Whisper Doll Ahead of Their Candlelit Show
New York City based band, Whisper Doll, creates music reminiscent of dreamy soft pop using the classic rock format of guitar, bass and drums. Whisper Doll kicks it up a notch, combining velvety-reverbed vocals with a darker instrumental backing. The entirety of the live band includes Fiona (vocals and guitar), Maya (guitar), Kara (bass), and Shawn (drums). Whisper Doll’s latest project is a ten-track album, “Perfume Garden,” which was released at the end of October.
This evening in December, their normally full band performance is stripped down to just Maya and Fiona. Trading in a stage, a complete sound system, and spotlights, for a candlelit loft in Brooklyn, Whisper Doll is one of five bands featured, the others including King Reserve, Zapbeetle, Róisín McKeown, and Sammy Bloodworth. The space is surrounded by classic brick walls, greenery hung across exposed pipes near the ceiling, LED lights wrapped where they could be attached. For sound, there is one microphone stand, an amp, and a chair placed against the far wall. Several candles were lit with their small flames, each scattered in groups along surfaces and windowsills. Two long windows were right behind the performers, the backdrop being New York City.
As people began to arrive, the few folding chairs placed in a u-shape around the mic were quickly filled. Other people brought picnic blankets, sitting casually on the floor. And soon, just minutes before the music began, the loft was full.
Before their stripped down set, we spoke with Fiona and Maya of Whisper Doll.
Your latest release is “Perfume Garden.” How did that album come about, what was the inspiration and what was it like actually going through the process of creating it?
Fiona: I actually recorded that album before I put the band together. I recorded it with my friends in Atlanta, partially before I moved here, and then a little bit after I moved here. But for the next EP, we're all going to record together.
What do you think has been changing with this new group of Whisper Doll when it comes to songwriting? How has that process been different than before?
Fiona: I write all the songs in advance and then bring them to the group. And then we incorporate drums, guitar, bass together. So it's just different flares and instrumentals that'll carry the song through different vibes, I guess.
Why did you choose to put out “Perfume Garden,” even though it was already written well before this group?
Fiona: I was waiting to find the right band here because I'm from Atlanta and I've been making music there for a long time. But it just took me a second to find the right people to make the band here. I've always wanted it to be more of a band than a solo project.
How did you two meet?
Maya: I think we talked on Instagram DMs briefly. We played a show together through The New School Sunday Sessions, with my old band Heart Rot. And then it was just us two bands, Heart Rot and Whisper Doll, and then we just chatted there. We didn't keep in touch really until [Fiona was] looking for a new guitarist, and I was looking for a new band. So I was like, “I would love to be in the band.”
How do you think bringing new members into the band has changed the sound?
Fiona: I mean, we'll just have to wait and see with the new EP. I'm not entirely sure yet, but it's going to be the same producer. My friend back in Atlanta is going to produce it. So I think that it's going to be really interesting to see the ways that it shifts and [how] the sound kind of changes.
How do you think that your songwriting process has changed with this new band? How do other members add to it as well?
Fiona: I still write songs alone. I haven't really learned how to write songs with other people in terms of melody and structure of the song. What works for me is bringing in what I do, which is songwriting and melody and stuff, and the structure, and then layering on what everyone else does, which is bass, drums, and lead guitar. That’s what has worked for me, it clicks in my brain the best. So I wouldn't say my songwriting has particularly changed as much, but I'm really excited to see how everyone inputs any stuff into the record.
Maya, since being a new guitar player in the band, how do you think your style has added to the songs and live shows?
Maya: Well, I guess a majority of what I've played for Whisper Doll has been the already recorded songs from the album, which were so fun to learn. It was so cool to really listen to the songs and learn all the riffs and then slowly build those up. I think we've only worked on - you [Fiona] brought in one new song. It's really fun to take some cues from the riffs, from the old album, and adding my own style to it. You can kind of interpret what was done previously.
Let's talk a little bit about why you're here tonight. How did the show come about?
Fiona: So I set this show up through a friend that I met. This sounds really like “Sex in the City.” I met him backstage at a fashion show. He was playing music for the fashion show, so we just started chatting. He was telling me about how he throws shows in his space. As a DIY artist, I'm always looking for places to throw shows. I was like, “oh, let's put something together.” And then we did. He's been really generous letting us use the space because it's so, so gorgeous.
What's coming next? What kind of music do you have coming up?
Fiona: It's going to be very similar to “Perfume Garden,” which is our current album, but a little bit more involved. I'm really excited to see what this group of musicians comes up with because it's a different group, but same songwriting. We're sticking with a similar sound, but kind of taking it a little bit further.
Keep up with Whisper Doll on Instagram, Spotify and their website. Stream their latest release, “Perfume Garden,” here.
All photos by Alec Ilstrup.
