Carla J. Easton: ‘I Think That I Might Love You’ review

Carla J. Easton is wickedly insightful. Her lyrics slice through the twaddle and lance the heart of the matter, pinning it to the wall with a deft precision that makes her such a remarkable artist. Her latest album maintains this verbal adeptness while exploring crisp guitar-driven arrangements that bristle with a jangling effervescence. There’s a genuine magic in I Think That I Might Love You (Ernest Jenning Record Co.), and it’s a raucous joy to hear.

*Carla J Easton. Credit: Craig McIntosh.*

Carla J. Easton’s fresh approach to recording: guitars

Carla has a pure and honest voice. It is an invigorating splash of brightness that shines through her lush and pulsating keyboard arrangements, which are sprinkled with piano accents. Her remarkable voice and talent have served her well over the past decade. Besides her solo albums and work with TeenCanteen and Poster Paints, Carla has written with Belle & Sebastian, BMX Bandits, Hen Hoose, and National Theatre Scotland. She has performed internationally and toured the UK with artists such as The Vaselines, Teenage Fanclub, and Kim Richey.

On I Think That I Might Love You, guitars and three-minute pop gems rule. A nostalgic, upbeat sound powers the album, but the tunes don’t feel dated. They have a modern, dichroic shimmer that is strikingly fresh and vibrant. Part of this is a result of Carla’s work on Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands. As a result, the album is a lively collaborative effort that includes Simon Liddell, MALKA, Man of the Minch, Brett Nelson, and Darren Hayman.

The spark that became I Think That I Might Love You first flickered to life a few years ago when Carla was in a recording booth at Third Man Records in Nashville with close friend and collaborator Brett Nelson. She recalled, “We started writing about the idea of the red thread. The idea that you have more than one soulmate, platonic as well as romantic, and that if you find any kind of thread connecting you to someone, it’s something worth following.”

Inside Carla J. Easton’s ‘I Think That I Might Love You’

Entertaining Options recently had a chance to ask Carla a few questions about the album, her inspiration, special moments during the recording, her role model, and more. Carla was exceptionally generous with her time, offering wonderfully insightful answers to over a dozen questions.

Listening through this album, I feel safe saying it’s your best ever. There’s something extra in it. A life. An energy. A sense of wonder. Do you also feel like there is something special about I Think That I Might Love You? If so, what is it and why is it?
I thought I’d listen back to the record whilst answering your questions! To me, yes. I think it sounds like creative freedom. Strings, drums, loads of guitars, but underneath all of the musicianship, you can hear a room full of friends and a strong dash of hope, even in the quieter moments.

Did making The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands help inspire this album? Did it inspire you? What makes Scotland’s females worthy of global attention?
All the women in my documentary are incredible — funny, warm, talented, kind, fierce. I couldn’t help but be inspired by their stories, sheer determination, and amazing records. Whether that be the wall-of-sound-girl-group harmonies from The McKinleys, the scratchy post-punk of the Ettes, the glorious synth-pop of Strawberry Switchblade, or the teenage-bedroom angst of Hello Skinny. My love of music and my own musical journey brought all these bands into my life and record collection, and we are now one big sonic sisterhood of musical heritage in Scotland, spanning generations and decades. You can’t beat the feeling of community. It’s empowering.

I am intrigued by the approach to this album. I am a firm believer that creativity needs boundaries or constraints to flourish. If you use 100 tracks, there’s nothing special about most of them. However, if you only use 4, every single note is essential. Additionally, if you can do anything (or program anything) on your instrument, it’s watered down. It’s like an ocean of too many possibilities. However, if you only know three chords on the guitar, they are, again, essential. Special. Did you learn anything about yourself or music that surprised you while writing and recording this album?
I 100% agree with this and often find that limitations provide a wonderful breeding ground for creativity. Three chords — no problem. You can write loads of songs with a handful of chords. I didn’t even have a pedalboard when we recorded this album! Weirdly, I learned not to care, which sounds blasé when I actually care very deeply when I’m making a record or writing songs. I think I mean I learnt not to worry. We had one rehearsal to quickly rattle through about 14 songs. The very next day, we were all in Chem19. I wasn’t worried — we were all in it together, and I was surrounded by friends that I trust deeply and who all care about music deeply.

Could you explain the red thread theory? What made this a crucial part of the album? Is that the goal of an artist/entertainer to find that thread and give it a tug so the audience knows the connection is real?
I’d stumbled upon this theory of the red string of fate and being connected to many people via threads. The idea that if you find the end of a thread on your journey through life, you should pick it up and wind it in, see who is on the other end. It could be a connection that lasts a lifetime, or it could be fleeting, but the experience stays with you forever. It could be in this lifetime, or across lifetimes. Maybe this record is my red thread being sent out into the world to make connections. I like that idea.

What was one of your favorite or most important moments when making this album?
It was pretty great when Stevie Jackson from Belle and Sebastian came into the studio to lay down some harmonica. He nailed it in one take, but we all enjoyed it so much we made him do it again and again like it was our own private gig (sorry, Stevie!). Honestly, the whole week was magical. What a privilege to be in a brilliant studio with some of your best friends, making music together.

Can you explain Hen Hoose? What is it? Why is it important? What makes it special?
Hen Hoose is a music collective in Glasgow, and we aim to advance gender equality and inclusivity in music. We do that through mentoring, workshops, and bursaries, and we have supported over 700 women and non-binary artists in Scotland. I’m really proud to be part of such an incredible organisation! Twelve of the core members went to the Isle of Lewis last year and over 6 days we wrote, recorded, and produced an album from scratch. It was released in January this year and it is called THE TWELVE. Buying the album supports us in the work we do. I guess we’re saying, ‘Support us to support others.’

