Could Rio Sembera began making her first solo challenge whereas confined to her residence studio in New York, writing songs that had been partly impressed by her time on tour along with her former band, Poppies. She labored on the tracks rapidly, with no actual intention of releasing them; the outcome was 2021’s Simple Bammer, a heat and intimate report that married its allure with sharp moments of dissonance. Having popped up on songs by the Dare and Blaketheman1000 over the previous yr, she’s now come by way of along with her second LP, French Bathtub, which she was capable of deal with with a newfound degree of confidence and care. Rio has a knack for frolicsome, off-kilter pop songs, and with assist from co-producer Tony 1 of the eclectic duo Tony or Tony, they’re now punchier and canopy extra floor; there are wryly humorous songs that sound dreamy and alluring, earnest moments that carry a way of unease. “Nobody can refill your vacancy,” she sings to somebody on the lookout for a straightforward escape on ‘Getaway’, and he or she’s not promoting that sort of phantasm to anybody. However her music does have a enjoyable means of twisting the truth we nonetheless discover ourselves trapped in, reminding us there’s various methods to soak it in.

We caught up with Could Rio for the newest version of our Artist Highlight sequence to speak about her songwriting journey, group, her strategy going into French Bathtub, and extra.

You began the challenge in the course of the pandemic in your bed room. What position had songwriting served for you up till that time?

I sort of got here to it late. Portray was my factor rising up. Going to artwork faculty, I had developed sort of an unhealthy relationship to portray at that time, it simply wasn’t enjoyable for me anymore. I’m a perfectionist, and I’ve gotten higher at coping with that, however positively on the time portray had sort of been stripped of its pleasure for me. Simply as a private problem to myself, I had a break from faculty and I purchased this Yamaha acoustic guitar from this pawn store. I couldn’t play it, however form of discovered how one can play an A chord, and I wrote a track. And it simply felt so good. It’s the very best feeling – you get a track to click on, and you then simply get to maintain experiencing it over and over.

After I moved to New York, I used to be in a band for a number of years, that was my first challenge I’ve been in. However in the course of the pandemic, that was the primary time shortly after I had area for myself once more. I’ve written a whole lot of songs for the band, they usually had been positively like for the band – it was cool to simply form of sit down with myself and have these limits be lifted.

There’s one thing therapeutic about that feeling that you just’re describing, however since you stated you had developed an unhealthy relationship with portray, I’m curious when you had been cautious of the identical factor taking place with music.

There are some factors that I want I had began making music earlier, as a result of most individuals I do know did begin making music earlier. However I sort of determined that, no, it’s good that I began late, as a result of I used to be capable of come to it with none expectation of being “good” at it, which is what portray had develop into for me. It was very liberating, and I’m completely happy that I’ve been capable of deliver that form of vitality to it nonetheless. It has not but, and I hope it by no means does, develop into this factor that I really feel like must be excellent.

When did you progress to New York?

I’ve been right here a number of years now. I don’t have any household right here, however I positively have constructed a household in my friendships right here. However I’m from Texas, from generations of Texans. I grew up in Austin, and lots of people are like, “Oh, there’s a extremely good Austin music scene.” I’d go to New York after I was nonetheless in class, and what was taking place musically was simply a lot extra fascinating to me. There may be simply a lot taking place. There may be a lot area to do this out and I am going to a ton of reveals now, and for essentially the most half, the invoice is rarely simply three bands in a row that sound the identical. I’ve at all times romanticized New York since I used to be a child. It’s nothing just like the 10-year-old model of myself thought it will be, however it’s fairly nice.

Do you continue to romanticize it in a means, while you’re away or touring?

I romanticize it whereas I’m right here. I actually fall in love with it once more like each month. It’s intimidating how huge it’s, however it’s actually cool when you’re ever feeling overwhelmed down otherwise you’re in a rut, you simply go to a unique neighborhood, and also you’re reminded of how a lot you don’t know and can by no means know, how a lot is there so that you can uncover. It may be exhausting, and it’s definitely irritating whe, like, the trains aren’t working, however there’s a lot journey.

What’s a brand new factor you’ve found that’s made you fall in love with it extra?

There may be this Russian bar in midtown that I solely discovered on accident as a result of it’s proper throughout the road from this different, way more fashionable Russian bar. I knew somebody who labored there, and I believed I used to be going into that bar when actually I used to be going into this much less fashionable bar – they’ve an identical title. I’ve by no means gone there and have it’s busy, even on the weekend. There’s a piano participant and his pal typically performs this little electrical harmonica; the 2 of them play in each of those Russian bars, they alternate all through the week. I began going quite a bit, and one time I used to be there, I had like a Martini and was feeling a bit daring, so I went as much as the piano participant and requested if I might simply be part of him for one track, and I ended up befriending them. They’d come up and invite me to affix them for a track – that already is a lot enjoyable, however one night time I did that, and after I jumped off the bench, this girl began speaking to the piano participant. After which he fingers her the mic and begins enjoying a track, and it seems she’s an actual opera singer. [laughs] We’re on this practically empty bar and we get this non-public present of this skilled opera singer. Possibly that sort of factor might occur in different places, however perhaps not a ton of different locations.

Now that you just’re not in a band, what position does group play in your day-to-day life as a solo artist?

