Mimi Pretend On the Making Of “God Damn”
What was the creative process like for this particular "God Damn?"
Pretty much all these songs these days have the same creative process. I used to write whole instrumentals but then I realized I’d written a song out my vocal range so I couldn’t sing over it. Or I’d write complete lyrics and then it wouldn’t fit over the instrumentals I had written. So now all of my songs start out with me figuring out a chord progression on the piano or guitar and I just play and sing until I’ve got something! The only thing different with this song is instead of recording it all in my bedroom I recorded it in my old bandmate's house.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for "God Damn?"
The only challenge was working with other people for the first time in a long time. I usually record all the instruments. But this time I wanted my live band to be a part of it so I had to let go and relinquish some control which is very difficult for me. It’s still pretty true to the demo version I did but I let them have some liberties when we recorded - which I need to remind myself is for the better.
What do you like the best about this track?
This song has one of the best guitar lines I’ve ever written. It was kind of my ode to “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star. You can’t hear it very well in this version and my friend Dean who recorded the guitar plays it a bit differently - but hopefully, you can catch it in there.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started in music?
I am lucky enough to have grown up with very artistic parents. We were always surrounded by art and music. My dad used to take me and my sister to these fancy schmancy art galleries and we would just look at the art like it was a museum - I’m sure we pissed off some of the employees for loitering. My mom used to busk on the streets and she taught me how to play guitar. They really encouraged my own artistic pursuits. They were never parents to be like “Oh you want to study art? How will you get a job?” They’re more like “So you’ll be an artist, fantastic.” I am so grateful for that.
Since I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a musician - it sounds cliche but it’s true. I’ve been writing poetry and lyrics since elementary school. But I didn’t really start being in bands until I was 18/19 when I moved to Denver.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
I get most of my inspiration from things that are dichotomous, bittersweet, two-faced even. Whether that is “happy” lyrics over a “sad” instrumental, or clashing something beautiful with something ugly - that’s what really interests me. I also really enjoy textures so a lot of the time I am focusing on “sounds,” rather than harmonies, melodies, chords, etc.
I really love when the common becomes uncommon when the normal becomes irregular, and when something ugly is beautiful. It’s a very Lynchian thing I think. He’s always putting these everyday things in a strange and uncanny context - that’s just the best to me.
