Meels’ debut album, ‘Tales from a Bird’s Bedroom,’ blends abstract lyricism akin to Fiona Apple with Regina Spektor’s melodic touch, resulting in a uniquely absorbing experience. The album intricately weaves elements of nostalgia, nature, and complex human connections into a rich sonic tapestry, transforming mere songs into profound stories and heartfelt confessions. Meels articulates these moments with a wisdom far beyond her years, drawing listeners into her introspective world. We talk to Meels around the album release…
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your debut album, ‘Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom’, and how your upbringing in Mill Valley influenced its themes?
“Tales from a Bird’s Bedroom” is my coming of age story. It is my journey from childhood to adulthood. It is my young life’s work. It’s a collection of songs from my four years at NYU when I was figuring out who I am because let’s be honest NOBODY knows who they are as a freshman in college. December 5th is a love song to my hometown and simultaneously Henry Pakenham, my boyfriend of 5 years, birthday. Royal Flush is my upbeat summer song about not feeling good enough, about longing for someone who doesn’t feel the same but presented in a fun indie pop way. Falcon and The Loon, I wrote in my second NYC apartment and it was originally inspired by rats that were fighting in our backyard and then when I went to look out there I saw a robin red breast. The song ended up being about the unknowns that the future holds, being afraid but then finding solace in the unknown and changing that fear to hope. Nostalgia I wrote in my first NYC apartment, while I was going through the worst writer’s block of my young life. I wanted to give up on songwriting and didn’t know if I was going in the right direction. The last line of that song is “You were made for this” and I do truly believe that. That song broke my writers’ block. Antidote is a song about the most horrendous friend breakup I’ve ever gone through, using mice and snakes as metaphors for the people in my life. Boyle Park is an ode to my high school friends. The Ruling is about a family friend of mine who passed away this year, Andre Riccardi. He died of Colon Cancer. He was dealt a terrible set of cards and he lived with the ruling, making the best out of what he had. My dad and him filmed his long 5 year death and they are making it into a film. He was one of the coolest people I ever knew, and he always encouraged me to keep going with my music. I miss him very much. Sorry about the tangent but there was so much that influenced this body of work that I thought you should have some context!
How did you approach the songwriting process for ‘Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom’, and what emotions did you aim to evoke in its listeners?
I have an interesting feeling about songwriting. I love it with all of my heart and use it to soothe myself, figure out my life, and let go. I never really intend to evoke anything specific when I initially write the song and often I find the meaning in it after the fact. I’m curious if other songwriters feel this way, but a lot of the time my favorite songs come the quickest, it’s almost as if the song exists already somewhere and I am the vessel it is coming through. It is most of the time a mindless activity for me which is funny to say because I do feel like there is so much thought and emotion in each word I write. It is truly a way of escaping for me!
‘Boyle Park’ is such an incredible track on the album. You wrote this song as a tribute to where you and your friends would hang out in college, right? How do you feel when you perform or listen to that song?
This is actually a song that I wrote about where my friends and I would hang out in high school. I wrote it in my freshman year of college in my dorm room. I hadn’t made too many friends yet and I was feeling sorry for myself, so I sat down to write to try and redirect that sadness into something tangible and productive. I wrote this song many years ago now, things are different and feelings change but this song means more to me now than just missing my high school friends. It is about my deep adoration for my childhood and how sacred that time was for me. Now as an adult, I have so much responsibility and when I perform that song I allow myself to go back to my youth and remember what it felt like to be totally free.
Your vocals have such an ethereal quality and emotional depth. How do you prepare emotionally for recording sessions? Any rituals or practices you use when recording and performing?
First of all, thank you for being so kind. It’s all in the breath. You are nothing without your breath. I’m naturally a very anxious person, as well as a perfectionist, so recording vocals and getting them right can be stressful, but I use my breath to let go, tap in, and make sure that I am connecting with each word that I sing. I try to take myself back to when I wrote it, what I was feeling at that time, and try to channel it!
Can you share some insights into your creative collaboration with producers Peter Groenwald and Mark Campbell? How did their influence shape the sound of ‘Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom’?
Peter, Mark, and I met in person for the first time on the first day of recording. I booked a trip to Nashville for 10 days to record the whole record all in a little over a week. I couldn’t have dreamed of more amazing creative partners to tackle this record with me. By the end of my time in Nashville we were family. You bet I will include them in all my future creative endeavours and I cannot wait to make this next record with them. I wrote the songs but “Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom” is ours collectively. Their patience, their ideas, their wisdom, and our vision truly wouldn’t have been realised without Mark Campbell and Peter Groenwald.
Your music has resonated beyond indie circles, with tracks like ‘Time to Rise’ making appearances on platforms like ABC’s “Grown-ish”. How does it feel to see your music reaching a wider audience?
When ‘Time To Rise’ was placed on “Grown-ish” I was just 17 so obviously I felt like the coolest girl in the world. When the episode aired my whole family sat and watched it. It was the very last song in the episode and I was surprised with how much of it they used !! I had actually started watching the show before my song was placed on it. It was baffling to think about how many people were going to hear it. There are still so many people that stream it now and I’ve had people reach out to me on social media over the years telling me how much they love the song. All I’ve ever wanted with my music is for people to find themselves in it, and it was so cool seeing the song be a part of the narrative of the character’s life!
Reflecting on your journey from Mill Valley to NYU’s Tisch’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, how have these different environments influenced your musical style and artistic growth?
Mill Valley will always inspire me, it’s grandiose in nature, its small town energy, it’s my home. It also has an incredibly rich musical background. The Sweetwater Music Hall where I grew up playing open mics almost every Tuesday has seen so many of the greats. Bonnie Raitt, Sammy Hagar, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Janis Joplin, and a few others have all called Mill Valley home at one point or another. It truly has a mystical energy that has influenced my artistic growth greatly. My mom, who raised me there, played nothing but Peter Paul and Mary, The Chicks, John Denver, and those alike when I was growing up which I think had a huge impact on the music that I love and make now. The Clive Davis Institute I have nothing but incredible things to say about. The feeling of constantly being surrounded by the most incredible musicians is indescribable. I have met some of my very best friends there, you know who you are, the collaborations are endless and I am so inspired by each and every one of my peers from Clive and the alumni that came before me. Don’t even get me started on the professors, who I truly believe shaped me and guided me into the person and artist I am today. Special mentions to JD Samson, who was the most incredible mentor and performance teacher I could have ever asked for, to Nick Sansano who lifted me up and brought me back down to Earth every time we spoke, and Jim Anderson who advised and guided me along the way.
Do you have any live shows coming up that fans can hear the album live?
I just moved from NYC to Los Angeles about a month and a half ago, so I am still getting my bearings but played a 3 song set at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles this Monday the 8th!! An album release show is coming shortly. I am just waiting for the rest of my band to move out to LA. Hopefully we will be playing the album out sometime in late July or early August so stay tuned.
Looking ahead, are there any new projects or collaborations in the works that you’re excited about sharing with your fans?
I am in the process of writing my second project which I am incredibly excited about. Most of the songs are written and I am trying out a new style more in the vein of Sierra Ferrell, Lucinda Williams with a little sprinkle of Adrianne Lenker. More folk, more Americana, some fiddle and maybe even a flute solo or two. That’s all I will say for now.
Sounds so exciting, Meels! Thank you so much for talking with us.
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