Talking Violet’s music transports listeners to a nostalgic grunge dreamland. After a brief pause in releasing music, their new single “In Your Mind” marks a powerful come back. With lyrics that incite self-reflection, this single surrounds an important message with a sentimental atmosphere. Beyond the music, the members of Talking Violet are dedicated to supporting others. Handing out To Write Love On Her Arms pamphlets that include mental health resources to fans at shows is just one example of this dedication. To learn more about Talking Violet and their new music, read on.

Where are you based?
Windsor, ON Canada.

What inspired you to start making music?
I always loved music growing up and was surrounded by it. I also really liked writing poetry and writing creatively in general. Eventually it just became a natural progression to join the two worlds.

How did you all meet? What inspired you to come together and form a band?
Jay and I were dating for about a year at the time and both did music separately. Basically we got asked to create a song for a documentary, then we needed a band name to register it under. When we did that we realized we wanted to pursue it further and started playing shows a few months later.

Your band has a very nostalgic and whimsical feel to it. Are there any artists that influence your sound as a band?
Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Smashing Pumpkins, Hatchie, Winter, Softcult to name a few!

Congratulations on your new single “In Your Mind”! What is the story behind this song? What do you hope listeners take away from it?
This track is about between wanting to help someone you love be happy - and the inability to do so yourself. My hope would be that we can connect and understand that sometimes our biggest feelings of anxiety are about things out of our control completely, so eventually its best to compartmentalize that worry when we are able to.

Your song “Slowdance” sounds very enchanting and slightly reminiscent of a grunge version of The Sundays. What was the inspiration behind this song?
Love that comparison, that’s awesome!! Slowdance was inspired by a time that I was reflecting on how much of myself I try to give to other people. It’s weird actually now that I think of it. It’s almost like a precursor to the themes of “In Your Mind”. But “Slowdance” doesn’t see limits to that effort yet.

Your band has been making music for over five years now, how has your sound evolved over the years? How has your writing process evolved over the years?
Our music has dramatically changed stylistically over the years considering we started at an indie folk duo. lolll. Once we started playing shoegaze though, we’ve stayed within that environment while trying to refine further and further. It’s been really fun bringing in different genres into the music too. I feel like genres are so personally subjective today to be honest. I just try to write what is most pressing on me at the time and try to work through those feelings. I feel like our sound itself has also evolved in the sense that when we started the band we were experimenting with a lot of different effects and recording techniques trying to find out what we did and didn't like. Now that we have each discovered our individual tastes, we’ve worked together long enough to know how to put everything together and come up with a cohesive final product.

Jill, you work at an emergency shelter for women and families experiencing homelessness. Can you tell us a bit about the shelter and what you do? What inspired you to get into this work?
Over the past ten years + all of my biggest idols have been feminist punks. So I’ve always wanted to do music while also being involved in change in my community, specifically with a gender based lens. The agency I work for is honestly so incredibly progressive and trailblazing for our area. We are the only emergency shelter that supports families, women, and clients who wish to stay with their pets while experiencing homelessness. We are also a harm reduction facility and our eligibility requirements are the lowest barrier possible. What happens even in one day there can be so impactful, so I’m happy to have spent a lot of time learning there.

At your shows, you guys hand out pamphlets from To Write Love on Her Arms, a nonprofit dedicated to helping those who are struggling with their mental health. Can you tell us more about this organization and why it is important to you?
To Write Love On Her Arms is such a great resource hub that basically uses a database to find mental health supports local to you. We like to keep it at the merch table when we travel because it’s handy to be able to read their brochure briefly and see where you can get support near you. Lots of online resources too. We all are passionate about taking good care of your mental health just as much as your physical health. If not more. lolll.

What advice do you have for someone who might be struggling with their mental health?
It's easier said than done, but even opening up to one person can help so much. I also think that often we wanna put taking care of our mental health aside because we are occupied with other things. But giving attention to your mental health can be the MOST productive thing you can do. And eventually you can enjoy all the other people hangs you’re thinking about than much more because you’ll be in a more in-tune spot mentally.

Are there any upcoming projects you are currently working on that we should be on the lookout for?
We are always writing! Definitely new stuff to come sooner than later!

What is your motto in life?
Be present as much as possible. We only have one shot at this life and the more joy we can find in the everyday, the better.

To learn more about Talking Violet, please check out the links below:
www.talkingviolet.com
Instagram: @talkingviolet
@talkingviolet on all socials!

Talking Violet Offers a Look Into Their Mind