Ainslie Wills

Her debut album, 2013’s You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine, may have been quiet and unassuming – coinciding, fittingly enough, with a quiet and unassuming manner of release – but Wills is (ahem) willing to flex her creative muscle a lot more these days. This alone is indicative from her latest effort, a six-track EP entitled Oh The Gold.

“I think a lot can change,” she says. “Your listening tastes are constantly changing and evolving. You’re listening to new records and get inspired to listen to new things. I think that’s the most important thing – to evolve from one project to another. You can get a cohesive sound together, and there can be elements of your sound that are recognisable. Musically, though, I want to explore as much as I can. There’s so much to play with and to be inspired by and to use in your own way. I think it’s high on the agenda to make music that represents that.”

Oh The Gold was recorded at Grandma’s Place – no, not literally Wills’ grandmother’s home, but a studio on the outskirts of Brisbane in which she convened with multi-instrumentalist Lawrence Folvig and producer Matt Redlich. What came from these sessions reflected the growth and development Wills has undertaken as a songwriter over the two years since the release of You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine. Even so, the lengths to which it went surprised even her.

“The first song on the EP, ‘Drive’, has got this kind of new wave ’80s vibe to it,” she explains. “You think that’s the kind of EP that you’re in for, but then it immediately descends into the song ‘Hawaii’, which goes for something completely different. It’s a very broad collection, and I find it so liberating to not be limited by one style. There’s hopefully a little bit of variation and a point of difference. There’s a less folky vibe here – Matt’s contributions to the songs really helped make that leap. I always wanted it to be different from You Go Your Way, but the production choices helped steer that in the right direction. It’s much more of a reflection on who I am now.”

When it came to the arrangements on Oh The Gold, there is a mix of shimmering guitar, layered harmonies and delicately woven patterns that don’t stay in the same place for too long. There’s very little time on the EP for things to get comfortable, and this explains its exciting, exploratory nature. Although Wills’ upcoming shows will feature a full band, expanding out to a quintet, there was an immediate group that worked on the sound of Oh The Gold.

“Lawrence is talented enough to be able to play bass as well as he plays guitar,” Wills says. “That was his department. I sang all of the vocals and played the synth parts, plus any extra things that needed to be played. We brought in Arron [Light], our drummer, and he flew through the drums and percussion that we had to lay down. It would have been nice to have a full complement up there with us, but I liked the intimate affair of just having the four of us. It helped to get things done a lot more efficiently. Matt had a very immersed approach to how he produces – he essentially became like a fourth band member, and his insight was really useful.”

Despite some constants in her array – Folvig, in particular, being someone she has worked with for an incredibly long time – the music still solely bears the Ainslie Wills name. It’s suggested that having her own name adds a fluidity – just as people change, so too can the stylistic approach and the collective of musicians involved. Wills is inclined to agree.

“The people in my band have always given their time to the music that I make so generously, and I think the world of them,” she says. “At the same time, though, it always seems to have worked better when I have an idea that I’ve spent demoing and recording by myself and then be able to give it to them and have them do what they wish with it. I think the way it’s all set up now seems to really work for me.”

Listeners will get their chance to hear the songs from Oh The Gold – as well as some older material – when Wills and her band play a string of launch shows later in the month, taking in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Although it’s a relatively small run of dates, Wills is a little nervous about returning to the stage.

“I haven’t played one of my own shows since a residency I did back in June,” she says. “The last time I was actually onstage was on the #1 Dads tour, and that wasn’t even my stuff – I was just singing on a couple of songs every night. It was pretty cruisy and a lot of fun, but I did miss playing my own songs. I’m trying to prepare a set that can do it all, with segues and a bit more of a performance element to it. Fingers crossed!”