’re my garden birds!
You’ve got a garden?
There is an unkept flower garden outside my house where the birds live. I want to start a food garden one day, but as is it’s more of a jungle then a garden out there.
Where do you live in Canada?
I live on Vancouver Island. It’s about an hour-and-a-half ferry ride from the mainland, and it’s where Victoria (the capital of British Columbia) is located. I live in a rural area about an hour away from Victoria.
And you work on a farm out there?
It’s not that I work on a farm as much as I just hang out here. I mean, I do my own sort of work. Like, recently I’ve been planning out this fence. But it’s not paid work. I’m pretty into domestic projects right now. I wanna make a nice patio to hang out on.
Do you find inspiration for your music/creativity while getting your hands dirty like that?
Well, yes and no. I really got inspired on this last tour to Europe to come home and record. The whole trip, on the train rides, I’d be listening to my demos and unfinished songs on my computer, and just getting excited to get home and work on recording. But, as soon as I got back, I immediately lost the motivation to do the recording. [Laughs]
I don’t want many material possessions. Just trying to get rid of everything I CAN get rid of. Mostly I listen to music on my computer or iPod. I love records as THINGS. I just don’t want them in my house.
Shoot! Was this last tour in Europe your first time there as White Poppy?
Actually, it was my first time being there at all.
What was your most memorable experience?
I did one BAD thing, and that was REALLY fun and memorable, but I don’t want to say what it was. Mostly, I was just happy to have more freedom there, even though that may sound super ‘North American.’ Like, I’m not sure how it is in the states, but the smoking laws in Canada right now are very strict. So it was so nice to just sit on a patio with your after-lunch smoke — or even smoke inside, even though, I know some people are grossed-out by that. I just like having the option of being allowed to smoke wherever you want.
And in Germany I was pretty happy to just be drinking beer on the sidewalk, and stuff. I remember when I was in Prague we played at this little club, there were people smoking at the bar all speaking a different language, and this was my first culture shock. Like, ‘Whoa, this is WAY different from home: there’re DOGS in the bar!’ THAT was pretty awesome.
Did you have a favorite cigarette brand? I know they go HARD on the physical packaging of them in Canada.
Umm, it all started because of the person who booked my tour. I played in his city the second day of the tour and he was smoking these cigarettes called Parisiennes. He bought me a pack, and then I just kept smoking that kind for some reason.
Were you traveling with a group while on tour?
I ended up bringing my friend with me [Pan] who’s also a solo experimental performer, and he opened up most of the shows for me. He also helped me manage everything, like all the gear and trains and stuff.
Usually when you’re on tour do you play a pre-practiced set of songs, or do more jamming/impromptu playing?
I practiced certain songs prior to leaving, so my set list was fairly similar each night, and it consisted of a variety of songs that are from all of my releases, but also some improvisational and experimental stuff.
It’s hard for me to do a lot of the songs live since I am performing solo, and some of the songs just need more people for backing. White Poppy started as a recording project, so my live shows are still more of an experiment than anything. It’s always different.
How focal of an instrument do you see your computer being used to shape your music?
I don’t see my computer being a part of my music THAT much. I don’t use one live, and with recording I mostly just use a computer to add overdubs to the tape recordings, and export files to email to people.
I’m definitely more of a gadget person. I like to actually see and hold the instruments, as opposed to using virtual ones. That being said, I would like to get better at creating beats and stuff on the computer.
Is touring how you met Constellation Tatsu?
Well, the way I met Steven from Constellation Tatsu was when he put out a Samantha Glass tape. I made a video for one of those songs. Then through that, Steven heard White Poppy and wanted to release a tape.
How’d you end up at Moon Glyph then, with Beau on your new collaboration together, Dorval & Devereaux?
The Moon Glyph connection was through Beau. I found out about Samantha Glass because NNF sent me his Midnight Arrival tape, and I got totally hooked on it. At the time, I was in this collaborative space, so I emailed him and suggested we collaborate and he was into it so we started working over the internet together.
Are y’all planning on continuing the project?
At first it was just a one-off thing that was potentially going to be released as White Poppy and Samantha Glass, but Beau suggested we used our last names, and we both agreed it was nice to open up the possibility of continuing it.
So no other collaborations in the foreseeable future?
No. Wait, actually: YES. I’ve been talking about doing something with my friend Kristian who I used to be in a band with. He now plays in a band called Babysitter, and when I’m in Montreal next month we want to try to work on some stuff. Though, I try not to put too much pressure on myself with these kinds of projects because I already feel like I take on so much. I like to keep it open. If it’s something that happens then GREAT! If not then, whatever.
Crystal Dorval selfies
What band was your pal in with you?
