We delve into PSYCHE’s debut track ‘Align’ and uncover the genius behind the single that’s bound to be on constant replay.
Hailing from Wollongong, Molly Eve, the mastermind behind PSYCHE, enjoys the slower pace, a welcome escape from the bustling Sydney music scene.
By day, she’s a Veterinary Nurse, but come evening, you’ll find her lost in the world of music, surrounded by a cozy clutter of instruments in her bedroom.
With a musical lineage that includes her dad and an Opera-singing grandma, it’s safe to say music runs in her veins. Taylor Swift’s storytelling prowess, Halsey’s raw honesty, and Lana Del Rey’s conceptual genius have all left their mark on Molly’s sound.
She crafts a unique blend of Indie Pop and Electronic, where warm melodies dance with electrifying beats.
“Align” emerged during the pandemic, a testament to Molly’s resilience and creative spirit. It’s a song she held dear, resisting any urge to change its essence. With steadfast determination, Molly paved the way for her musical journey, carving out a niche that’s undeniably her own.
Happy: What are you up to today?
Molly: At the moment, I am focusing on finishing up my first child, my first EP ! These are songs I wrote a few years ago, so I’m having a lot of fun diving back into them and altering some lyrics and sounds that I think feel more right or relevant to me now, while still honouring the place I was in when I first wrote these songs.
Happy: Tell us about where you are from? What’s the scene like in your neck of the woods?
Molly: I’m from Wollongong! There are incredible musicians down this way, but I have always felt like a bit of an outsider on the larger music scene.
Being about two hours away from everything, like the Sydney music scene, while also working to afford the cost of living makes it hard to integrate with more like minded creative people and make connections. So it can get a little lonely down here in a more rural town.
Happy: Describe an average day?
Molly: On an average day I am working my day job as a Veterinary Nurse, and then the second I get home I am creating. Usually you would find me on my bedroom floor with my laptop, my notes app and my guitar.
I have all my music equipment kind of jammed into my small bedroom so that I can grab whatever I need to write even when I’m tired after work. I’ll usually find myself up until about midnight or just after if I get carried away with a new song (which I usually do lol). Definitely a night owl.
Happy: How did you first discover your passion for music, and what motivated you to pursue a career in the music industry?
Molly: My father is a musician, in various local bands and even recorded a few demos! So there was always a very loud electric guitar shredding somewhere in my house and all kinds of hours.
At around 11 or 12 I asked for my very own first guitar, rather than just playing around on my dads, and I don’t think I’ve really put it down ever since.
We had a strained relationship, but the one thing we always bonded over and could talk for hours about was music. And we would really bond over showing each other our new favourite songs we had found.
My grandmother was an Opera singer, and I really feel like I just looked up to her so highly and wanted to be her. So I had all of these influences in my immediate family, but once I discovered that I could actually write my own songs, I just immediately had this deep kind of inner knowing and sense that that was what I was supposed to do.
Nothing made me happier than feverishly writing new lyrics down and piecing a song together.
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Happy: Can you share some of your musical influences and how they have shaped your unique sound as PSYCHE?
Molly: I will say I have been a diehard life long swiftie since I first heard her song “Innocent” from the Speak Now album when I was like 10.
That changed me forever I would say in terms of learning how to master songwriting. I still am in absolute awe of her today. Then as I got older and into my teenage years I found influences like Halsey and Lana Del Rey, and that really altered the trajectory of how I wrote songs too.
Artists like Halsey and Lana are so brutally honest and raw in their songwriting. And I loved that their albums are so conceptual. That they had a whole story line and larger concept behind them.
And that made me fall even more in love with not just writing a song but creating a world around it. And that is definitely how I approach things sonically as well.
I want production that sounds like exactly how the moment felt. That takes you into that world. And I want my lyrics to do the same.
Happy: What has been the most rewarding aspect of creating and releasing your debut single, “Align”?
Molly: I think the fact that I was aware that there were much more upbeat, faster paced songs that I could have used as my first debut release. But in my heart, from the moment I wrote it, I knew I wanted Align to be the opener for my career.
It’s been so rewarding knowing that I stuck to my guns and really championed this song from the very beginning. It also has one of my favourite choruses that I have written.
People have reached out to say that they love that part of the song and that it’s also their favourite part. It made my heart so happy to know that other people can see the vision that I saw with this song.
Happy: You mentioned that “Align” took shape during the pandemic. How did the circumstances of the pandemic influence your creative process and the final outcome of the song?
