What is the origin of this song?
I wrote Picnic at the Seaside when I was on a holiday on the Island Korsika last year. I had this romantic idea that I would go hiking and sleep in the wild all by myself but then it all turned out to be a bit of a disaster. The Island was filled with tourists and I wasn’t properly equipped for a serious hike. All of the other people there were either couples or groups of seniors. Somehow I just ended up chilling at the beach all week long, being grumpy and thinking that everyone else is boring. That’s when I wrote these lines.
How was the recording session?
I went to the studio and played the bass while I sang the lines. Pola Roy who produced my album joined in on the drums and we kept one of the first takes. Later on Magnus, a friend of mine, came by to record some guitars and it was kind of finished. All of the songs on my new album Campsite happened in a similar way.
What were the references, influences or musical inspiration?
Hmmm… on this one probably Cate Le Bon and Wet Leg.
“I had this romantic idea that I would go hiking and sleep in the wild all by myself but then it all turned out to be a bit of a disaster.”
What did you most enjoyed of the writing, production and recording process?
I really enjoyed writing the lyrics, especially because I was in this funny state of being miserable and grumpy but at the same time I saw myself from the outside at that beach and had to laugh at the situation. The irony of wanting something too much, so that it must go wrong. This “me-time” thing… obviously it’s really good to have lots of it but at the same time it can also suck. I dislike this expression because of the way it is usually used, that’s why I like to sing it. It’s fun to copy this narrative and use it however I want to.
What was the biggest obstacle and how was it overcome?
Chilling at that beach without feeling annoyed.
If you could have invited anyone else to collaborate, who would it have been and why?
I think for every song I write I can always imagine Jemaine of Flight of the Conchords doing a sexy little talky part, maybe in french.
What is the biggest challenge to present this song live and how has it been solved?
It was great so far! Maybe I need to get more guitar pedals to make it sound bigger, I start to enjoy that a lot.
Change is inevitable. Anna Erhard from Berlin writes songs about states of movement: They are about leaving, about escape and transformation. She often draws on texts and motifs from her diary-like recordings and then grinds them into pieces.