May left The Fuzz some years ago to pursue a solo career. Initially, May’s solo exploits picked up where The Fuzz left off. Albums with her backing band, The Rocking Pneumonia, and the dark, whisky-blues The Devil and Abbe May explored the blues-based style of her earlier rock’n’roll experiences. But with her 2011 album, Design Desire, May signalled her intention to deviate into broader musical territory.
“I don’t think there’s necessarily limited scope for experience and exploration in any genre, but there can be if you lose interest,” May muses. “And that’s what happened with me – I got slightly bored with it, and I also wanted to expand my interests.”
While Design Desire retained the occasional nod to May’s rock’n’roll origins, her latest record, Kiss My Apocalypse, dabbles in more electronic pop territory, while continuing May’s exploration of emotional attachment and dysfunction.
“Kiss My Apocalypse is definitely an extension of my experience with Design Desire, which itself was an experience from the previous record,” May says. “Musically, each album is different, especially when you work with different people. But on the new album there is still the same kind of thematic approach – love, desire, sex and death.”
In creating the songs on Kiss My Apocalypse, May immersed herself in the sounds of early ‘90s electronic, atmospheric pop. “I was listening to stuff like Caribou, Portishead and Massive Attack,” May says. “As well as revisiting a lot of that, I also listened to Daft Punk, and my producer was also into hip hop, so I listened to that as well. Because of that, I think there’s a much more of an international feel that comes through on the record.”
Lyrically, Kiss My Apocalypse continues the intensity of May’s previous records, with this record sailing close the wind in exposing the pain of a relationship break-up. “It’s a very cathartic experience writing an album,” May says. “I often write about love and pain. My first album was about the death of my grandmother, and even now I can’t bring myself to press the album again.” While the events portrayed in the songs on the album are typically based in real life, May prefers to retain a bit of mystery. “I like to keep a bit of mystery,” she says. “I never name people, and I never go too far in describing particular situations.”
For her recent live performances, May has discarded the trust guitar that has previously accompanied her on stage. Being forced to perform without the fig leaf of a rock’n’roll guitar has been both challenging and liberating. “It’s been really free,” May says. “The music on this record is much more about lyrical content that riffage, so now I can get really involved in the delivery of songs. And I also find that there’s more direct communication with the audience.”
And notwithstanding the lyrical connection between her off and on stage life, May is adamant that she’s a different person when the stage lights aren’t around. “I’m a very different person onstage than offstage,” May says. “My closest friends know that. I’m more likely to be in a quiet place when I’m not performing, but onstage I can be very extroverted. But if I wasn’t onstage, then maybe I’d be one of those dickheads doing cartwheels at a party,” she laughs.
May will soon be partly moving her life across the Nullarbor to Melbourne, where her boyfriend lives. She won’t be leaving Perth completely, and will divide her time roughly between the two cities. “I’ll be moving my main base to Melbourne,” May says. “I’m currently in a long distance relationship with someone in Melbourne, and I’ll continue to fly back to Perth occasionally. But I think the change in scene should be good.”
Having used emotional drama as the inspiration for Kiss My Apocalypse, May is looking forward to writing an album that adopts a more positive tone. It’s unlikely to be children’s pop, but May is fixing her gaze on happier emotional pastures. “I’ve generally written about things that are painful – though I think I’m going to write a love album next. I’ve already started that – it’s going to be a bright, happy record,” May laughs.
BY PATRICK EMERY
