When 2019 drew to a close BANKS was at the point of exhaustion. The LA based artist had been in a cycle of continual creation for a decade, and this relentless laser-sharp focus began to take its toll. Withdrawing, she knew that major changes were needed – but she couldn’t have imagined the way the world would turn.
“I don’t think people know they’re starting a new chapter when they’re doing it,” she explains. “When the pandemic hit, I actually needed a break… desperately. And then I naturally felt so far away from the music industry, so when I started creating again it felt so pure. I wasn’t thinking about making an album or anything, I just wanted to make sounds. And then those sounds become songs, and then I see how those songs fit into a body of work… and then it becomes an album.”
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It all sounds simple when she explains it. Chatting to Clash via a trans-Atlantic call – BANKS leaves us on speaker, she needs to water the array of plants and ferns in her flat – the singer is open and reflective. It’s that post-release lull – new album ‘Serpentina’ is out now, and she’s able to make greater sense of her accomplishments now the music can finally belong to the fans. Her first post-major label release, ‘Serpentina’ builds on the startling R&B of those early releases, while adding something revelatory and new – if the sounds have changed, then that’s perhaps because BANKS herself isn’t the same person any more.
“I create when I need to!” she says. “I’ve gone through stages when… say, after the final tour for the last album. I felt like I had said everything I needed to say, at least for a period of time. People would ask me to come into the studio, but I just couldn’t. You have to follow your inspiration, and in that way I’m definitely a very inspired person. I listen to my body, and I listen to my gut, and I don’t force anything.”
It's notable, Clash suggests, that removing herself from the major label world has led to greater space in her life. “I think I was probably always self-sufficient,” she smiles knowingly, “I just didn’t realise it. Especially as a female artist, people will always tell you what you need to do… so it’s incredible to realise that, no, you’re good on your own!”
‘Serpentina’ was born during those long days and nights of lockdown, when our world suddenly became no larger than the immediate vicinity. For BANKS, this meant long walks around Los Angeles, the traffic smog of commuters finally lifting from the American city. “The air was clear. It’s crazy – it shows you how much of a difference we could make to the environment if we really tried.”
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Her soul working in tandem to her surroundings, BANKS became to find a forward path. “I think I’m always evolving. I was going through so much transformation – mentally and physically – while trying to re-learn how to just live in one place. I mean, it was tough, and we obviously all went through a lot, but it was honestly a beautiful time in so many ways.”
Gathering like-minds around her, there’s a peculiarly British aesthetic to the finished album. London artist TALA contributes on quite a few of the finished tracks, while LA neighbours like Shlohmo would drop by. “It’s incredible to work with another female artist,” she says. “And we’re really close. She lived with me, at one point! And Shlohmo dropped by, too. We’re like a little family!”
Lead single ‘The Devil’ marked the end of our wait for new material. A potent, wry piece of R&B-etched songwriting, it founds BANKS flipping the script once more. “It was really late at night, and I was all alone,” she says. “I was thinking about trying to overcome my demons. I was tired of being good all the time – being a good girl, trying to make all the right decisions. And I thought, well, what if the Devil was tired of his job? So we get to switch places.”
A feminist, BANKS is aware of the impositions placed on women working in the music industry. “I think it effects every woman, whether they’re aware of it or not. The culture we live in is so patriarchal. There have been so many moments in my career where I’ve stood back and thought, wait, they’d never say that if I was a male artist. I try not to let that stuff get into my head, and I make sure I have people around me who respect me. But definitely, being an independent artist and making my own calls has been liberating.”
Tracks such as the ravishing ‘Birds By The Sea’ linger on this sense of freedom. “That was a real moment for me,” she notes. “I was on my own, in the studio, working to me own timeframe. And I felt so free… the timing, the flow of the song – it all came from there!”
Operating without constructions could lead to other problems, Clash suggests; when would she really know when a project is finished? “Everyone develops as an artist,” she says. “But there’s more to development than just changing. Sometimes it’s learning when to call it. I’ve learned to trust my gut, and I just know when a song is done.”
Indeed, one major issue behind the development of ‘Serpentina’ was knowing what to include, and what to excise. “It was really hard to choose what went on the album. Like, really hard. There are honestly my children, and I couldn’t choose between them. But I feel really good about the songs I’ve chosen – I’m so proud of this album.”
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At times, ‘Serpentina’ is incredibly outspoken. Take the explicit ‘Fuck Love’ – is she really rejecting companionship?
“Well…” she says, her voice trailing off. “I have moments where I say ‘fuck love’ and I have moments where I say ‘fuck, I’m in love’. It’s a fun song, and I wanted it to be empowering but not in a depressing way.”
Love is a perpetual theme on the album, and her work more broadly. “Nobody understands it!” she exclaims. “It’s the craziest feeling you can have. Love and music are similar in that way. You don’t know where the inspiration comes from, it just comes to you.”
Recently returning to the stage for a special appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel, BANKS is ready to commune with fans once more. Fresh boundaries are in place, and these allow her to fine-tune the balance in her life.
“I have a newfound gratitude for it,” she notes. “In 2019 I went through a bunch of stuff where music just became… painful for me. After healing, I kept having this thought in my mind: I miss it so much! It’s all about balance. I was empty so much in my personal life, that I couldn’t create. I just needed to focus on that a little bit, to get that balance, or else you’re just unhealthy.”
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'Serpentina' is out now.
Words: Robin Murray
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