Audrey Pearl Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Audrey Pearl is a fantastic singer, whose recent EP, "The Motions" is one you need to be listening to. I was so thrilled that she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll enjoy everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Audrey Pearl visits Section 36 Music!

I absolutely loved your EP, “The Motions”. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you so much! The EP is a collection of four songs written throughout my last two years of college. It was a period of really intense growth for me-  moving to Boston, living alone, struggling deeply with mental health, pushing my boundaries, maintaining a long distance relationship, and really getting to know myself. 

The title track, “The Motions”, is a song about my experience with depression during the pandemic when every day felt like I was literally just going through the motions. In the context of the rest of the EP, “The Motions” ends up representing the cyclical nature of healing and the inevitable transformation of pain into growth, connection, and love. The songs sort follow this transformation, beginning from my lowest point of feeling completely hopeless, moving into “For The Taking” which is a meditation on vulnerability, “Send Me To The Waves” which is about the total catharsis of giving up control and letting feelings flow through you, and finally landing on “The Suns That Set Between Us”  which is about love that lasts even across time and great distances. 

What was your favorite part of the recording process?

Photo Barry Schneier

For so long these songs belonged only to me. I wrote them alone with a guitar on my bedroom floor based on my own inner thoughts and personal experiences and played them over and over again just by myself. When I started showing the songs to my bandmates (Eddie Fiscella, Sam Bigus, Quinten Cohen, and Josh Pajak) and the producer, Faolán, it was so special to watch the songs take on a new life through their ideas and contributions. Not only did I have such a blast getting in the studio with everyone and recording, but arranging the songs and hearing other people use their creativity and artistry to develop the songs added so much meaning to the project. 

Do you have a favorite song from the EP?

I think if I had to choose, it would be The Motions - it’s the title track for a reason! I just remember the place I was in when I wrote that song so vividly and how relieving it was to get the feeling out of my body and put it into words. This song reminds me of how far I’ve come and I also just had a blast playing it live with my band and recording it together. Even though the subject matter is heavy, I didn’t want the song to sound heavy and I think we achieved that. 

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

I have split this up into a few different parts. The first is the music I grew up with, which was really formative in terms of my musical instincts and writing style. That would be artists like the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, CSNY, and Nick Drake. Then there’s the music that I listen to a lot of these days which has been inspiring me stylistically. In that category I’d include Julia Jacklin, Adrianne Lenker, Clairo, Phoebe Bridgers, and Andy Shauf. Lastly, I really love reading poetry and I think that has a lot to do with the way I approach writing lyrics. I’ve got some compilations of T.S. Elliot, Rumi, and Hafiz and they just use such beautiful language and have a way of turning feelings into words that I really admire.  

What would you say is your biggest challenge with your music career?

The biggest challenge for me right now is definitely figuring out how to juggle all the facets of being an independent artist. What I really love is writing songs, recording and collaborating with other musicians, and performing- but turning it into a career means taking on so much more than that. I just graduated school and I’m working full time to save money but meanwhile writing and recording music and then when it’s time to release music I’m trying to figure out how to do my own press, promo, social media, booking, etc. It takes a lot of organization and it’s something that I still need to put a lot of time and work into improving at. I love making music more than anything and I’m so grateful to be on this path but the hardest times are when I start to let all the little things get to me and get ridiculously overwhelmed. 

What are your immediate music goals?

Even though I just released an EP I’ve got a bunch of stuff in the works that I’m really excited to finish up and share, so expect much more music soon! I’ve been in this mode of recording, editing, and promoting music for a while so I’m also excited to start writing new stuff and exploring how my sound will grow from here. 

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I'm excited to hear that growth as well.  

As always, I want to thank Audrey for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to listen to Audrey and be ready for her upcoming music. I would  follow her on Instagram, and Spotify to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again Audrey, and good luck reaching your goals!