Staying ‘Unclouded’: Melody’s Echo Chamber Interviewed

This article was originally published on Clash

Forever loyal to her own universe, Melody Prochet has never felt compelled to distance herself from the artist she was a decade ago. Changes in her have been largely internal, perceptible mostly in the growing vitality of her songwriting.

What makes Melody’s Echo Chamber such an enduring force is that the project’s core ethos has remained firmly in place from the outset, yet the music has never once grown stale. A sharp pen and spotless track record of sonic inquiry ensure that Prochet continues to sound both fresh and unmistakably like herself, a distinction most artists can only dream of.

Back with renewed purpose, she has now unveiled 12 new songs after more than three years away from the studio. Silky and multihued, ‘Unclouded’ affirms the irreplaceable comfort of sounds that are consistent, familiar and fully lived in.

Shortly after the album’s release, Prochet joined CLASH to discuss self-doubt, taking more deliberate control of her creativity and the quiet labour of soundtracking a clear inner sky.

What brought you back into the studio? Was there a specific moment in your life that prompted you to start writing and recording again?

That’s a good question. There were multiple reasons, but the main one was going back on tour in 2023 across the United States. I got such a drive from the audience because they were the sweetest, and it all started to make sense again. Meeting all those people and getting so much energy in return was magical … it reminded me why I make music.

Also, I heard a lot of amazing new music that gave me butterflies and made me want to start making music again. Artists like Crumb, Saya Gray, Water From Your Eyes, SAULT, Tyler the Creator, El Michels Affair and Sven Wunder, my co-producer — all this amazing, visionary, avant-garde production is what inspired me. It’s as simple as that, really.

I saw you in 2023 when you performed in Los Angeles with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Mac DeMarco was in the audience!

Yeah, it’s so stressful because I always know there are all these cool people watching. Anton [Newcombe] is amazing and has always been very kind to me, so it was exciting to see him and The Brian Jonestown Massacre again.

You’ve named several artists who inspire you, but do you wish to work with them or does Melody’s Echo Chamber function best with just you calling the shots?

It depends on the phase I’m in, but I love to crash my world into someone else’s. I made a little song with Crumb a few years back, which was really cool. I find working with others deeply enriching, though it can be challenging since I have a strong vision of what I want to create.

This record was very collaborative, but I wanted my vision to be even stronger than before. I chose to give other people quite a lot of space on my last two records, so I wanted to guide the project more this time.

In terms of sound, how would you distinguish this album from your previous ones?

That’s hard to say … it’s actually quite similar, but in another form. I’m always exploring new territories, plus I love fusion and dream logic — songs dissolving into one another, with musical memories resurfacing in new ways. I recognise my own style on every album, but in a slightly different manner. On this one, I was going for that consistent and classic sound.

Your sound has remained the same since your 2012 debut, but your songwriting never seems to get boring. Do you feel secure in your established identity or do you ever worry that fans might lose interest if you don’t catch them off guard from time to time?

I don’t ever feel secure in my own body or in my own mind. I always question everything in a pretty mad way, and sometimes it’s abyssal. One thing that I am sure of is that I have a very sharp ear, which is a quality that always takes me to a solid place in terms of music and creativity. I know my ear, so that would be my strongest trait, although everything else is self-doubt and overthinking all the time.

Let’s talk about process. The songs on the new album are all written by you, correct?

Mainly by me, yes, but there was still a lot of collaboration. We’d sometimes start with one of my sketchy little demos, and other times with one of Sven’s. People would bring in ideas, and I’d make it my own story or completely shift everything around, but then it could also be the opposite, such that I would bring something in and it would turn into an entirely different song because the others would end up taking it in another direction. I love how the material you bring in can transform entirely — it’s an incredible experience.

Photo Credit: Diane Sagnier

Your arrangements and texturing play a key role in giving the album an immersive feel, especially on tracks like ‘Eyes Closed’. How much of that comes from you versus the musicians you bring in?

I see myself more as a sculptor. We had some pretty well-written demos before bringing in the other musicians, who we chose for their sound and soulfulness. Actually, we went to their spaces to record. We were at [drummer] Malcolm Catto’s cavern and using analog gear, so it was quite special. I’m great at capturing people’s hidden treasures, which I then combine with my own ideas.