Molly: So Align was written around the end of 2020, along with the other songs from my upcoming EP. And when we went into lockdown, I could no longer safely go and visit my producer in Sydney to complete / mix / master all these demos that I had.
So I had to sit with them for a really long time, and honestly at some points I felt like I was getting to the stage where I had sat on them for too long and looked at them over and over for so long that I was starting to hate them!
I was completely left to my own devices and I was second guessing every word. So once the Pandemic had started to settle down, and it was safe to go back to the studio, I really had to get back into the headspace I was in when I first wrote them.
That’s when I decided that instead of forcing myself to relate to lyrics from years ago, I gave myself permission to re write certain sections of some songs.
Amazingly, Align was the only song that we barely changed. I think we updated some things production wise, just to make them fresher, but lyrically I didn’t alter a thing.
And that’s part of the reason I had so much faith in putting out Align as my debut as well, it was the one song that had my heart and that I didn’t feel the need to change from the very beginning :)
Happy: Your music is described as a blend of Indie Pop and Electronic. Can you talk about how you approach combining these genres in your work?
Molly: I think Indie Pop gives more heart to the electronic side. I want you to be able to dance, but also feel the emotions, and so for me I think Indie Pop really brings warmth to the sonics and helps them to not sound too cold or computer constructed.
But also Electronic is just so so fun, and I have an absolute ball pushing myself out of my comfort zone and testing my boundaries when we add the Electronic elements in!
Happy: How do you navigate the balance between personal, introspective lyrics and creating music that resonates with a broader audience?
Molly: I kind of have this theory that the more weirdly specific and niche the song is, the more relatable it will be?… Some of my favourite songs and songs that I feel like I could have written or could have written about me are very personal and specific to the artist lyrically.
I see jokes online all the time about how we are all sharing a very similar existence and that at some point we’ve all been through a version of the same thing.
Even when I talk to my friends, if I feel like I’m talking about an experience that is super specific to my life, it’s guaranteed that they know exactly what I’m feeling and talking about.
I think my favourite part of songwriting as a listener, is when I’m hearing a song for the first time and there’s just one or two lines that hit home and really cut to your core.
You feel so seen and held in that moment. And that’s what I want my songs to hopefully do as well, to hold space for other people who have felt the same way that I did when I wrote it.
Happy: Can you tell us about any specific experiences or moments that have had a significant impact on your musical journey so far?
Molly: my Producer turned best friend Ethan. That genuinely has changed me forever. He has pushed me sonically, vocally, lyrically. He lets me come to him with any idea no matter how bizarre and he gives it his full attention and effort every time.
He will always sit there with me and create the world that I am trying to convey and he gives it as much time and attention as he would do with his own music. He treats my songs and lyrics like they are his own.
He gently suggests things but never controls my music. He is my best friend and hype man, and I really need that some days when I feel down on myself and my songs.
Before I met Ethan I had barely even sung in front of people before. I had never shared an original song with anyone before him. And he accepted me and helped me grow and discover my sounds and my confidence. And I’m pretty sure he’s like my unofficial therapist at this point hahaha :)
Happy: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians and artists looking to make their mark in the industry?
Molly: Please reach out to people. They’re usually a lot nicer and less scary than you think. And all it takes is making one friendship with a fellow song writer or producer for things to change for you.
Even though I know how daunting it is. And keep writing as much as you can. I truly believe that you have to write a lot of terrible songs to stumble across a few good ones.
You just have to keep creating. And it’s okay if some songs you write are just for you, I think that’s beautiful as well, and a great way to stay in touch with the reason you started doing all of this to begin with!
Happy: Are there any particular rituals or routines you follow to get into a creative mindset when working on new music?
Molly: I use visuals a lot! My best friends are my Pinterest boards, and every time I get an idea for a song, I make a little vision board online and that helps me set the tone for what I’m trying to say.
You might stumble across quotes or images that perfectly capture what you’re trying to convey. I definitely find that creating the world around the song helps you access and step into the vision.
Sometimes even watching a certain movie, or listening to a playlist that relates to what I’m trying to say helps me to get into that zone!
Happy: Lastly, what makes you happy?
Molly: Writing. As corny as that sounds and probably a very predictable answer. But honestly, it is writing. Whether its poetry, or a short story, or a song.
That lightbulb moment where you stumble across an idea and suddenly a whole story falls out of you in a ‘stream of consciousness’ way is my favourite.
It’s a massive release, it’s cathartic, and its a feeling I want to chase for the rest of my life.
