To most, folktronica is not a genre that rings too familiar.
But Sydney singer-songwriter Caitlin Park has slowly been making inroads with this musical niche over the past few years, culminating in a national support slot with Big Scary.
“I think the general public would be astounded by the word, but exactly as it sounds, it's just folk music mixed with electronic. It's really fun, I love the word, I love saying it, and I love that people recognise that I'm doing something different to interpret it in that way.”
So how does one become inspired to come up with such a unique styling?
“I studied music at uni, but also did a little bit with electronic music and also sound in film. So we got to do a lot of sound foley, which is basically post-production treatment. So it was really fun doing the musical side to it with the foley on top, and I got really inspired by that.”
What makes Caitlin Park a breath of fresh air is not so much how she creates her music, but what she chooses to do so – finding inspiration within old films, and using samples from them to complement her sweet folk style.
“The sound of 1940s and ‘50s films is so beautiful. I just really love the sound of it, like when you play a record from those days and you get that crackle. The way they recorded the sound back then just had a really unique colour.
“Also the dialogue and their scriptwriting and use of metaphors was really elegant – the way they spoke was just really regal and beautiful.”
Despite being quite a young musician, Caitlin is already looking to evolve her sound and possibly move away from her folk roots and towards a more expansive sound.
“I'm starting to write songs that are a lot more focussed on the vocal melody and arrange it around that. With 'Milk Annual', it was very much based on the roots of folk music, but I'm slowly becoming more and more interested in beatdriven pop. Less about traditional folk and more about exploring textures and structures, so maybe taking the acoustic guitar out of my hands for a live show and creating a more textual beauty.”
Caitlin Park supports Big Scary at Alhambra Friday April 26.
