Photo Diary: Australian artist Phoebe Go shares what goes into the making of a debut record

“The process was about honesty and fun and healing, in and out of the studio.”

For those outside of the music industry, the process of creating and releasing an album is a little mystifying. Outside of the standard process of writing, selecting songs, recording, mixing and mastering, bringing a record to life involves a lot of uncontrollable variables.

Even with 10 years of music industry experience under her belt (she got her start in former bands Snakadaktal and Two People), Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Phoebe Go still finds herself feeling surprised – particularly during the process of putting together her debut solo record, Marmalade. “I think this album is about losing comfort and finding it again. Or at least go looking. It revealed itself as it went,” she says.

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“I wasn’t gunning for control over the songs or the outcome and I wasn’t aiming to perfect it. Life threw some stuff my way. It’s a moment in time. The process was about honesty and fun and healing, in and out of the studio. I wanted the songs to be vulnerable and brave at the same time. It’s all pretty raw.” Below, Phoebe gives us an exclusive visual peek into the making of Marmalade.

This is [my friend and producer] Simon. This is where we made the record… inside the old meat market in North Melbourne.

Tim Tams! This must have been a good day. Snacks are vital in the studio. So many snacks and so much tea. It’s important.

This is just outside the vocal booth on my right; one of my favourite places in the whole world. Simon’s recording from the desk. Every now and then I poke my head out and we chat. What’s working, what’s not working, whether we’re ready for lunch yet, whether we should push through, if a bus just drove past a ruined a take, if the birds were going nuts – that sort of thing.

I have no idea what I was recording here. Maybe a guide vocal or just something weird that could only be achieved on the floor. I’ve always been a floor person. When in doubt, get on the floor.

Welcome to the studio couch. I spent heaps of time here. Writing and thinking and listening. There were a couple of days that I just came in and lay down and slept.

The weird chrome lamp next to the couch. I’m laughing because if you hit it at the right angle it makes your face look crazy. Anyway, cabin fever is not a myth!

This gum lives in the courtyard outside the studio. Not really sure why I was climbing it. Taking a break maybe.

Chris ripping on a few songs one day in peak summer. He played on ‘Leave’ and ‘7 Up’ and I smiled the whole time.

In the box, maybe recording ‘Rainbow Hotel’. I always felt nervous recording guitar. I guess I never got very good at playing. But I actually think the imperfections sound sweet. They’re across the record and they make the songs feel sorta friendly.

I think this was the day we did final vocals on ‘Something You Were Trying’. I always prefer to write lyrics on paper. I have a million phone notes that I’m constantly jotting down but they get so lost. And if I ever need to take lyrics into the vocal booth with me, I find that holding a phone just sucks. You might be halfway through a line and an email comes through about your tax return or something. Paper just works.

Simon shredding on a tiny guitar. I actually don’t think this made it onto the record but I like that I got the photo. There are so many moments where you’re just following a hunch and trying ideas in the hope that they stick. But you just never know. It’s a weird journey. It’s part of the job and it’s part of the fun.

[At the] pub around the corner. We’d go and knock off here some Friday afternoons. Sometimes we’d pull apart the songs and the record and sometimes we’d just talk shit about life. It all counts.

You can listen to Marmalade here.