Issue 32: Du Blonde
Welcome to The Band Bible! I’m truly glad to have you here. If you’re a new reader, purpose of this newsletter is to address, break down, and shine a light on the business of being in a band. Each issue, we do this by interviewing (and celebrating!) someone who is making waves through their incredible work with or for artists, or is an artist themselves. Learning the business of being in a band is something that is often inaccessible or shrouded in mystery, and it shouldn’t be, so I hope The Band Bible is able to play even a small role in helping to change that.
I hadn’t had a “love at first listen” experience in years. Then I heard Sniff More Gritty.
Sniff More Gritty is Beth Jeans Houghton’s fourth and latest album as Du Blonde, which is out today via Daemon T.V. When I found the album in my inbox a month ago and clicked on “Dollar Coffee” to listen to first at random, it only took around ten seconds before I knew that I was going to love the rest of the track and the album itself. I was right. It was the type of “love at first listen” moment where you immediately mourn all the time that has passed where the artist’s work wasn’t yet in your life. But now that it is, something just feels right. Your world becomes a little more vibrant. Waking up in the morning becomes just that much easier because you have something new you can’t wait to press “play” on.
Sniff More Gritty is an album that lends itself to being loved. Save for live drums, the album was entirely produced, performed and engineered by Du Blonde, and the personal touch shows. Whether it be a ballad with rip-your-heart-out tenderness (“Out of a Million”), a rollicking release of frustration within an interpersonal relationship (“Blame”) or a damning portrait of music industry dysfunction (“Next Big Thing”), each track feels clearly treated with care, resulting in a finished product of a caliber that one doesn’t always get when these duties are outsourced.
Du Blonde hasn’t only taken control creatively, but in business too. She unshackled herself from the label system after years of cruel control and became fully independent. Case in point, Daemon T.V is her own label.
What Du Blonde has done is notable because it’s not something everyone necessarily has the gumption to do. Artists are repeatedly told that they need label involvement to have a true path to success, and it can be difficult to begin to untangle oneself from an idea that has been so heavily and consistently emphasized. What Du Blonde teaches us is the importance of calling those ideas into question, and specifically questioning if they’re working for you. She’s a shining example of the power of being the opener of your own doors, and that trusting yourself gives you the key in which to do so.
That said, Sniff More Gritty has the ring of an artist who is able to enjoy their own freedom. Across the twelve tracks are unforgettable hooks, lyrics that are fun, raw, and real, sonic surprises that make for immersive listening experiences (no spoilers, but see “Dollar Coffee,” “Yesterday,” and “TV Star”), and so much more. It’s imbued with a sense of moxie and boundlessness that not only feels so specific to Du Blonde, but is immediately infectious to the listener. Sniff More Gritty doesn’t feel like a record anyone else in the world could have made, and that’s a real hallmark of a genuine independent artist.
In the interview you’re about to read, Du Blonde discusses self-releasing, creative freedom, the myth that you can’t succeed without a label, and more. While specific to the music industry, her experiences deliver important lessons about professional autonomy that anyone — no matter their line of work — can benefit from. Enjoy the interview, and enjoy Sniff More Gritty.
Which element of creating Sniff More Gritty brought you the most joy?
Definitely the freedom I have now as an independent artist. I had a lot of fun with SMG being alone in my studio and able to experiment with ideas that in the past I’ve been dissuaded from by producers and labels. If I want to put a fart sound on my record, I can, and that’s just a really joyful space to be in as a songwriter and as a producer.
Think back to the moment you officially finished the album. How did it feel?
I always think it’s going to be some jubilant moment of relief getting to that point, but often (because I have severe ADHD) once the album is mastered and sent to manufacturing, there’s always something else I need to do straight away, like the artwork or music videos. So for me, I think that moment actually comes on the day of release. I can finally sit back and know that either I finished everything or if I didn’t, there’s no longer anything I can do about it, which is a relief in its own way! I do wish I was more able to enjoy moments like that, I think it would be a healthier way to be.
You've spoken about walking away from labels and taking control of your work back as a result. Do you have any advice for artists who may be considering a similar move but are nervous about taking the leap?
Definitely! I was so nervous to self-release. I was convinced by a lot of people that self-releasing would be hard and wouldn’t ‘look good’ after having been signed to record labels my whole career. I finally made the decision to self release because I got to a point where releasing an album on my own terms that had the potential to fail was better than staying with record labels and being so depressed I didn’t really want to carry on. Which is really where I was at. I released Homecoming thinking it would be my last album but at the very least, would be the one album that was truly mine and that I was happy with, irrespective of anybody else’s opinion. But in the process, it became my most successful album to date. I actually made money from it. Not an awful lot, but having seen no royalties for the first 10+ years of my career, the fact I recouped and made a profit on my self-release really highlighted to me how much of a myth it is that you can’t really have a successful career without a label. So to any artists who are chronically unhappy with their label situation and are lucky enough to be able to get out of it, I’d just say go for it. I own my masters, I receive 100% of the income from my self released music, and it hasn’t hindered my career one bit.
Since you took that leap, what would you say have been some of the greatest advantages of operating independently?
I want to say the creative freedom; the ability to make decisions about my music and production without some guy telling me his idea is better. But honestly, the biggest difference is in my mental health. I’m actually happy, something I haven’t truly felt for a very long time. I spent a huge part of my life chronically stressed because of the industry. I got into this business to make art and music, but it ended up being a minefield of gaslighting, condescension and sexual harassment. It was physically painful watching my albums be turned into something that wasn’t me, by people who had more power over them than I did. Now I get to decide everything, from production and mixing, to music videos and artwork, to how the album budget is used and how much is spent. I can go into production and manufacturing limiting the financial damage of a potentially bad-selling record by keeping the costs as low as possible without compromising on the quality of the album. It’s great.
Lastly, which "commandment" would you like to leave behind in The Band Bible?
Thou shalt not forget who you are.
A tremendous thank you to Du Blonde for taking the time to share such fantastic insights here, and to Matty at Super Cat PR for orchestrating the interview. To keep up with all things Du Blonde (including booking tickets for the upcoming UK tour, which kicks off in January), click here to visit her official website.