The wonderful Linda Gardens is a New York-based artist whose music truly stands out with its blend of electronica and psychedelic vibes. As a vocalist, songwriter, producer, and video creator, Linda Gardens crafts an immersive experience filled with rich vocals and haunting melodies, all grounded in a pop sensibility.
Diving into her album, “Fate Delay” is a dreamlike journey through reality. Linda Gardens sees this work as a way to explore existential questions and our shared awareness in the world. She invites listeners to ponder deep themes: What does it mean to control our fate? How do we navigate our lives with newfound insights?
Linda Gardens reminds us that while fate may unfold in unpredictable ways, it ultimately guides us toward self-discovery.
Linda, congrats on the release of “Fate Delay”! The album explores existential themes and the role of consciousness in our lives. Could you elaborate on the concept and the personal experiences that inspired you to write this album?
I began writing ‘Fate Delay’ just before the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown in 2020. I did not know when I set out working on it what the title would be or how it would evolve, but I knew I was working towards something bold & pronounced, and that it would take some time. As the songs developed, the process dragged on, as did the time in isolation and the shift in the world around all of us. I worried about the potential of momentum lost, or that the landscape would be so dramatically different by the time ‘Fate Delay’ was ready to release and perform that my vision would no longer feel relevant. That is where I had to challenge my consciousness and my faith in my creative identity, by continuing to put one foot in front of the other, finding trust in my own process, and that it would all make sense upon completion. I started a lot of the beats while visiting my childhood home in upstate NY, which definitely inspired a lot of the tension felt throughout the album. When I visited again after the lockdown ended, I found out the house was going to be sold, so I went to work gathering footage of it as it stood in my memory, knowing the wallpaper would be stripped, the rooms would be painted, the belongings would be gone, and it would be my last chance to capture the emotional energy of the space as I remembered it. I used a lot of this footage to create the live videos that I now perform the album with, and I think it emphasizes the tension I unearthed within myself, by embracing the complicated feelings about my adolescent experiences in that home. Now I sing my heart out on stage while these videos are blasted behind me on huge projector screens. My past backs up my present, and I had to get good with it all to know how to move into my future.
Given the album’s philosophical depth, how did you approach the songwriting and production process for “Fate Delay”? Did you have a specific vision for the album’s sound and atmosphere?
When I began working on ‘Fate Delay’, I was attending a lot of high-energy, beat-driven, techno, gabber, and industrial shows. I found the push-pull of the rhythms, and the brashness of the tones to be extremely cathartic and inspiring. I wanted to challenge myself to start writing the song arrangements from the ground up, letting the heavy energy and abrasive nature of the rhythm lay the foundation for each song. I also knew that there was going to be an audio-visual element to my performance of this album, something I began experimenting with on my prior release, ‘Real Time’, but I knew this album would have a more elaborate and immersive presentation. Once the full song structures were there, and I had the lyrics and melodies in place, I presented the tracks to my long-time musical collaborator, co-producer, and partner, 5thPlanet. I recorded the vocals with 5thPlanet, who co-produced the rest of the album with me, meticulously mixing each track, as well as adding additional synthesis, and suggesting we have our long-time friend and recording artist, Sympathetic Chic, add some extra guitar layers to the tracks. The songwriting approach for this album was a blend of following my conceptual predeterminations while allowing enough space for the music and art to evolve as needed, which sometimes included asking others to contribute where it felt right. I had to leave space for the unknowns, the ‘X’ factors, while maintaining the vision as it unfolded in front of me.
What personal insights have you gained about the balance between allowing fate to unfold and actively controlling your path?
I think the biggest insight is just that – balance. We have personal beliefs, we dream of what we desire, and what we feel we need to do to fulfill our soul’s existence; and yet, reality challenges us with limitations and restrictions. A person might feel determined to climb Mount Everest and feel in their soul that they are destined to reach that summit, but conditions have to be right; timing, health, and stamina have to all be aligned to achieve this. What this journey looks like for any individual will be defined by many personal elements and circumstances that they have to allow for as they work towards their goal. We cannot control the weather, we cannot control the physical restraints of our existence, or the time it takes to prepare ourselves for whatever we are working towards, but maintaining personal belief in ourselves and our vision, rather than letting the obstacles or unexpected moments dictate your progress, is the only way to reach the top of your mountain.
You self-produced “Fate Delay” and collaborated with 5thPlanet, Irving Gadoury, and Sympathetic Chic. How was the experience of working with them, and how did their contribution shape the final sound of the album?
Honestly- very, very good! Working with each of them was an incredibly satisfying and necessary part of creating ‘Fate Delay’.
