Mallory Chipman Shares On Her Recent EP, Songs To A Wild God
Mallory Chipman seems connected to things most of us aren’t. It’s reflected in her music, a sonic smorgasbord that captures the awesomeness of nature, and how we relate to it. After creating an internationally acclaimed EP inspired by birdsong, 2023’s As Though I Had Wings, Mallory is returning with Songs To A Wild God, 10 new songs offering a tour of what she describes as, “my reverence for the wild mystery that keeps my feet on solid ground in a world that is spinning by me at rates I can hardly fathom sometimes.”
Powered by her multi-octave voice, the sound of Songs To A Wild God ranges from cinematic folk-rock to intimate spoken word observations. Aiding Mallory in her role as producer is her long-time engineer at Edmonton’s Riverdale Records, Scott Franchuk, along with multi-instrumentalists Brett Hansen and Nico Humby, drummer Jon Guenter, bassist Connor Walsh, saxophonist Mark DeJong, vocalist Esther Forseth. While Mallory has often leaned on her formal musical education on previous releases, she says that this time she wanted to rely solely on her gut and intuition. The results speak for themselves, as Songs to A Wild God hearkens back to when artists such as Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and Sarah McLachlan built their reputations through a musical connection to nature.
“I used to try to fit myself into a box,” Mallory says. “I would constantly ask myself, what would be most marketable? Will the audience be confused or rejected if I hop from genre to genre? Will people roll their eyes if I sing over and over about what I believe in? In the making of this album, I learned that I am a product of my influences—and that’s not something to escape, but rather embrace. I have felt myself become liberated from industry expectations and free to journey wherever the art takes me. That’s why I believe this album to be my best work yet.”
Those words are backed up by several songs like “I Am Slumber,” which begin simply with familiar acoustic chord progressions before exploding out of the speakers with euphoric blasts of intertwined vocals and electric guitars. It’s the kind of sound that can’t be planned but only carried out by musicians with undeniable chemistry. That notion is confirmed with the epic “Big Sky Country,” recorded live off the floor with a chorus of 14 voices. Mallory also notes“Old Man River”—a duet with fellow Edmonton singer and actress Kaeley Jade—as a personal favourite, written to highlight the threat of long-term droughts in southern Alberta
“I really tried to capture a duality of electronic and acoustic elements on the album as a whole,” Mallory says. “Some of my favourite tracks are probably the ones that embody this balance between synthesizer and acoustic piano, electric and acoustic guitars the most.‘Same Hands’ is one example, with the lyrics presenting another dichotomy about how the very same hands we use to express love are also used to inflict pain on those around us.”
It also needs to be mentioned that at the core of Songs To A Wild God is the work of Tom Hirons, whose poem “Sometimes A Wild God” has become a touchstone for many other artists seeking to reconnect with the natural world. If such a piece of writing could have a soundtrack, Mallory Chipman’s new album would easily be the perfect complement.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi Canadian Beats! Mallory Chipman here — I’m an Edmonton-based artist, songwriter, and producer; an avid reader; a horror movie fan; and I ride or die for the Oilers. I love collaborating with other artists and cooking with the veggies from my garden, and currently, I’m humming along to Buena Vista Social Club playing from my stereo. Oh, and I recently released my fifth studio album, a folk-rock record entitled Songs to a Wild God.
Songs To A Wild God has a deep connection to nature and spirituality. How did the natural world inspire the writing process for this album?
Songs to a Wild God draws inspiration from the duality of pain and beauty embodied in the natural world. There is birth alongside decomposition — a carcass and a rosehip, fungi, newly laid eggs, death, and life. It is no surprise that I was reflecting a lot on these themes during the lockdown era of the pandemic, and also spending a lot of time outside near the creek by my house. The fresh air and confirmation of our interwovenness was something I sought every morning when I’d go to walk my dogs, and I think it was solely responsible for maintaining my mental health during that time and for the creation of the record.
The themes of wildness and mystery are central to the album. How do these concepts resonate with your personal life, and how do they reflect your growth as an artist?
These are the things that intrigue me most — the not knowing and the unknown. I find great comfort in these spaces, perhaps because they feel so open. As an artist, I crave that place of boundless latitude — and wildness, mystery, the afterlife, words like love and loss — there is so much unknown here. So much space to ponder and wonder and wander. Much of my songwriting comes from this place, of wondering and wandering through these conceptual spaces.
Your new songs have a wide range of sounds, from folk-rock to spoken word. How did you manage to blend these genres while staying true to your vision?
My vision is rarely defined by genre, rather than by a concept or soundscape. On this album, I was playing a lot with the ways electronic and acoustic elements interact — synthesizers with banjos; electric guitars with acoustic pianos; wurlitzers with saxophones. I was driven to embody with collision in an effort to embody the duality I spoke to earlier, and while the influences may vary from song to song, this approach remains consistent and helped me stay aligned with my creative vision for the project.
Collaboration seems to play a significant role in your work. What was it like working with Scott Franchuk and your talented ensemble of musicians on this album?
It always does! Even though this album is self-produced, it was essential for me to still approach it collaboratively. I have so much respect and admiration for my peers, so working with them is always my greatest pleasure. They uplift the work through their engineering, playing, listening, and writing too — which brings me to mention Kaeley Jade, who co-wrote and recorded “Old Man River” with me, and Emily Nancy Guthrie, who co-wrote “Wild Creek” with me. It is such a gift to work with folks who have different influences, experiences, and expertise. You know what they always say — always surround yourself with people better than you. And with people you like, most of all — my grandpa always reminded me of that one.
Looking back at your musical journey so far, what have been the most pivotal moments that have shaped who you are as an artist today?
It’s hard to pinpoint, but a big one would be the day that my third-grade music teacher recommended that I join the school choir. I had recently attended a school in a small town that had no music teacher let alone a choir program. I had moved cities and schools unexpectedly due to a death in the family and was having an emotionally hard year. I was slow to adjust to the new environment but found peace and refuge in my music classroom. And Ms. Oskin noticed that. I have her to thank for so, so much. I’m not sure i would’ve pursued music in the way I didn’t without her. Public school teachers change lives every day, and she certainly changed mine.