Why did you need to record in Glasgow? Was that important or just convenient?
I’d previously worked with Howard Bilerman in 2017 at his studio, Hotel2Tango, in Montreal. We always spoke about working together again when the time felt right, and this time he said he wanted to come to Scotland as he had never been! I’d always wanted to record in Chem19 — it’s an iconic studio in the Scottish independent music scene. I guess you could say ‘the stars aligned’ and the opportunity arose.

Where is your favorite place in the world
It’s really hard to pick one place! I actually love Scotland. I love the beaches here. I love that a 40-minute drive away from Glasgow means I’m surrounded by lochs and Munros [mountains in Scotland with a height of at least 3,000 feet]. I love Glasgow. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. There’s a big sign in Glasgow that says ‘People Make Glasgow,’ but I think ‘Glasgow made me.’ It’s a hard city, but it’s soft and warm too. And so are the people who live here.

Do you have a role model or a favorite person to go to for advice? Who helps you keep going and gives you direction when you get exhausted?
No matter how many years I physically spin around the sun, I will always go to my mum for advice and wisdom. Our roles have kind of switched over the last few years; she relies on me more now, but I’ll always need her.

This album is bristling with hope. I feel childhood nostalgia, honesty, joy, fellowship, and more. Is that accurate, or am I just being seduced by the upbeat music? What message do you want people to take away from this album? When should they listen? When they are feeling low? High? Pensive? What mood does this album complement?
My favourite albums that I own in my record collection make me smile, celebrate with me, comfort me when I’m sad, and say things for me when I can’t find the words to say them myself. I think that’s what a good record should be — it should be there for you. The soundtrack to your life. I’d be honoured if anyone felt that way about any of my music. Whether that is a single song or a whole body of work. I think this record, hopefully, conveys a strong sense of hope. What’s life without hope?!

How important are the videos for your music?
I’ve always loved making music videos because I’m of the generation where getting home from school meant switching on MTV and watching music videos for hours on end. Some say it’s a dying art form due to social media. I think that would be sad if we lost music videos to 30-second formats. I love building a whole world.

One of the best memories I have of my band days was how much fun it was playing with other musicians. It was a shared spontaneity. Something intangible that created something real in that moment. There’s no room for whimsy in a lot of modern recordings. We don’t even get guitar solos anymore. It’s refreshing to listen to I Think I Might Love You and feel the thrill of simply being in the moment with these songs. Was it hard to maintain that element in the studio?
You could be working in the best studio with the best equipment and the best musicians in the world and get no results if you don’t look after each other. People come first. You have to enjoy the process. You support each other, you laugh, you encourage each other, you take breaks, and you make sure to have endless snacks and coffee or herbal teas available. Everyone was so excited to work together and to work with Howard. He was more like another band member than a head honcho producer. No egos from anyone. I always say, if this record had never seen the light of day, then it wouldn’t have mattered, because making it — that process — is something that will stay with me forever.

What is something most people don’t know about you that is very important to who you are?
I’m not sure — I think I wear my heart on my sleeve. I have underlying issues with low self-esteem. Perhaps you don’t see that in how I present myself online! Perhaps we don’t see that with most people in music. I think most people are just trying to get by. I’m really close to my family — we speak to each other pretty much every day. There’s quite an age gap between me and my two big brothers, but it’s never mattered. I don’t think I would be who I am today if it weren’t for them. When I was 3 years old, I had a pet tortoise called Fang that I used to push about my neighborhood in a pram instead of a baby doll.

Why should people listen to this album? What kind of reaction would make you happy?
I think if you love music, then it’s good to listen to all genres and open your ears up to all kinds of ideas, make mixtapes for your friends and lovers, fall in love with a new artist and become obsessed with their work. I’m not saying people should specifically do that with me and my work, but I do find that a lot of my favourite songs, albums, or artists are usually recommended to me by others, and I like the idea of a song being on a journey from one person to the next.

How can people follow and support you? You give so much, what do you enjoy receiving from your fans?
I’m on all the usual places and also have a newsletter where I deep dive a bit more. [See links below.] I like when people write me back when I send out a newsletter 🙂

Is ‘I Think That I Might Love You’ Carla J. Easton’s best album?

Calling an album “the best” is tricky. You don’t want to dismiss all that’s come before — especially in Carla’s case because she’s so consistently brilliant. But you always want your favorite artists to level up. And this album truly is that fabled lightning in a bottle. It is uniquely special, alive, and wondrous. Every track on I Think That I Might Love You is bursting with the unrestrained rhapsody of collaborative wizardry.

“Oh Yeah” is a gloriously bombastic opener that sets the vibe for the party. “Let’s Make Plans for the Weekend” is Carla at the apex of her creativity: pristine, layered, intoxicating, clever, and masterfully tight — 3 minutes and 29 seconds of jubilant bliss. “If You Found a Thread” is the poignant encore that ties up the theme of the album. But there’s just something about “Really, Really, Really, Really Sad” that makes it the current play-on-repeat favorite. The crafty legerdemain of encasing heavy-hearted sentiment within such a jubilant shell is genius — you’ve never felt so good about feeling bad! Carla understands the complexities of human emotions and delivers a track that is a potential lifesaver for dark times.

I Think That I Might Love You is Carla’s fifth solo album. It was recorded live in about a week at Glasgow’s Chem 19 after only one day of rehearsal. Montreal’s Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire) produced the album, which features songwriting collaborations with Simon Liddell, Paul Kelly, Pedro Cameron, Darren Hayman, Tamara Schlesinger, and Brett Nelson. The result is an exhilarating collection of songs that crackle with the scintillating spontaneity of undiluted creative dexterity.