‘’As I was growing up it seemed to me that writing music was just something a person does. It was modelled to me by the people around me. I saw there were many ways to make things. I copied older family members and made clay sculptures and paintings and whatever else I could find. I drew for hours. I was always very bored, generally ignored and often just left to entertain myself. But I was very lucky in the way that there was always paints, paper, lots of pens and glue and whatever I wanted just lying around. I was lonely so I worked out how to play guitar and became obsessed. Song writing was the most fun out of everything and the most satisfying. It was also a way to be noticed when the rest of the time I faded into the background. When I played everyone seemed impressed and they encouraged me to keep doing it.
Plum Greens Music is not just a sonic creation, but an aura , an ethereal visually enticing landscape that is enchanting and haunting, an intangible perception created with such warmth, that feels simple yet is a complex creation of rich harmonies and emotion, a dreamlike state where the guitar and voice are the narrator of this world. A combination of dreams and reality
Plum:‘’My family has a dark history with a lot of war and death which I think about often still. I think when you're growing up in a lonely way it draws you into your own imagination, so I have always been inspired by my dreams, by my foreign (to Aotearoa) ancestry and the strange way that people behave and respond to pain. Dreams have always saved me, made sense of everything, held me together and healed everything through the nighttime.
You have a new album on the way? Its title and was there any pressure to follow up on the superb Somnambulistic?
‘’I've decided to call the new album “Haunted”. The songs are based on a series of buildings I have visited in Regional Australia, the ghosts that haunt them and their stories and experiences of realising they are haunting a place. These stories form one story that connects each ghost. The stories of the ghosts are presented as metaphors for lived experiences of my own and those I've witnessed. I don't feel any pressure at all. Despite my reasons for starting to write as a child, I would never rest on waiting for some kind of praise or reinforcement. It's because I need some kind of expression, connection and rush of fitting puzzle pieces together. I always focus on what feels right, is the most fulfilling and makes sense.
Does it mark a change in style or perspective? Will it still possess more dark dreams?
'Haunted' will be a progression from the last album - “Somnambulistic' - which is an album about dreams, based around acoustic guitar and atmospherics without drums. 'Haunted' will be based around electric guitars, drums, and percussion - while still incorporating all the ethereal qualities of the last album. We're opening for our friend's band 'Suldusk' April 11th and I'm really excited to share 2 -3 songs from 'Haunted', which we've never played live before. The venue has recently changed so I thought I should mention it here, we're now playing at the Persa band room at the Perseverance Hotel in Melbourne. We rarely play in Melbourne, and it looks like this time we will have a drummer playing with us this time.
Your music continues to evolve, and grow is each new release the favourite?
‘’Definitely, especially with Daniel Cross producing (Caldronrecords), recording, and mixing. He's very detail focused and has a deep understanding of my songwriting. It makes a huge difference to how the finished product sounds. I also have a lot of shame and embarrassment that comes along with creating things and presenting them publicly, which I think is really common for people who do the same thing regardless of what the medium is. As a human you're always growing and changing and the process of finalising anything for public release always takes so long that sometimes even by the time it's ready you've already moved on. It's not the same with Somnambulistic. Although I know I have progressed as a person I still feel very much connected to that album. It was the first time I listened back to something I recorded and didn't immediately want to be swallowed into a hole and that was largely due to Daniel's influence. The lack of shame I feel for Somnambulistic was a balm to the depression I went through in order to write it. The whole experience was incredibly healing, and I'll never thank him enough for it.
When will it be released?
‘’We are aiming for the very latest mid-year 2027. I would love to tour, and I hope that we're able to.
There are two types of Plum Green? The solo acoustic and the full band? 2 different experience and set lists?
‘’ I used to perform solo when I was much younger quite a lot, but I don't think I would do that now. It would have to be a very special occasion for me to have the energy to humiliate myself like that these days (I'm joking but I'm not joking). Although I do like to occasionally post short videos of myself singing and playing on Instagram because they capture a very real essence that doesn't frighten me. I was always told by many people that my solo performances work well because my songs are so vulnerable and me by myself matches them. My friends ask me to play a song or two sometimes in late night drunken bedrooms and lounges and that's as far as I'll go at the moment.
Your favourite place to place and explore? Europe is a favourite.
‘’I love all of Europe that I've seen so far, especially little villages where there is no English and you have to immerse yourself in the local language. I especially fell in love with Eastern Europe. It feels like home there. There's such a huge tug on my heart that draws me back there.
Is it the culture and history that is so alluring and inspiring? Or is it the people and the places?
‘’It could be partially due to my Eastern European grandparents. Or it could be the beauty and ancient history of the architecture, I'm not quite sure. The people all across Europe that I've encountered are certainly the most kind, generous, passionate and egoless people. One of my friends explained to me, “the people of Spain are very fighty about our freedom, you'll see.” This passion and energy can be overwhelming for a small-town kiwi. But I find it captivating and inspiring. I wish I could be brave like that. I've found especially touring and playing with artists in Europe so encouraging as they're all so supportive and there seems to be less competition between bands and musicians, despite there being so many more people. There is a culture of respect for artists I'd never seen before.
Does travel inspire your art? Different atmospheres for different moods?
‘’Dreams are a kind of travel and that's what inspires me the most. I'm also really inspired by generosity and people solidly being there for each other. The feeling of being lost has been terrifying for me in my life at times and sometimes I haven't known if was going to make it through. Turning a corner into the unknown and having someone familiar there waiting for you, who knows you and is willing to sacrifice things to make sure you're safe is like the feeling of falling and then being caught by your bed in the morning. Waking up and realising that you're not dead and that there is a possibility that life can get better. This concept is very much what I want to be for those in my life. This comes through in my songwriting in a huge way. I hope that makes sense.
Top 6 albums of all time?
‘’I can't commit to 6 whole albums (this is the problem with my generation I'm told), but I will give you 'Epitaphs' by Obscure Sphinx. I'm also a huge Stevie Wonder fan. I told that to a friend and he stopped speaking to me. But Stevie Wonder is a musical genius and that's a hill I'll die on.
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