It performs a large position. I’m a solo artist now, however I get a lot assist from my group, and likewise I assist each time I can – whether or not that’s, we’ll go to one another’s reveals, but in addition bounce concepts off one another. I don’t know the way issues at the moment are, however after I was within the band, I used to be enjoying much more reveals with bands, and it did seem to be there’s perhaps this undercurrent of competitors, or everybody form of doing their very own factor and specializing in that. I really feel like simply the way in which my social infrastructure is now, everybody is consistently looking for one another and could be very proactive. I simply really feel extra free to be myself now. I positively don’t really feel alone in what I’m doing.

On ‘Aspartame’, you describe somebody as “candy in a sickly means,” which comes fairly near encapsulating the aesthetic of the album – it’s infectious, however there are elements of it which are intentionally off-kilter. Was that your imaginative and prescient going into it?

Completely. Even the title of the album, French Bathtub – have you learnt what it’s?

Yeah, I examine it. I don’t know if that got here first, although, or when you had the title and the concepts grew from that.

It’s humorous, I don’t even know the way these items get made. I really feel like I black out. I positively felt very drawn to that concept for a very long time, and I’d had in my head that I actually like this title for an album. But it surely wasn’t till I wrote that line that it’s in ‘Aspartame’ that it made sense. It’s not that I’m not eager about these items, however I’m not like, “I’m going to make an album, I would like it to have a touch of…” I simply sort of make songs, they usually present themselves to me by way of the making of them.

Are you extra acutely aware of why you had been drawn to that title?

I believe I’m actually drawn to issues which have, if not twin meanings, a minimum of twin methods they’ll land. And I believe that title actually land in very other ways, relying on what you realize about it already. I additionally am drawn to humour, and I really feel like the very best items of artwork, even when they’re very unhappy, have a minimum of a touch of humour, which rounds it out a bit extra. Even Elliot Smith, who is without doubt one of the saddest songwriters of all time, his songs are humorous, too.

Do you’ve gotten a track in thoughts?

Like, “Pretend concern says, ‘What’s the matter, man?’” It’s a really biting, humorous line, I believe.

“Biting” is an effective phrase for among the funnier songs in your album, too, like ‘NYC UMTs’.

Not all of the songs are like jokes on the album, however this one positively was sort of a joke track to me.

It feels prefer it’s the romanticization of the approach to life that’s sort of the joke reasonably than the characters themselves.

I don’t need to seem to be I’m placing anybody down. I am going to a whole lot of events, I’m a fairly social particular person – I’ve by no means really encountered anybody who’s form of just like the character within the track, it’s positively sort of a cartoon of perhaps characters I’ve encountered. Typically I get bored, I get uninterested in writing about myself and my very own experiences that it may be enjoyable typically to simply step into the sneakers of a unique character.

I’m evaluating it to a track like ‘Mr. Sexy Puke Man’, which is extra straight poking enjoyable on the topic.

It completely is. That one was really impressed by a particular pal who I am keen on.

Did it’s important to present it to them?

He doesn’t know. [laughs] I don’t assume he’ll ever know, as a result of once more, it was impressed by him, not really – if I actually felt the way in which about somebody that the track expresses, I’m undecided that’s actually somebody I’d be buddies with. However I had a pal get too drunk one night time after one other pal’s birthday celebration and, you realize, puke. It was simply humorous.

What do you assume it’s that connects all these totally different songs and characters, whether or not they’re actual or exaggerated or imagined?

There’s positively songs on the album which are fully true to what I’ve lived and expertise, and there’s additionally songs which are made up and different songs in between. It’s the inclination to attempt to classify issues that means, like, that is true, that’s not true. However I do really feel like lots of people’s actuality, the way in which that they expertise issues, is far more plastic than they notice. And the way you expertise the identical interplay shall be fully totally different, relying on what temper you’re in or how a lot sleep you bought. If I stated to you, “All of those songs are based mostly are written about this factor that I really went by way of,” I really feel like anybody who says that – I’m not even positive that’s a real assertion, even when they assume it’s true.

How has the way in which you personally replicate on these experiences modified since making your debut?

One acutely aware means that I did strategy this album otherwise was simply by taking it a bit extra severely, and once more, nonetheless having enjoyable with it. The primary album, the songs are all actually brief, I wrote them actually rapidly. It’s the primary time I’d made one thing only for myself in so lengthy, and I wanted to make this album in a short time, even simply to indicate myself I might do it. After which I did it, and I used to be like, “Okay, cool, I can do that. I can have a solo challenge.” It positively began out with no actual ambitions, I simply wanted to do one thing for myself. For the second album,  I used to be on this place the place, like, “Oh, there’s really infrastructure and assist surrounding me, and I can take my time and make an actual album if I need to try this.” And I did.

On ‘Self Service’, you sing, “Hope I’ll inform myself/ Sluggish it down/ Issues take time to stay out/ You may get it flawed/ Welcome within the doubt.” It should really feel significantly essential so that you can stay by that now as you’re about to launch the report.

It’s loopy, I’m having this second of like issues really feel a bit simpler in some methods as a result of persons are enthusiastic about this album, snd in order that they’re enthusiastic about me. And I do know it’s a second, inevitably the wave will die down, so I’m actually attempting to permit myself to be enthusiastic about all of that whereas additionally get my very own enjoyment and success not from all that stuff. All that stuff is thrilling, it’s enjoyable, however it’s probably not one thing I can rely on. And I additionally don’t need the way in which I view myself or my music to simply be a mirrored image of how different folks see it. It’s essential to me to have my very own relationship to myself and to my music.

This interview has been edited and condensed for readability and size.

Could Rio’s French Bathtub is out now by way of Dots Per Inch.