Q&A with Olivia Reid

Following the release of her new album “Space to Roam”, LOCK had the pleasure of speaking with Olivia Reid to discuss the release and future plans.

Space to Roam feels both expansive and intimate. How did you approach balancing that duality in your songwriting and production?

What a great descriptor, thank you for those words because so often when I’m writing music that has any sort of tie to nature – it’s hard to capture the expansiveness of an environment while also capturing how intimate your inner thoughts are within that environment. I wrote these songs first on a guitar, and wrote them alone, which maybe helped me capture those inner thoughts. Building out the production was where I could to use big reverbs, snappy drums and ethereal textures that placed the intimate feelings within the expansiveness of the environment.

The opener, “Space to Roam,” sets such a meditative tone. Did you always know it would be the first track, or did that decision come later in the process?

Not at all truthfully! With this project – I was trying not to over-edit myself. So, I finished each song one by one, and released them as singles as I finished them. It helped me to create forward motion, and define the destination of the resulting EP as I was walking the journey. When it came time to put the project out with all 6 songs, Space to Roam really captured the environment of where I wrote most of the songs in the Poland countryside. It then felt like the right thesis statement for the EP as a whole.

You worked with Tim Atlas, So Wylie, and Benji Cormack on shaping the sonic textures of this project. What did each collaborator bring to the table that helped crystallise the EP’s sound?

While trying to avoid over-editing myself, it was so valuable to rely on my friends to help add another perspective to the production. Tim really took time to help me explore the exact sounds of every drum and every sample that we chose, and was so intentional with helping me include samples I recorded into these one of a kind rhythmic environments. Will also say that Ry Jones who worked on “Space to Roam” with me had a similar approach – he helped me experiment with every tiny minute detail to create the right environment. So Wylie is a genius with vocal layering, and with using vocals as drums or synths in her production – it felt so right to work with her on “Steady” for that reason to bring a new vocal perspective to a very intimate song. And Benji – whether on his Varju project or as part of Slenderbodies – always strikes a great balance between joy and sadness in production choices. A lot of my songs sit in the middle of those emotions, and his empathetic approach helped me capture that duality in Both “Serene” and “Quite Simple.”

“Love Don’t Leave” has this beautiful tension between vulnerability and strength. Can you talk about what inspired that song and how you channeled that emotional push and pull?

I used to shy away from writing love songs. As a queer woman in a long-term relationship with another woman, some people might have preconceptions about what that love looks like. I wanted to capture all the small little moments that feel so intimate and powerful in our relationship, and that feel special no matter who you love. And the big singalong ending is a celebration that love can also be communal and familial – better when celebrated together.

Songs like “All in Time” and “Quite Simple” seem to embrace stillness and patience. Was that a theme you found yourself gravitating toward naturally, or was it something you wanted to explore more intentionally?

Sometimes you write what you feel, and sometimes you write what you need to hear. In this case, I needed to hear that it would be okay “All in Time.” I needed to feel optimistic that life really could be “Quite Simple.” And when you don’t hear that encouragement externally, I wrote these songs intentionally almost as pep talks to myself.

“Serene” feels like a centerpiece for the EP, embodying its quiet strength. What was the process of writing and shaping that track, and did you know it would be such a pivotal moment?

I wrote that song outside on the porch sitting in the sun, and was unpacking the irony of the sun. She’s so positive in curing some of my blues, while also roasting me with sunburn. Personifying the sun and naming her “Serene” felt like a really nice way to have a conversation with the sun about that relationship. I didn’t know it would become such an anchor point to the EP, but it’s been nice to hear from people that resonate with that song especially… who seek out sun-induced serenity.

Lyrically, your writing often feels like a gentle conversation; deeply personal yet universally relatable. How do you find that balance between writing for yourself and writing for listeners?

Thank you – I mean when I sit down to write the music, I write it first for myself. But I release it and polish it and share it because I do hope it reaches people that love the music, feel understood by it, or need to hear it. If I’m feeling pessimistic, and need a song like “Quite Simple”, I know chances are other people will too. And it brings me a great sense of purpose to finish the songs to know that it might help others that way.

There’s a sense of restraint in the production that allows space for your voice and lyrics to breathe. Was it difficult at times to resist adding more layers, or did simplicity come naturally?

Absolutely, was so difficult! I’m a sucker for adding more and more layers. It’s so tempting. But it felt really nice to go element by element and make sure every piece was allowing the core emotion of each song to shine intentionally.

The EP closes with “Steady,” which feels like a quiet resolution. What does that song mean to you personally, and why did it feel right as the final note?

Struggling with anxiety and an attention deficit honestly, I often feel all over the place. Yet I’ve had so many friends say, “you’re so calm” or “you’re so steady.” It’s interesting to me because my internal experience doesn’t feel that way. Writing “Steady” felt like a way to look to the environment for things that are constant – mountains, redwoods, sails on a sailboat – to take inspiration from elements that are  “steady” even through storms, and seasons, and change. I want to be that steady, someone that can ride out a storm, and keep my head on straight through it all.

Space to Roam positions you as both a songwriter and a nurturer of sound. Where do you see your artistry heading from here, and what kind of spaces do you hope to create for listeners in future projects?

I love creating environments and putting people into a sonic world. I often gravitate towards the natural world and natural metaphors to do this – especially in Space to Roam and my first project Earth Water. But at the end of the day, I live in New York City and I’m excited to explore how I can capture the city environment, and what unique emotions the concrete environment brings out in me.