Girlpuppy, aka Becca Harvey, has returned with her second album, Sweetness. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Harvey received plaudits for her debut with comparisons to indie high flyers such as Phoebe Bridgers. We spoke to her about her approach to creating the searingly honest Sweetness, and how cathartic it’s been to make.
Hey Becca, easy question first, where are you right now, and what are you up to today?
Right now I’m in my bedroom in Atlanta, GA watching Righteous Gemstones. Today I’m nannying a 19-month-old boy named Leo and then flying to New York.
Introduce yourself to our readers and tell me something about you that I couldn’t google!
Hi, I’m Becca and I make indie rock under the moniker girlpuppy. I’m obsessed with perfume and the [New York] Mets.
How would you describe your new album, Sweetness, in two sentences?
All the grief that comes from getting out of a 4-year relationship. All the fun that comes from a brief situationship.
Tell me about the first song you wrote for the album.
I believe it was ‘For You Two’. I wrote it pretty quickly after ending my four-year toxic relationship. It’s the longest and wordiest song on the record and I think it perfectly encapsulates the freshest feelings of getting out of that relationship. It’s also a direct sequel to my very first song I released “For You” and I even reference some of the lyrics from that song.
I love ‘Windows’ – what can you tell me about that song?
That’s my favourite song I’ve ever made. It sounds exactly how I wanted it to sound and it never gets old to me. It’s sad but also hopeful and kinda cunning. It was so nice to make that one in the studio. I wanted it to be big and cinematic and Alex, Holden, and Tom really helped that come together.
And ‘Beaches’ is probably my favourite on the album, what’s that all about?
Thank you! ‘Beaches’ is a letter to my ex, essentially. It’s all the things I wanted to say to him but couldn’t. Bennett Littlejohn played the excellent lap steel on this song, and it really brought it together. I love how southern this song sounds! I called it ‘Beaches’ because my ex and I used to take a beach trip together every year.
You wear quite a few different styles across the ten tracks, what sort of thing were you listening to while the album was coming together?
I was listening to alllllll kinds of things, which explains that [laughs]. Lots of Yo La Tengo, Radiohead, The Sundays, Elliott Smith, Red House Painters, early Coldplay, Fiona Apple, and The Glands.
How did you find writing about such personal and emotional subjects?
It’s super easy for me to write about personal things because I use songwriting as journaling. I don’t leave much to the imagination, which I’m always afraid will lead to my demise! I just love exploring every detail of any situation, just to let listeners feel like they were really there. It also helps me process things. The emotion part I don’t feel as much – most of the time as soon as I write the lyrics down I disassociate myself from the fact that it happened to me. Every now and then I’ll be singing the song or listening to it and be like “damn this is sad” but it’s easy for me to move on after that.
How much of it was cathartic vs having to drag things out of your consciousness into the songs?
All of it was cathartic. I don’t think I would’ve ever moved on from my breakup if I didn’t make Sweetness.
And how do you feel about it all now, especially as the album is out in the world and you’re playing these songs live?
I feel so much better. I’m so happy the album is finally out and that people are listening. I absolutely love playing these songs live. I thought about live shows a lot more while making this record and I think it shows. These are a lot more fun to rock out to on stage.
What was the studio environment you recorded in like, and what impact did that have on the finished album?
It was beautiful and peaceful. Drop of Sun is one of my favourite places on earth, Alex Farrar is truly my hero and everyone who works at DoS is so kind, welcoming, and helpful. They are a part of the Sweetness! I think I would’ve been a thousand times more bitter if I weren’t making the record in such a warm environment. I also love Asheville. Great music scene and food.
With the poor £ numbers from streaming, what’s the best way for people to support you and your music?
Coming to shows! And buying merch.
If you could recommend one artist to listen to this week, who would it be?
What’s the question I should have asked you today but haven’t?
You should’ve asked me about the Mets so I could talk your ear off about baseball
Finally, how do you take your coffee?
I’m an iced vanilla latte with oat milk kinda gal.
girlpuppy’s Sweetness album is out now to buy and stream everywhere. You can catch her on tour in the UK later this year, all dates are on girlpuppy’s website.
