Melbourne-by-way-of-Adelaide musician Stacey Wilson has created a strong body of work in recent years with her involvement in Terrible Truths and her solo project Rites Wild. Regional Curse charts her foray into uneasy electronics, a foggy narcoleptic sound that utilises synths and drum machines to create a similar warmth that comes after a third large glass of cab sav.The video for “Conversion Therapy”, a track taken from her self-titled fourth album, was created by Chris Pugmire (New War, Shoplifting) using original and fair use footage. It adds an uneasy spookiness to Wilson's already eerie music with mysterious preachers, psychiatrics’ couches and strobe lighting.We had a quick chat to Stacey before she launches the new album in Melbourne and Adelaide.Noisey: The video adds an ominous tone to the already dark track. Did you brief Chris with what you wanted?
Stacey Wilson: No brief, I just sent him the whole album and said pick a track. I guess that song resonated with him, or maybe allowed him to visually interpret the music best. We did talk about the overarching themes of the album at one point. Psych ward livin'. Professional help. The devastating impact of homophobia in ones formative years. I made this album at an extremely low point. The grimness is inherent.Old doctors in white coats are kind of scary. The track is called "Conversion Therapy". Was the use of strobe like lights meant to add to a feeling of old psychiatric treatment or therapy?
It could be interpreted that way, but I'm not sure. Lots of the footage Chris already had up his sleeve and used was in that hyper-strobe vein… from what I can tell he keeps a HD scrapbook of sorts, shooting interesting visuals here and there. Lots of interplay between light and movement.The record is coming out on Adelaide label Format. How important has the Format collective/space been in your musical development?
When I lived in Adelaide it was a big part of my otherwise reclusive life. I played/saw shows there, recorded my Terrible Truths’ first 7 inches, exhibited my embarrassing "artwork". Adelaide's pretty bland on the surface level. But there are plenty of awesome people doing creative, exciting work… spaces like Format bring them together. In its many guises, Format is a performance space/recording studio/zine store/annual arts festival/publishing house/gallery/speakeasy, and now, record label.Catch Regional Curse album launches:
March 27 – Melbourne at Liberty Social with Repairs and Miles Brown
April 2 – Adelaide at Metro Hotel with Vintage Violence and Second Sight
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Stacey Wilson: No brief, I just sent him the whole album and said pick a track. I guess that song resonated with him, or maybe allowed him to visually interpret the music best. We did talk about the overarching themes of the album at one point. Psych ward livin'. Professional help. The devastating impact of homophobia in ones formative years. I made this album at an extremely low point. The grimness is inherent.Old doctors in white coats are kind of scary. The track is called "Conversion Therapy". Was the use of strobe like lights meant to add to a feeling of old psychiatric treatment or therapy?
It could be interpreted that way, but I'm not sure. Lots of the footage Chris already had up his sleeve and used was in that hyper-strobe vein… from what I can tell he keeps a HD scrapbook of sorts, shooting interesting visuals here and there. Lots of interplay between light and movement.The record is coming out on Adelaide label Format. How important has the Format collective/space been in your musical development?
When I lived in Adelaide it was a big part of my otherwise reclusive life. I played/saw shows there, recorded my Terrible Truths’ first 7 inches, exhibited my embarrassing "artwork". Adelaide's pretty bland on the surface level. But there are plenty of awesome people doing creative, exciting work… spaces like Format bring them together. In its many guises, Format is a performance space/recording studio/zine store/annual arts festival/publishing house/gallery/speakeasy, and now, record label.Catch Regional Curse album launches:
March 27 – Melbourne at Liberty Social with Repairs and Miles Brown
April 2 – Adelaide at Metro Hotel with Vintage Violence and Second Sight