EXCLUSIVE: Sloan Peterson Takes You Track By Track Through Her New Album

Sydney garage rocker Sloan Peterson gives us an insight into her powerful new album, Midnight Love Vol. 2, a release The Music has described as “riveting and emotional”.

Don't Get Me Started

Written by Joannah-Grace Jackson, produced by Chris Collins, engineered by George Georgiadis, mixed by Thomas Rawle

Don't Get Me Started is an anthem to all those who have had or are in relationships that you hate to love. It was written when I was living in Northern Sydney, staying away from Sydney circles, trying to find some inspiration. It's probably the most personal song to me as it’s describing particular behaviour of someone who would sleep all day and won’t grow up and the impact that can have on your own headspace when you just can't seem to let them go. I wanted the song to sound fun and energetic like a ‘90s joke song, referencing Deee-Lite’s Groove Is In the Heart.

Our Love

Written by Thomas Rawle & Joannah-Grace Jackson, produced by Thomas Rawle, mixed by Thomas Rawle

I wrote Our Love after coffee with a friend who had a dream about her partner which really shook her; she had to break up with him. I was truly inspired by her for following her heart. The lyrics were my interpretation of her dream. I took this idea to Thomas Rawle, while he was visiting Sydney from the UK. He worked with the chords and words I had written and turned it into the magical dreamland I had imagined. 

He had a plug-in for The Beatles actual string section which is saturated throughout the song. The swirling strings build up to the a capella ending was also inspired by The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour album, when they started experimenting with trippy sounds and use of instruments. 

Very Like You

Written by Joannah-Grace Jackson, produced by Chris Collins, engineered by George Georgiadis, mixed by Thomas Rawle

Although a simple song, it came from a dark place for me. I had been in New York for an extended period with this other band, we returned to Australia living in a cabin in deep Victoria with no reception or internet. Being a fairly social person, this was fairly challenging for me. I was going through a breakup, now surrounded by four guys with a lot of self-confidence, in which I lacked. The lyrics were portraying how someone can be so stuck in their ways, good or bad, but people will make excuses for them saying, ‘It’s very like you.' The production was inspired by Gwen Stefani’s It's My Life, using dreamy tones on the guitars, while also featuring the swirling Beatles strings section which appears on a lot of the tracks from this album. 

Missing Me

Written by Joannah-Grace Jackson, produced by Chris Collins, engineered by George Georgiadis, mixed by Thomas Rawle

I remember sitting in the hallway of REC Studios on Castlereagh Street in Sydney CBD. It was around the same time I had gotten back from New York. Sitting there with a ukulele, playing around these chords, thinking about the break up I was going through. I came up with the lyrics “And I want you to think of me as you fall asleep / Got yourself in too deep / And now you’re missing me,” and the rest of it just happened very naturally. 

Three years later we recorded this version of the song. I sang the lyrics through the microphone from the sound desk, which was only meant to be a guide for my guitarist, it sounded raw and real so we stuck with the first take. Production-wise, I was wanting it to hit people like Angel Olsen’s unfucktheworld. That song makes my heart flutter – that’s the effect this song makes me feel when I sing it. 

Midnight Love

Written by Joannah-Grace Jackson, produced by Chris Collins, engineered by George Georgiadis, mixed by Thomas Rawle

When I was 17, I was playing around with songs on Logic, making very simple tunes mostly inspired by '50s doo-wop band The Crystals. Midnight Love was my take on The Crystals' He's A Rebel. I loved how songs from the '50s were so straight to the point, about love and heartbreak, it all sounds so 'teenage love affair'. 

Midnight Love was my take on a doo-wop teenage love affair song, going on dates in dad's car and spending the evening at make-out point or the diner, making sure you were back before curfew. Production was very much inspired by the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack, the prom scene. Along with guitar tones inspired by The Strokes and beach pop like Best Coast.  

New Direction

Written by Joannah-Grace Jackson, produced by Chris Collins, engineered by George Georgiadis, mixed by Thomas Rawle

This song was definitely my take on a Strokes-sounding song. I had the lyrics “You've been putting stars up in my eyes” about someone constantly telling you one thing but never actually following through with it or taking action. This song is probably one of my favourite songs to perform, with so much energy and buzz.

105

Written by Joannah-Grace Jackson, produced by Joannah-Grace Jackson, engineered by Tim Dunn, mixed by Dave Tolmai

This was one of the only songs I have written by jamming with my band. It was a three piece at the time. I had started finger picking the main guitar riff and humming the melody. The guys chimed in and the lyrics were literally the first words out of my mouth. 

At the time I didn’t feel it portrayed any particular emotion, was just fun jamming. When I went home to re-write them and kind of work it out properly, the lyrics were portraying a feeling of being cornered by other people’s decisions; sometimes it’s hard to find your own way out of someone else's mess. We recorded it live in a mate's lounge room in Redfern and added in the claps and sounds later. Production wise I wanted it to sound like Money by The Flying Lizards - ‘80s industrial sounds. 

Here 

Here was written in a moment of time where I had nothing better to do except live in the moment. I wanted to portray that same feeling through the clip to evoke a nostalgic memory for the audience. The song is also inspired by a touch of Elton John and Gwen Stefani.