Kate Bollinger has wisely taken her time getting to her debut album and her patience has paid off. Since coming on the scene in 2017, she’s released a steady sting of singles, toured with Real Estate and Faye Webster, directed videos for Jessica Pratt, and honed her songwriting and arranging skills. That filmmaker side of her art also informs her music. “When I’m recording a song,” she says, “my indication of whether it’s worth pursuing is if I’m seeing a movie in my head to go along with it.” Songs from a Thousand Frames of Mind is as vivid as a classic ’60s Jacques Demy film, a technicolor album that doesn’t sound French, per se, but still has a bit of that feel with its baroque, playful sound, frothy, light melodicism and Bollinger’s breathy vocals. It’s also got a cast of thousands, including producer Sam Evian and Matthew E White, who co-wrote a few songs on the album. Despite all the collaborators, from the musicians to the designers who helped create the whimsical album sleeve and videos, this is an auteur at work, dazzling whether indulging in rich ’70s rock (“I See It Now,” “Any Day Now”), sunshine pop (“Postcard From a Cloud”), or classic singer-songwriter stylings (“Running”). Listen to the album and watch the new video for “I See it Now” below.
We asked Kate to tell us more about Songs from a Thousand Frames of Mind and she made us a list of 10 influences including music (Elephant 6, The Velvet Underground), movies and more. Read her list and commentary below.
KATE BOLLINGER – 10 INFLUENCES BEHIND ‘SONGS FROM A THOUSAND FRAMES OF MIND’
Elephant 6
These bands and the book about them, Endless Endless really directly influenced the album and the way I make my music videos. The sound and the whole ethos.
Greasepaint Smile by Elyse Weinberg
I was listening to this record a lot around the time I started planning for the album.
MOGA: Designs from Platonsha and Club Cosmetics
A book of designs that inspired the artwork and videos for this album.
Hanging out with my friends and making videos
I guess this technically came after the recording of the album… but very inspiring nonetheless.
Lux Perpetua
A guy from my hometown and his band Lux Perpetua. He made a bunch of home recorded music when he was a teenager and it has inspired me a lot since I was in high school. I wanted to channel some of that homemade feeling, though my record was not home recorded, it’s got a free and off-the-cuff spirit about it still.
Loaded by The Velvet Underground
Just perfect and inspiring pop songs!
This lyric book by The Extraordinaires
This other guy from my hometown named Jay Purdy has a band (now based in Philly) called The Extraordinaires. They were one of my favorite bands when I was a kid. My brother played violin on their album Ribbons of War and my dad and I became obsessed with them after that. They made books to go along with their albums with these beautiful screen printed covers and illustrations to go along with each song’s lyrics and in the back flap of the book is their CD. Two Christmases ago I found one of the original books in a used bookstore in my hometown. It felt very serendipitous and inspired me a lot during the pre-album time. It was also a big inspiration for my lyric book.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Jacques Demy
Color palette inspiration.
Her Wallpaper Reverie by The Apples in Stereo
One of my favorite albums, I listened to it a lot last year. Also Tone Soul Evolution.
Driving around in Virginia
Self explanatory probably, extremely beautiful and comforting and inspiring to me!
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Kate will be on tour starting October 5 in Boulder, CO and will play Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 16. All dates are below.
KATE BOLLINGER: FALL NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
10/5 – Boulder CO – eTown Hall
10/7 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry
10/8 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
10/10 – Toronto, ON – Longboat Hall
10/11 – Montreal, QC – Petit Campus
10/12 – Boston, MA – Arts at The Armory
10/13 – Brattleboro, VT – Stone Church
10/16 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/17 – Philadelphia, PA – Ukie Club
10/18 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
10/19 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
10/21 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle (Back Room)
10/22 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy
10/24 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
10/25 – Nashville, TN – Third Man
10/26 – St Louis, MO – Off Broadway
10/28 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge
10/29 – Oklahoma City, OK – Resonant Head
10/30 – Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves
11/12 – Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst Atrium
11/14 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
11/15 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
11/16 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound Club
11/20 – Sacramento, CA – Starlet Room
11/21 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
11/22 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom