My Exclusive Interview With Chloe Drallos

With Western-inspired aesthetics and dark, unsettling videos, Chloe Drallos doesn't just release albums: she builds a surreal world with mysterious figures, Americana imagery and echoing vocals that make you imagine a cowgirl riding alone at sunset. Her latest record, The Cave, is a haunting addition to her discography. In this interview, I learned more about The Cave, her conglomerate (it's not what you think!) and how she used her influences to shape the Acid Western genre.

1. When I listened to The Cave, I noticed that the production and vocal mixing created a slight echo, which gave the album a lonely vibe, like you're performing alone in the desert. Was this an intentional production choice, or were you trying to convey something different?

I actually was looking towards the Motown sound a little bit for that. I wanted it to sound aged and warm. Then a little something extra with the echoes to lean into The Cave concept. 

2. While some tracks are more sparse, others (like "Rust") have a mystical sound that makes you feel like you're watching a magical ritual. Your website and videos also have spiritual references. Do you have a specific practice that influences your work, or do you take a more informal approach? What do you want your fans to take away from it?

I love that you could hear that! That song could be like a self-emancipation spell. I kinda had the classic roundabout of growing up Catholic, rejecting and getting interested in the occult in a rebellious way, then accidentally finding out that I'm just deeply spiritual and have respect for so many practices. Tarot and astrology are pretty big in my life. Anything that uses the old to make sense of the new. I’d say I'm informal in the sense that I basically believe in everything, though…

Jodorowsky’s Psychomagic gave me a lot of inspiration too to have more fun with characters and the ritual of performing. My “Chloe Drallos Group” shows started as a sort of ritual for me after I'd lost a lot of my old ambition to perform.

As for any takeaway from fans, I’d just hope to blur some lines and help empower others to see how those old symbols still exist in their lives too.

3. The Cave's vocals, themes and arrangements all have a distinctly Western vibe, and I wasn't surprised to see your website describe it as "Acid Western." What made you choose this aesthetic, and how did you incorporate it into your music? Did any movies or albums inspire you in particular?

It just felt right to give it a cinematic genre more so than a musical one. As far as movies go, the post-Summer of Love Americana disillusionment in movies like Easy Rider, McCabe and Mrs Miller, Midnight Cowboy and Zabriskie Point: those felt like the answer to a lot of my internal and worldly questions as I was going between European cities and the New Mexico desert for the first time and couldn't quite put my finger on why everything at home was suddenly driving me crazy. Just really thinking about my independence, my American-ness, my generation…

Outlaw country was coming out of the aforementioned era too, which influenced my writing a bit. It felt appropriate to kind of don the costume and aesthetics with the album cover and cinematic motifs. So it’s a Western, and an Acid Western at that, because life gets real psychedelic when you're looking at it this way and also enjoying psychedelics.

4. This record is intriguing to me because it has a lot of "desert cowgirl" vibes, but I wouldn't call it a country album. How did you lean into the rural Americana vibe without going full country? Would you ever release a country record?

The lean is a natural one, just being an American with an acoustic guitar, I think. Yeah, too many rules involved in sticking to one genre faithfully...I just love songwriters. One of my favorites is Kris Kristofferson, and he influenced me a lot, but it’s almost more like "in spirit"...nearly anyone who had to break what became tradition in any genre in order to dig back up some roots is cool to me. In my opinion, a song like "The Cave" is a country song, but I grew up in the country blasting The Cure and Hole down the dirt roads, and a lot of those roads have since been paved… 

5. "No Vacancy" ended up being my personal favorite. Like the other tracks on this record, it seems to reference a specific situation, but it's vague enough that listeners can apply it to their own lives. Do you tell personal stories with your music, or do you prefer writing about feelings and possibilities? Or both?

I’m glad they feel vague, haha; these are all very personal. But that’s awesome, because for “No Vacancy” I was on a mission to create a song you could skip down the street to after laying your heart on the line. To take some weight off because it’s not so serious to just have emotions. It’s actually awesome when you’re in touch with those…so, I guess that means both, but ideally it’s applicable and no longer about me.

6. What inspired you to direct your own short films and music videos? Have you ever directed videos for other artists (and if not, do you want to?)

I’ve always had fun with it, but I had a real creative awakening at an Alice Cooper show. Actually, Huizenga of the band Patriarchy had inspired me so much to make my first short film, and then seeing Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie in one night as I was finishing working on that. I had my "aha" moment like, wow, it can all feed into each other and there’s no right or wrong way to be a musician. Thank God...

7. Many of your videos blend surreal visuals with shots of ordinary life. What kind of message are you trying to convey with this imagery? Is each video self-contained, or does it play a role in a larger narrative?

That’s life as I see it! The magic is in the mundane, baby! Maybe there’s a larger narrative...my canon universe of characters and songs. Just for fun, though.

8. I'm not musically inclined, but I've always thought it might be fun to direct a movie or TV show. What does the filmmaking process look like from beginning to end? Would you be interested in directing a feature-length film?

That is not something I probably know enough about, but somehow there’s an idea; I weigh out my parameters, keep writing and re-writing and remain open to widening or shrinking parameters. I think that’s the main thing: let the idea move within your means...wrangle the crew and just do it. Some people never finish anything because they don’t have the means they think they must have to be worthy. Granted, I’ve definitely spent time and effort making some bullshit...but it's OK to just create for the experience. I, of course, would go for the feature length, but TIME is not quite within my means!

9. Your conglomerate seems to make a lot of appearances in videos and promotional shots. Who is the conglomerate, and what kind of role do they play in your career? Are they involved in the songwriting process?

My conglomerate is just a wad of everything I do! It just makes me laugh to see it in bold lettering. There's no other people there!

10. What advice would you give other artists who are just starting out? In this age of technology, how do you stay motivated to keep creating original music and short films?

Have workspaces with easy access, notebooks in every room or bag. Even if you’re not a writer, just put the thoughts, ideas and observations to paper. Also, again, even if you're not a writer…READ BOOKS. ESPECIALLY BOOKS THAT AREN'T JUST BIOGRAPHIES. BE INSPIRED BY STORIES AND PEOPLE LIVING THEIR LIVES, NOT JUST PEOPLE WHO DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO. Listen to anyone who has passion...try and create more than you consume! And if you feel you can't create…LIVE! Also…bulletin board!

To support Chloe Drallos, you can check out her website, visit her on Bandcamp, follow her on YouTube and Instagram, listen to her music on Spotify and buy The Cave on vinyl.