Unpack the Track: Becca Caffyn on ‘Replacement Blonde’

INDIE FOLK SINGER-SONGWRITER BECCA CAFFYN ON HER SOPHOMORE SINGLE 'REPLACEMENT BLONDE'

Wow, we are in LOVE with your mesmerising new track 'Replacement Blonde' - can you tell us about the concept of this song?

Thank you! ‘Replacement Blonde’ is about the period after a relationship ends where you’re remembering everything that happened, and wondering if they’ve found someone new to replace all the moments and fill the space you used to take up in that person's life.

What were you artistic influences for this song?

I’ve always really loved music of the acoustic and melancholic persuasion, and a lot of my favourite artists are people that do that really well, so I think that has always influenced the way that I write both consciously and subconsciously. When it came to thinking about production, I liked the sound of songs like ‘Convention’ by Julia Jacklin, ‘...What Are We?’ by Lizzy McAlpine, and ‘To Philly’ (but it has to be the ‘live in Fresno’ version) by Del Water Gap.

What was the writing & production process like?

‘Replacement Blonde’ was written on a Friday night in my bedroom. It came pretty easily, from start to finish in one sitting, which doesn’t happen all that often, but I think I just needed to take all the thoughts running around in my head and organise them on a page. I sat with it for a few weeks before showing it to some people, and then went back and forth for quite a while on little edits. When it came time to record it we tried to keep it pretty simple and stripped back, with an acoustic guitar and a few vocals, to keep the intimate, personal nature of the song in tact.

What was your main highlight working on 'Replacement Blonde'?

I really loved getting to travel to Christchurch and work with Will McGillivray on ‘Replacement Blonde’ - this song would not be what it is without him. So much of my favourite New Zealand music is either produced or written by Will, and we were on the same page with a lot of sounds, influences, and what we thought the general feeling of the song should be. There was no pressure while recording to get everything right the first time, which really allowed us to take our time and be stoked with the takes we got. Will’s studio space is very homely, so it was nice to record the song in a space that felt safe and similar to where the song was written.

We can't wait to hear more music from you! What can we expect?

I can’t wait to put more out! I have an EP coming out later this year, which will have ‘Replacement Blonde’ on it, as well as a couple other tracks, so keep an eye out for that :)

Make sure you keep up with Becca Caffyn on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify or Apple Music.