Originally appeared on Grimy Goods. 

Sean Draper is a clever experimenter. The first thing you notice about her, especially if her forthcoming record is your introduction to the project, is the wordplay in her album title and moniker. Then you will be hit by the technicolor waves of fuzz and noise. Bothy is Pander Sera’s debut LP due out next week.

In honor of the album’s release, Grimy Goods exchanged some words with Draper about her influences, coping through music, and of course, her unending wit. Read the interview below and catch her perform at Junior High on March 16.

Read an excerpt from the interview below and find more here.

Pander Sera | 3/16 @ Junior High | website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud | Bandcamp

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The word “bothy” seems to have multiple connotations. It is defined as a temporary shelter, but also seems to allude to a simultaneous duality—“both-y.” Is the ambiguity intentional?

I’m glad you picked up on that!  I definitely intended for folks unfamiliar with the word to lean toward multiple possible readings.  It’s a strange word to many yet it refers to something so simple and universal. To be totally honest, I learned what a bothy was from Under the Skin (gorgeous 2013 movie), and the role it served in that story’s climax made me personally feel the concept as a grander metaphor that I thought could be a perfect title for this album.

More than an exploration of identity, Bothy also helped you to grieve and to cope with your own destructive thoughts. Can you speak about the healing powers of making music?

Allowing oneself to express and create is such a powerful healing aid but we often take it for granted or we give into self-conscious doubts.  With these songs I wanted to let it flow out through attitudes and energies that felt as honest as possible. If I were to get hung up focusing on trying to sound too cool or hip or smart or whatever with the music and messaging, I knew I’d run the risk of doing everybody a disservice.  I wanted to convey emotions more than anything too intellectual. I think it’s important to be able to convey serious topics with a sense of levity. Occasionally I was worried I was veering into precariously corny territory but I knew it could remain valid if it remained honest. With the Bothy material, as is pretty apparent, I lean heavily on a sort of lower-frequency octave support to both literally and figuratively resonate with the listener, to really get their sternum rattling.  Through these sorts of visceral bodily vibrations it can be a lot easier for us to relax and heal ourselves often without even consciously realizing it. There’s also something to be said about the catharsis of performing/hearing music that feels assertively empowering.  Drums are wonderful for sinking into and playing through our most volatile emotions.