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Look what I chose,Bankssays, proudly toting a giant ceramic Tyrannosaurus rex in her arms.
About three weeks later, the album would debut at No.
Then, abruptly, she went off the grid.
She was open about her aversion to interviews, explaining they used to be stressful for her.
Howd she get past it?
I took a break.
The album and book have similar themes growth, innocence, and lifes gray zones.
Over paint and ceramics, our conversation largely hovered in the realm of vagueness.
Her answers were at times hazy, or maybe that was the paint fumes.
(There was only one other painter in the store, a child with her father).
Banks came prepared, wearing a splotchy graphic shirt in case she splattered any paint.
She picked up a sprawling, open-mouthed shark head, which doubled as a piggy bank and cackled.
You have to do this one, she said.
Our caretaker let us pick out our colors, five each.
Banks went for the worst ones I possibly could, cause this is my chance to experiment.
I went for normal shark colors, because I was eager to ask her about trauma.
so that close a chapter, you have to be able to let go.
I think every album is a chapter, or every song.
Its more just the concept of being at peace with your own decisions.
When I look back on my own eras, sometimes I just mourn for myself.
Like, If only I had the knowledge I do now.
And some of the ways that I dealt with it were so fucking dark.
That makes me sad sometimes.
Its awful.With art, with relationships, any situation, nothing is black-and-white … except that.
There are a few things that are black-and-white.
Like, how you judge people, how you judge yourself.
Life is so messy.
Its hard to know whats right.
Theres something so innocent and naive about letting yourself fall for someone.
But its sung in the most hopeful way.
Like, Were going to work out.
You said that it would work out, so why wouldnt it?
Thats why that song would make you cry.
Cause theres something sad and scary about that.
Its dreamy and idyllic.
I was also drawn to Hawaiian Mazes, which feels like a departure for you, musically.
Its kind of a bop.Theres a groove to it for sure.
How do you get there?
How do you find peace?You go through it.
Being a human is hard.
Thats why I took time off.
I knew that I needed to confront certain things.
I took some time to do that and, Im not like, Here I am!
Im the finished product!
Shes enjoying not taking art so seriously.
I wanted her to open up.
So, I decided to just be my purest self.
All lesbians want to do is process.
My music isnt all heavy and dark and trauma.
But I know what you mean Im graphic, Im particular.
Theres a lot of depth and emotional intelligence in your lyrics.
Its brave to let yourself feel so hard lesbian or not.I just dont know how not to.
Its being an empath in general.
Just digesting energies and being so aware.
Sometimes Ill say Im sensitive as if I think its a weakness.
And I hate that, because the word sensitive is not a weakness.
I wish there was another word for it.
But there have been times definitely where Ive wished that I couldnt feel so much.
Its an easier life.
As an empath, whats your experience with emotional vampires?Stroke.
And it becomes this addictive, fucked-up thing.
But that can be so hot, too.
And I am in a very different place than I was even two years ago.
I feel like Ive grown more in the last year and a half than I did for three years.
I had the space and time to actually confront certain things.
I worked my ass off on it.
Its like changing mental scripts that are in your head.
That shit is hard.
I dont know, I turned 30.
I hear that for women thats a big thing.
But I dont know what that means.
Was it for you?Not really.
You dont wake up and go, Oh, eureka!
I got the answers!
I do feel like I give less fucks now.
But its a gradual thing, obviously.
I feel less guarded now for sure.
Tell me about your poem book.My poetry book is calledGenerations of Women From the Moon.
I love that.The moon is female.
I was literally just about to say that.My dinosaur looks pretty sweet.
Theres definitely a gradient happening.
Mine is a joke.
We can go outside and smash them in the parking lot.
It could be cathartic and symbolic.
We let the dinosaur and the shark just live here, in this moment, in the past.
What do you think?I dont want to destroy it.
I think we should keep it.
Now I finally have somewhere to keep my money.Now I finally have a dinosaur.
Except she didnt actually have a dinosaur; not yet, at least.