My passion is editing, so there are all these magical little moments that I’ll loop and arrange into a kind of hip-hop collage. That’s my little vision, but then Sven worked really hard on the string arrangements. I guided the distortion, the bends and all those small ideas, but he shaped the landscape. It’s hard to give a clear answer about who did what because the planets just sort of aligned, and everyone contributed in their own way.

The drums on this album are phenomenal, to the point where they stand out just as much as the guitars, strings and vocals. Did you have a clear idea of how the drums should sound beforehand and seek out a musician accordingly or do you rely on a trusted drummer and guide them through your vision?

Oh, we already had a very solid idea. We had an amazing, refreshing process this time that was actually Sven’s idea. He has a program that lets you rip drum grooves from your favourite songs. For ‘Burning Man’, I remember wanting a Can-style beat — Jaki Liebezeit is one of my favourite drummers. We basically lifted the drums from one of his songs and wrote our own over that, then later replaced his part with an entirely new drum line.

I’m obsessed with drums and so is Sven, so we had a lot of ideas about how they should sound in my music.

How do lyrics factor into your songwriting compared to sound and arrangement?

Lyrics are intriguing and mysterious to me. I write haikus, those little Japanese poems. I’m more metaphorical than lyrical, and I use my voice like an instrument when making music. I spent hours trying to rap after listening to Little Simz, and then realised how many words you need to make those kinds of songs.

Would you be able to rap better in French?

I don’t think so, but I’ll find my way eventually. That with distorted guitars would be fun.

The title track of the new album has no lyrics, yet it is deeply poignant. What can you tell us about the word ‘Unclouded’ — why that name, and is there a core theme that ties all 12 songs together?

I settled on the title very close to the deadline, just one day before we had to master the songs. I wanted one word that summed up the record, so it wasn’t easy. I actually got it from a [Hayao] Miyazaki quote, but it’s really about how I’m constantly trying to uncloud my mind every day — finding clarity, clearing up clouds of disinformation and being free of judgment; protecting my sense of discernment and nonbinary thinking. It’s difficult to stay unclouded in modern times, and it takes a lot of hard work.

It takes little acts of resistance to be a decent human amid all this chaos. I feel a lot of anger at what’s happening in the world, so my philosophy is to take full responsibility for my inner sky. To me, the song ‘Unclouded’ feels like being in an aligned and peaceful state.

Why did you position the song second-to-last on the tracklist?

That was actually supposed to be the end of the record, but then my track with Leon Michels (of El Michels Affair) ended up being the last. I loved the idea of putting ‘Daisy’ at the end, because it’s like a doorway to other adventures and maybe another chapter. I think Leon and I are going to work together more, so it made sense to have our song close the album while opening a new story.

Your music is and has always been quite evocative, yet you’ve only released one music video for this album. How come you didn’t lean further into visual art this time?

The main issue was that I didn’t have a decent budget for this record. Labels ask you to do more with less, and I just couldn’t be bothered to do that for music videos, although I do understand. My photographer Diane Sagnier had snippets from a photoshoot we did, so I suggested we do something with that for ‘The House That Doesn’t Exist’ video.

What about the album cover — is that something you put a lot of thought into or was it more of an impulse?

This kind of goes back to the previous question, because it’s always been challenging for me to incarnate my music in terms of physical identity. I’m very much an introverted shoegazer and I’ve never wanted to sexualise my looks, so I’ve always preferred artwork where I’m not fully present, but still there. I worked with a really cool graphic designer, and we just kind of put together all these ideas I had — me standing with an instrument, nature ornaments, green tones.

When you scroll down an artist’s page on streaming platforms, the algorithm suggests other musicians based on the one at hand. What names would you be flattered to see on your page or whose page would you like your name showing up on?

It’s always the same names because they are my muses: My Bloody Valentine, Broadcast, Stereolab, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Nico.  

I love having such different people listening to my music, like when hip-hop acts reach out and I’m like, “Seriously?” These are just to say that they love my music, not to collaborate … not yet.

Would you mind sharing who these artists are?

Oh, I didn’t bring that up to brag, but there was Tyler the Creator. More recently, Jay Versace wrote to me. Flying Lotus also, which was pretty cool.

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