It’s no secret that we’ve dug the hell out of what’s come from Wyn & The White Light thus far so it’s probably not a surprise that debut album Luck was pretty high up on our most anticipated list already. Well, it’s almost here for the rest of y’all but we’ve already heard it, reviewed it, and shared what we thought in a recent post that you can read here. To coincide with the release we were, ahem, lucky enough to have the opportunity to chat with the “Wyn” part of Wyn & The White light with Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Wyn Doran agreeing to open up more on the genesis of the band that also features Heidi Tierney on drums and Lucia Jean on bass, sharing some very personal experiences in song, bucket list places and venues to play, and so much more which you can discover when you keep reading:
RNRF: To start off, how did the band begin? Did you have specific instrumentation in mind when forming the group? And how collaborative has the trio as a whole been when crafting the songs that make up Luck?
Wyn Doran: “The band began the most beautiful, unintentional way. In 2019 I began my journey as a solo artist, and over 2020-2022 I dreamed of having a band to support my songs but felt unsure of who I was as an artist and what that would look like. In early 2022, I had an idea to put together an all femme group to create a live performance video of the first song I released back in 2019 called ‘Places Unknown.’ I released it for International Women’s Day and thought it would be awesome to put together an all femme band for its anniversary. I put a call out for femme musicians, and Lucia (Jean, bass) and Heidi (Tierney, drums) were the two to respond! When we got in the room that day, with no prior rehearsals, we played the song once and knew we had something special. The band slowly took shape from there- which is no easy feat as we all live in different states (NH, MA, CT), but our chemistry is worth it! Our sound has emerged from the three of us versus my own instrumentation preferences, and I’ve been so psyched with what we continually create together.
Fast forward to September 2022, I had been writing upwards of 50+ songs between 2020-2022 with a feeling that it was leading to a full length album. One day the vision finally unveiled itself as Luck – I was on a long drive and I saw ten of the songs from the 50+ unfold before me and I queued up the demos in the order that felt right. The order never changed! I showed the album demo to Heidi and Lucia to get a feeling for if they would be a part of the album recording journey with me, and their excitement, inspiration, and ideas for instrumentation made it pretty clear that they were the band to support the record. Our journey as a band really began with getting that record studio ready in early 2023.”
The singles released so far ahead of Luck have each told some deeply personal stories. Is what’s been released already a fair representation of what’s to come on the full-length thematically and did you find yourself holding back at all regarding what you wanted to say with this album?
“It’s true that most of the songs on the album stem from very specific wounds that I’ve been working on healing. We released some of the heaviest stories upfront- I wanted to make sure many of the songs with intense subject matter had a spotlight. I think it was part of my healing journey to put them out independently and not have them hidden on the album. When the album hits I hope for it to give a grander, more zoomed out picture of how some of our heaviest traumas flow through different emotional palettes.”
That said, how did you find the strength to share what you’ve shared so far through your music?
“Writing this album directly correlated with my own healing journey, which I’m still on, but was particularly intense in 2021, when I went to therapy for medical trauma PTSD, sexual assault, and more- all of these traumas happened over 20+ years but I never got myself proper help and lived mostly in survival mode. 2021 became the time I went full speed ahead into addressing a lifetime of suppressed issues and that lent itself to processing them through songwriting.
The album was finished last summer and I firmly believe I had to grow into a stronger version of myself to release it from a place of healing rather than pain. What I’ve found from my artist journey is that every isolating experience in my life is something that someone, somewhere can relate to. When I realized that this heavy subject matter was relatable to others, and could potentially help them reclaim power, it put a fire under me to keep using my voice. In essence, Lucia and Heidi showed me that they were part of a greater audience that this work is for, and I’m so grateful for them believing in my story and raising it the way they have.”
The band has been out and about quite a bit over the last few months, is there somewhere in the area (And also beyond MA/New England) that you’d love to play?
“Our Boston bucket list includes Paradise Rock Club and Brighton Music Hall! I have trouble explaining it, but there’s something about this album’s energy that has felt wintery or Northern European, so my dream tour scenario would be to go international to places like Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Iceland, or Norway.”
Speaking of getting out and playing, has it been difficult to bring some of the songs to life due to the subject matter and do you have a preference of playing on stage or in the studio right now?
“Yes it most definitely has! I can tell that I’ve personally avoided translating “Statue” to the stage due to its subject matter – plus the band really cultivated an amazing soundscape in-studio and nailed my artistic intention of an “anesthesia dream.” I feel really precious about how it turned out on the record which is exactly how I want it to be received, so we’ll see if I change my mind to get it to a live setting down the line. I also feel hesitant performing “Can the World Change”- which I recorded in-studio live in one take, and before that I had only sung it through in the demo when I wrote it. We tried to play it as a band to prepare for the studio and I broke down sobbing and we never approached it again until my producer hit record…
On a less subject-heavy note, I wrote four of the songs using my voice as an instrument through guitar amps: “Statue”, “Can the World Change”, and yet-to-be-released tracks called “Mother” and “Disoriented”. We haven’t figured out how to translate those textures to the stage yet- I have a dream of an audience learning those parts and singing them at our shows someday!”
Sometimes when it comes to debut records you find that artists pour everything into that initial outing so much so that it definitely takes a little more time in between recording. With Luck not even out yet, do you already have plans on what’s to come/material left over?
“I poured myself into this album since I started writing feverishly in May 2020, and I feel in a way like right now is only the beginning of what Luck has to offer before we move onto the next song or album. I was in a deep songwriting season from March 2020-July 2022, and it was these 10 songs that rose to the top and subsequently became my primary focus the past 1.5 years. I have a ton of songs that didn’t fit this particular album that I may circle back to, and maybe we’ll get some of them in-studio for singles on the horizon. I’m excited to get my songwriting creative juices flowing again, especially with the band in mind as everything written so far was before Heidi and Lucia were involved. -But for right now I’m dedicated to giving Luck a great amount of energy for the rest of 2024 so it can find who it is meant to!”
And finally, and on the “what’s next” kick, what else does Wyn & The White Light have lined up in terms of recording and touring and why should fans pick up Luck when it arrives?
“We have a full length visual component/film that goes along with Luck – we are deep into planning an event around that – along with workshops that blend live song with self reflection and healing in community. I want this album to live and breathe and help people. We also have really awesome merch to support the album that will have some unique events, including vinyl and a set of oracle cards illustrated by our bassist Lucia to lyrics on the album. For now, you can catch us in Lowell at Mill No 5 on April 13, and stay tuned for more announcements on special album related events.
As for why to pick up this album – pick up Luck if you want a safe space to explore some of your deeper wounds. This album taught me that when we bring out our scariest parts and examine them, we can begin to release their stranglehold. Our wounds need a stage to express themselves so we can transmute their energy into light. That’s what this album has done for me and it’s what I hope for it to do for its listeners. It’s very much intended to be listened to as a 34 minute journey- which is what has me extra excited to have it on vinyl- which, shameless plug, the pre-order is now up for that on our Bandcamp!”
And on that note, Luck descends on March 19th. Pre-orders are up now and you can head to that aforementioned Bandcamp page here or to the stream below to be one of the first to secure your copy! For more from Wyn & The White Light, follow the trail of socials across the information superhighway by clicking here and here.