5thPlanet is a former bandmate, longtime collaborator, and co-producer of mine. His sonic nuance, creative passion, and dedication to music production were an enormous influence on the overall sound of this album. He and I have always spoken a similar language in terms of what we want to hear emerge from a track, and tend to vibe on the sounds and textures that make us go “oooo, yes” when they come forward in a particular audio layer, so working with him on this album felt pretty natural. There are challenges to working on a long-term recording project with your long-term partner, but the result always speaks for itself when we collaborate, and ‘Fate Delay’ has been no different. I’m truly grateful for his guidance and dedication throughout the entire making of this album.
Sympathetic Chic and I are not only collaborators, but also longtime friends, and we have worked together on several projects in the past. They have performed on stage with me as part of my live band at various points and played session guitar during my live-to-vinyl 7″ recording session produced by Leesta Vall Recordings in 2022. When 5thPlanet suggested we bring them into the project to add some of that gritty electronic guitar they do so well, I couldn’t have agreed faster. At that time Sympathetic Chic was living in the railroad apartment above ours in Bushwick, and we’d have him down night after night to add his touch to each song. Those were some really fun sessions and I think the tone and depth of the album are quite rich because of his contributions there.
I got to know Irving Gadoury through 5thPlanet and the familial music scene that exists in and around Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg. Irving is a 2x platinum record and Grammy-nominated audio engineer, but all academy recognition aside, his mastering capabilities on ‘Fate Delay’ shine. Irving definitely enhanced the overall sound of the album while achieving a defined cohesiveness among the tracks. His mastering work highlights the punchiness of the album, while perfectly preserving the dynamism of each of the song mixes, and it would not have felt complete without his finesse.
All in all, I’m so proud of the work I did with all three of my collaborators on this record, and I’m especially grateful that each of them was willing to be a part of this project with me.
You mentioned this album poses more questions than it answers. Of the many questions posed by the album, which one would you want an answer for the most?
“What comes next?” The last track of the album, ‘Masochism’, really kind of leaves off in a place of discontent. In many ways, it is an observation, an accusation, an exclamation, and ultimately a provocation to seize our own destiny by disrupting the circumstances within ourselves and our society. What has happened to us? How did things get this way? What do we stand for? And what comes next?
Can you elaborate on the role of “internal trust” in your creative process for this album?
I’ve always felt like starting is the hardest part, but once you get going, things just start flowing. With my music, I don’t overthink it, I just keep moving and feeling, trusting it’s all meant to come at me and out of me the way it does. I feel like I’m a vessel for energy and emotion. Like I’m a sponge full of feelings that need to be rung out frequently. Writing songs, producing tracks, and performing my records always feels right, and like the most grounding thing in my life. I had a pretty difficult adolescence, with a lot of uncertainty and instability. During that time I leaned into and developed my songwriting, and dedicated myself to my vocal prowess. Over time I found that I could trust my intuition and my ears with a sense of certainty I didn’t find anywhere else in my life. I have to express myself freely, and I capture that sonically. Then I interpret what’s come out of me, make sense of my expression, and refine it as I understand it in context. I very much trust the music and words to speak through me. It’s how I make sense of the world, and how I make sense of my mind. If I didn’t trust this process, I don’t know if I would have survived my past.
How has creating “Fate Delay” impacted your personal growth and understanding of yourself?
I think I am still figuring this out, and reflecting on what it has meant to create and share ‘Fate Delay’ with the world. I definitely felt a lot of growth throughout the process of making it, particularly in expanding and exercising patience, focus, and dedication to crafting this album, but I am still feeling the ripples of growth as I have set it free and am continuing to receive feedback. It feels good, and I feel incredibly confident and capable at this moment, but there is always more I can take away from my past and continue to learn about myself.
Looking ahead, how do you see the themes of “Fate Delay” influencing your future work as an artist?
I’m sure there will be moments where I build off of the concepts I’ve developed with ‘Fate Delay’, but I’m not certain just how these influences will take shape. One of the most freeing things for me about being an artist is that you don’t always know how things are going to pan out; you discover the path as you go and discover more about yourself in the process. I try to stay open and let the feelings dictate my course. That’s how I find the meaning in my work. I’m sure there will be an impact from what I’ve gleaned in making this album, but as I step forward and continue to indulge in my creative expression, it’s really exciting to embrace the uncertainty that comes with that. Trusting in my expression to guide me pre-dates ‘Fate Delay’, and I’m sure it will be fundamental to what I create in the future.
And in regards to the future. What’s on your horizon right now?
Since completing ‘Fate Delay’, I’ve started writing some new songs that are in the very beginning stages, but it feels like they are going to materialize into something broader. It’s really too soon to say how these will evolve, but I am having ideas and they feel like promising starts.
I’m also finishing a collaborative track with recording artist aria as part of their forthcoming debut album, and I’m really excited for it to be completed and shared! It’s great to be working on this track for aria, as we’ve known each other for quite some time in the Bushwick electronic music scene. This is a high-energy collaboration, with aria’s robust kick drums and quick tempos pushing along some seriously satisfying pop harmony, all melded together with dreamy, pleasure-center vocals. Look out!
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