MUSIC

Having baggedthe highest chart position for a female artist from Bristol since Beth Rowley in 2008, Penfriend’s recent success is significant for independent local artists. Her Exotic Monsters album, while marrying influences ranging from Nevermind-era Nirvana to Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode to Tears For Fears, draws more from a wide-ranging reading list taking in Margaret Atwood and Mark Westmoquette, Ursula Le Guin and Kurt Vonnegut, to help examine gruelling emotional matters of 21stcentury life. Largely we’re talking the toll of a negative political onslaught, anxiety-inducing attention engineering tactics of big tech companies –akin to those used by casinos –and society’s struggle to use tech for good, while shielding itself from the downsides of constant connectivity. With honesty, grace and warmth, Penfriend (AKA Laura Kidd) deals with these concerns on record, while juggling a hit podcast holding aloft the priceless gift of a person’s attention in a noisy online world.

TBM: Congrats on your recent success!

Penfriend: Thank you! It’s been quite a few weeks! Exotic Monsters went into the official albums chart at number 24 and the independent chart at number five, which is a massive win for independent artists releasing on their own labels, and was only possible because of the backing of independently minded music fans who didn’t need to see my face on a billboard to know they like the music I make.

Where did your name come from?

When I was a little kid I loved writing letters to penpals around the world. Email and social media dominate our communication methods now, but there’s still nothing like analogue mail. Whether people come to my music through digital or analogue means, I’m creating spaces for our stories to connect and intermingle in an emotionally resonant way, and the packages of music and art that I make and send out to my Correspondent’s Club on a quarterly basis is my way of keeping in touch in a deeper way than is possible solely online.

How has the past year affected your creativity?

I went into overdrive, really. I was halfway through making Exotic Monsters when the pandemic started and was due to launch the Penfriend project and my Correspondent’s Club in May 2020. I decided to push ahead with everything and see what happened, and launched my podcast Attention Engineer in June. Even though I record my music in my own studio at home, it wasn’t easy to forge ahead and complete the album because I found all the lockdowns and uncertainty and fear difficult to cope with, but staying in touch with my supporters throughout that time really encouraged me towards the finish line.

So much of our communication these days is surface level because the medium dictates it, so I’m interested in consciously going deeper

Tell us more about your podcast; who’s been the best guest?

Attention Engineer was something I’d been planning for years, and I started recording conversations with fellow musicians towards the end of 2019 for a launch in 2020. The last in-person recording I got to do was with Frank Turner at his Aylesbury show in March 2020, which was his second-to-last gig before the pandemic closed everything down. I wanted to start my own podcast because I didn’t hear other people asking the questions I wanted to hear answers to: about the magic of songwriting, how people deal with their inner critic, how they balance music work and home life, being online so much (maybe too much) and the impact of a creative career on mental and physical health. What I couldn’t have predicted is how talking to other artists and producers like Tanya Donelly (Belly), Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney), Nikesh Shukla, Frank Turner, Lemn Sissay, Bernard Butler, Sananda Maitreya, Miles Hunt and Rebecca Lucy Taylor (Self Esteem) would encourage and motivate me to keep making and sharing things with people throughout this tough year –that’s just what I do, and having people to keep sharing things with helped get me through, too.

What are your favourite music venues in Bristol?

There’s really nothing like playing a packed room at The Louisiana; the first venue I played in Bristol, and I love playing The Fleece too.

How has Bristol shaped your music?

Getting out of London was a necessary thing for me after 13 years of living and working there. I was born in Wiltshire, so I’d always hoped to move back westwards, and moving to Bristol just gave me a fresh perspective on things. I like living somewhere of a more manageable size! Starting again in a new place as an adult is a humbling experience which led to a lot of introspection and reflection, both of which are essential for writing music that means something to myself and others.

Where in Bristol is home and who here inspired you in the early days?

I’ll always be grateful to Mig at The Louisiana for encouraging me to hire the venue when I was building up my audience here. I moved to Bristol nearly nine years ago, and have lived in Stokes Croft, Victoria Park, Knowle West and, now, Shirehampton. I love Shire because it has a villagey feel and is right near loads of greenery, but we’re only 15 minutes away from the centre by bus.

Which of your lyrics holds most meaning for you?

The opening line to I Used To Know Everything is at the forefront of my mind at the moment. “We’re losing ourselves, giving it away.” What could happen if that thought I just shared online was written down in a notebook instead? Could it have led to another, deeper thought, that took me somewhere I couldn’t have predicted? So much of our communication these days is surface level because the medium dictates it, so I’m interested in consciously going deeper with everything I do. After an intense six months leading up to the release of my albumI’m taking time to step back a bit and establish some better boundaries around my use of social media, especially via my phone. The album is partly about my attempts to question the effect of this constant stream of information via the screens that are ever-present in our lives. The irony that, in order to share such an album with the wider world, I have to use the same technology I’m questioning, isn’t lost on me, but I’m just sharing my journey, not telling anyone else what to do.

Which acts are you rating at the moment and who would you like to collaborate with?

I’ve always wanted to write a song with Massive Attack. The debut Silver Stairs Of Ketchikan [Bristol’s Charlie Romijn] album, EDEIDA, is a beautiful piece of work. I’m excited to hear the second Emily Breeze solo album (the first is so good) and I’m eagerly awaiting more from National Treasure [Hannah Phipps, BIMM Bristol principal]. ■ • For updates, visit the website: penfriend.rocks; or follow Laura on Twitter: @penfriendrocks