It was my first band, from when I was a kid [Maniacal Laugh], it’s called Vincat. It’s so hard ‘cause it’s embarrassing for me to share that stage of my musical history. I dunno, you can’t be embarrassed by the things you do. So I try to think of it as a step to where I am now.
You’ve taken a lot of steps it seems. It seems like you know everyone too. Like, how do you know Mac DeMarco?
Yeah, the Canadian music scene is so tight-knit, and since I’ve been doing it for so long you just end up meeting people along the way. I ended up making friends with Mac on MySpace in 2009 [Laughs]. He was in that band Makeout Videotape, I was doing a project called My Friend Wallis and we became band friends. I then moved to Vancouver, and I ended up on this tour with him ‘cause his bass player dropped out last-minute. I suggested I go in his place as a joke, but then it happened. I learned all the bass parts in two weeks and left for a month in an RV around North America. Our other friend’s band Walter TV was also on that tour. Now they play with Mac as his backing band.
Outside of the Canadian community, what art is currently inspiring your works?
I feel like I’m most often inspired by world music. My friend just introduced me to this amazing Ethiopian piano music. It’s so nice. I’m also hooked on Rhythm & Sound’s “King in My Empire.” Idk I’m constantly listening to compilations and mixes, so when people ask me what I’m listening to I’m always like, ‘Oh, I forget…. this… African mix… ?’ Maybe people don’t hear it much in my music ‘cause I’m compared to shoegaze and dreampop often, but I draw a lot of my inspiration from African and Brazilian music. I’m just obsessed with the drums and rhythms and clangy guitar lines. That’s my JAAAMMM.
Just for fun, in your Sanity Soap blog you have writing about light and darkness relating to good and bad, and the nonexistence of the two within that dichotomy. So, again, just for fun, if White Poppy were the light in this musical world, what would be its DARK counterpart?
Maybe, Black Sabbath [Laughs]. I like older heavier music, stoner rock. I like to make heavier music, but it just doesn’t fit with a lot of the White Poppy stuff, so it never comes out.
I did one BAD thing, and that was REALLY fun and memorable, but I don’t want to say what it was.
Well, I mean, you can hear that in “Wish and Wonder” for sure, though…
Yes, well — not to be one of those people who LOVE their own shit always, but I love that song. It’s such a simple song, but I have no idea how to recreate something so simple. I don’t even remember creating it. It’s just that one baseline with all this stuff going on around it. I love the fidelity of that recording. I’m always trying to recreate the fidelity of it but I can’t. That song is a mystery to me.
What do you like about cassettes?
I love the happy accidents that can happen. You can’t get that as much with digital recording. With tapes, there are elements that can come into play that are out of your control. I record over old tapes I find a lot, with Drifter’s Gold you can hear that. With the track “Who Are You,” you can hear the opposite side of the tape playing backward at the end. I kept that in because I liked the way it sounded, but it was just a fluke.
On “I Had a Dream” there are a few accidental warbles where the tape just fucked up during recording. But those little quirks end up being my favorite things. None of that would have happened, though, if I were recording digitally. So I like how it has a bit of a mind of its own, which gets incorporated in music.
Along those lines of candidness with your cassette recordings, and not to contradict your writing, but on Sanity Soap you talk about chaos as if it’s a bad thing, but it sounds like it’s sort of helped you out throughout your musical endeavors, do you care to expand this idea either way for TMT? Or maybe that’s not what you mean by chaos..
I haven’t thought about going out of my way to experience chaos, considering there’s a lot in my life naturally, fortunately [laughs]. I see my musical process as a way to make sense of chaos, or structure it, but you are right, I do embrace it, if not feed off it creatively. Perhaps I can now apply this method to my emotional life.
Going back to the light and dark thing, nobody really WANTS negativity in their life or hardship or chaos, BUT they do have a vital role in life. You need the chaos to have order, just like you need hardship to appreciate joy. I suppose I do value chaos.
You use “pffffft” a lot on Sanity Soap too. Can you make that noise for the readers of this interview?
[Loud Laughter] Yeah, it’s pffffft… Not like that will help since this interview is being transcribed to writing.
So you’re just chilling until after this next trip, and then you’ll grip all that travel inspiration to start up new White Poppy work?
Yeah. It’s all about adjusting to the different lifestyle out here. I haven’t had much time to adjust since I was preparing for the Euro-tour, and now this up-coming one. So, it’s been hard settling down. I’m excited to get to the point where I can really get into creative-mode. I’m constantly reminding myself to be patient for that to come, as I sit around watching Gossip Girl all day long [Laughs].
It sucks trying to get over that feeling of guilt because I’m just hanging out. I find I’m constantly feeling guilty when I don’t do something “productive.” Though, the reminder is always that resting is GOOD, it’s productive for other reasons.
