Karina Rykmn's new studio album, Late Checkout, has the energy of a live album. And that's no accident. The album sees the singer/songwriter/bassist expanding her musical universe with the vibrant on-stage energy of her road-tested live band and a new focus on lyrical storytelling.
And on the road they are this year! Besides ceaseless touring, Rykman's band recently performed live on television for the first time on CBS Saturday Morning, and they made history with the first-ever in-store performance at New York City’s beloved gourmet institution, Zabar’s. Clearly this is an artist that loves a stage, wherever you might decide to put one.
Here's our conversation. Enjoy!
Hypebot: Hey Karina, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. Congrats on Late Checkout. What did you try to communicate thematically with this album?
Karina Rykman: "The thematic through lines are starting to intensify for me as I sing these songs every night on tour. There’s a joie de vivre throughout, but also a desire to communicate that we’re only here for a short time, and to soak up every second you can, while you can, with the people you love."
Late Checkout is about creating an oasis wherever you’re at."
H: Simply, what has changed between your first record and your second record? In you, in your music, in the world? And what, to you, normally changes between an artist’s first and second albums?
KR: "The main difference I saw in myself was I placed an undue amount of pressure on myself to over deliver for this second record. Which wasn’t healthy. When you’re working on your first record, no one has any expectations of you. It’s very freeing."
With this, I just wanted to outdo myself — I wanted the songs to be stronger, I wanted the production to sound more organic, I wanted it to feel more alive, etc. In the end, I’m grateful, because I’m so proud of this record and how it ended up. But moving forward I’m going to have to tell myself to chill the fuck out."
H: Is writing and recording music a space for working, or a place to escape to, for you?
KR: "The writing and recording feel more like work, but playing live is where I’m the happiest on earth. It’s a juxtaposition for me. I love working on music but I ADORE playing live with my band, and I think being aware of the fact that you don’t get to have new songs to play live if you don’t put in the work to write them, is everything for me. It all coalesces into one beautiful journey."
"I wanted this record to sound like my band — like humans playing music together...I wanted to write and record songs that would come to life both through speakers and on stage."
H: How is it to self-release a record for you? What are the main differences from personal experience than going with a label?
KR: "I’m not sure, since I’ve never had a label! But I’ll tell you that I love having control over my music, and I’m extremely proud of this brick-by-brick grassroots operation and how it’s growing daily."
H: You’ve got a lot of touring in your future. Has touring helped reshape the way you write music? And specifically with this Late Checkout, was your sound influenced by the stage dynamics of the band?
KR: "I wanted this record to sound like my band — like humans playing music together. I’m very proud of where it ended up, considering that was my biggest “goal.” We tracked everything live together, in a room, and tried to capture that lightening in a bottle that one can never truly capture."
But we got right there. I wanted to write and record songs that would come to life both through speakers and on stage."
H: What does it look like when the band is fully ON? Or, what separates a good show from a truly unforgettable night of music?
KR: "That’s truly for the audience to decide. It’s out of my hands once the vibrations leave the bass and the words leave my lips. But I will say that when I am having an absolute out-of-body spectacular time, it seems to emanate and people seem to respond to it."
The variables of live performance are what make it so alluring — things change night to night, from the audience to the room to the culture of the town you’re in, etc. Sometimes these things all align with the musicians on stage, the right setlist, the right amount of sleep, and make for an otherworldly show."
H: How do you approach festival sets differently from headlining club sets? Whether that’s setlist, sonically, stage presence, banter, etc.
KR: "I love the feeling of trying to win over a crowd that doesn’t know me. Festival sets I feel are a bit more of a showcase, where I want to blow people’s minds in a different way than at my own shows. At my own shows, I have the pressure of knowing everyone there has paid to see me, specifically."
So whether they’re first timers or they’ve been following the tour for two weeks, I want them to leave riveted while also knowing that they’ve probably already listened to my music, and maybe have some level of understanding of what the show might be like. It’s an interesting line to straddle. I love both, truly."
"The variables of live performance are what make it so alluring — things change night to night, from the audience to the room to the culture of the town you’re in."
H: What’s something you’ve learned by spending time on the road over the years?
KR: "Sleep as much as you possibly can. Do everything to ensure that you are at your absolute peak for the 2 hours you spend on stage. It’s easy to say but hard to do."
H: What do you like to do on your days off on tour?
KR: "Most days off are spent driving to the next town! We like to eat well and have an army of chef-pals around the country who spoil us rotten. Shout out to Dave Seigal, Aaron Bludorn, James London, Douglas Alley, and many many more."
H: What was one live concert you saw as a kid or young adult that shaped you, and what’s a live show you went to recently that blew your mind
KR: "Hard to pick one. But I’ll say that seeing Phish at Bonnaroo in 2009 changed the course of my life. And recently, seeing My Morning Jacket at The Fillmore a few days ago absolutely shattered my brain. I joined them on stage for a few songs but the rest of the night I was just watching and completely awed by them, as I always am."
The songs, the performance, the improvisation, the joy, all wrapped into one absolute onslaught. They are my friends now, but I am an enormous fan."
H: What is the best non-musical sound in the world?
KR: "Laughter."
