Carla Lippis: Mondo Psycho
Stage star and powerhouse vocalist Carla Lippis has turned to the studio to create Mondo Psycho, an apocalyptic rock ‘n’ roll album where she takes form as ‘satanic Liza Minelli'.
Image by Daniel Noone
We’re a few weeks away from the release of your debut album, MONDO PSYCHO. You said you’ve waited your whole life to make this record – how does it feel to arrive at a place where you’re creatively ready?
It feels good, although the process to get here has been difficult. A couple of years ago it felt like COVID had axed my career, leaving me feeling that I had nothing left to lose. I think this mindset was important in liberating my creativity and [allowing me to] be a bit braver with my music – to take risks.
You’re a seasoned performer. What was it like for you to work in the studio instead of on the stage?
Studio time is money on the clock – it’s meticulous, and you’ve got to work at a steady pace with accuracy. The studio is where all the minutiae come together to weave an intricate story together, and there’s pressure in its permanency. The stage is less about perfection and more a place to unleash your physical energy, dissociate from reality and really be in the performance. It’s a short-lived, intense experience.
You left your career as a West End singer in London at the start of the pandemic to return to Adelaide. How did this experience feed into the sound and build of MONDO PSYCHO?
I had a couple of years of cancelled or postponed employment, so I was just here watching the pandemic unfold, and seeing corporate wealth skyrocket while many people’s living standards went down. All these things really built into the dystopian vibe that MONDO PSYCHO has – there’s a lot of dissonance and a lot of apocalyptic lyrics. I felt like we were all living in the calm start of a horror movie, sleepwalking towards a dark corner, where we know something will emerge from the shadows and annihilate us all.
What are the sonic influences behind this album?
There’s a distinct art-punk sound on your first single ‘You Will Be Happy’… Diamanda Galas is a big influence on me. On ‘You Will Be Happy’, we wanted something like her rumbling piano textures, plus some grinding early Swans, and just a sprinkle of Gil Scott-Heron! The rest of the record is pretty varied. We’ve been inspired by Italian horror soundtracks, metal, Bauhaus, Scott Walker, Lynch & Badalamenti, Radiohead. We also had the album mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano, who has produced a couple of records with Oranssi Pazuzu, a Finnish psychedelic black metal band who are definitely one of our big inspirations.
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You collaborated with your husband Geoff Crowther and sound designer Duncan Campbell on building this album and assembled a band for your live shows. Tell us more about that.
Geoff and I had many long conversations about creating something like this, and he knew Duncan from the SA Film Corp. I knew Duncan and his touch on the keys from his band, Mr Wednesday, so when we got back to Australia we approached him with some ideas.
We all bring quite contrasting influences to the band: Duncan brings melody and beautiful harmony, whereas Geoff is more punk and noise-focused. The rest of the band are all jazz players who have a wide-raging interest and can play virtually anything! I had experienced a few collaboration disasters prior to Mondo being formed, [which caused] years of heartache – so working with Duncan and Geoff, and expanding it to a band, has restored my faith in the power of music.
You’re performing MONDO PSYCHO at The Gov. How do you think the album will translate to the live stage?
We originally created the show as a commissioned piece for WOMADelaide in 2022, so the album really started as a live project. This theatrical process developed the album itself, including the flow of the song order, and the writing of shorter pieces that bridge certain songs. We decided to track the basic parts of the album just after that show.
Recording and editing was a further stage of this process. There’s a lot going on, especially in the synths and how they interact with the guitars, so the studio method was a great way to focus the arrangements.
You’re performing MONDO PSYCHO at The Gov. What can people expect from your show? You’ve said it’ll ‘induce live phantasmagoria’…
There’s a lot of inspiration from old Giallo films that has brought out the Italian witch in me – and who doesn’t enjoy a live exorcism? Duncan lays down a lot of creepy atmospheres, and the band get loud, so expect a furious rollercoaster ride with moments of calm melodic beauty, juxtaposed with heavy and unrelenting riffs. The sound is cinematic, and at times, dreamlike. I tend to become another version of myself – the Suspiria version!
What do you hope audiences will take away from MONDO PSYCHO?
I hope they get a transportive experience that pushes their buttons and has an element of unpredictability and danger. I’m in touch with my unadulterated rage, and if I didn’t get it out, I was going to implode. The lyrics were written from feelings of hopelessness and betrayal, and how that sadness turned to a senseless rage. I hope people enjoy a moment of catharsis along with me, and that both the record and the live show reward listening from start to end.
See Carla Lippis perform MONDO PSYCHO at The Gov on July 1. Tickets available now. Stream ‘You Will Be Happy’ on Bandcamp. MONDO PSYCHO will be released June 23.
