Ghosts, Heartbreak, and Disassociation: An Introduction to September Curse
September Curse is a bedroom pop,,,, indie artist from Sydney. Making music inspired by artists like cavetown, dodie, and Teenage Joans, her work explores the effects of heartbreak, hardships, and disassociation on identity. Her debut single, “Microdosing”, was produced and mastered by Tristan Higginson (Waxflower, Sunbleached, Longing) and is a wonderful introduction to the magical, dark storybook world she’s slowly building — visually and musically.
And also, if you didn’t know… by the way… I’m September Curse (surprise).
It feels weird to write a piece about myself, especially when I haven’t been too active on Webspinner due to this project for a bit of a long while. This piece is both an introduction to the project and an introduction to my debut single “Microdosing”, which came out on October 27th, with a tiny music video premiere — it is officially out on Friday but I figured you all deserved a lil treat.
My best friends, Callum and Delaney — who know the project inside out and upside down — threw together a few questions of things they’d like to see me cover in this intro article for you all so, here they are.
Part I — Introduction
1.If you drink coffee — what’s your usual coffee order? If not, what do you drink instead?
I don’t drink coffee (sorry guys).
I’m a big fan of a chai latte with a layer of cinnamon sprinkled on top. I like chocolate milk and oreo/nutella milkshakes. I also became a massive fan of decaf iced pumpkin spice lattes during this spooky season.
And I like ginger beers and lemonades.
2. Who are some local artists / bands that you’ve been listening to a lot right now?
I haven’t been listening to too much local music lately.
But, the ones that I think constantly inspire my work are Grenade Jumper, Longing, Waxflower, Teenage Joans, and Congrats.
Oh and Eat Your Heart Out — although I haven’t really actively listened to them in a long while.
3.Is there anything in the mundane beauty of everyday life that constantly inspires you or your work? (ex. Victorian mugs, sunsets, big smiles, train rides, etc.)
My answer to this — my favourite question — is reading poetry on trains and windows with their lights on at night.
When I was a kid, growing up — literally — all over the world, (but especially in Egypt) we’d walk past houses and buildings with their warm lights on at night and I loved making up little stories in my head about the lives the people inside were living. I still find myself wondering about this sometimes.
Part II — September Curse
1.How did you decide on ‘September Curse’ as a name?
Originally, I had a different name in mind that explored a slightly different conceptual focus, but by the time I was actually able to put this together the name didn’t really fit any more — and also, a creative company in Brisbane took it.
I made a list of names for a different project that was very focused on visual contrast and ‘September Curse’ came up from that. I was pretty happy with it immediately because of all the ways it explores contrast (visually, the colors it brings up, concepts, etc) so I decided it would fit the concepts I explore in the music I’ve written for this.
Since 2017 September seems the be the month I tend to get my heart broken in the most so to this day, I am scared of September because … it’s kinda cursed.
Also, it’s a good character name for a YA fairy book so.
2.When did the idea or concept for September Curse first start to come together? Was it a lengthy process to build the foundations for that world?
I’ve always wanted to do a music project. In high school, every year during my holidays I’d put out a tiny collection of very badly recorded songs that all had some sort of a conceptual focus. I think that began to build what September Curse would become, subconsciously.
The world and concept surrounding September Curse has been a lengthier process than the songwriting. It was once I had a batch of songs ready that I started exploring the world they could become.
So much of the narrative and the characters is still kind of … unknown to me so it’s something I’m still building.
3.Orange and Purple appear to play a key part in your visuals, what's the significance of these colours and the ‘Emo Fairy’ aesthetic?
I really like contrasts, I like having the darkness and light elements next to each other — Every experience I seem to have is constantly just … bittersweet — not always 100% bad, not always 100% good. Orange and purple represent that, while also representing ‘September’ and ‘Curse’ visually. Also, they’re spooky Halloween colors which is nice.
Emo Fairy aims to combine elements of the angsty heavier music I love with the bedroom-poppy, indie, sparkly one I,,, also love.
I’m not really sure how to explain it in words, it just kind of … makes sense in my head and in the visuals so I hope that’s enough got everyone else to get it too, but, it’s all about the contrast — the really bright and colorful with darker elements attached to it.
4.September Curse appears to draw inspiration from so many areas, what are some films that have inspired the project and why?
I referenced a bunch on this lil post, and you’ve made a massive error asking me about film, but here’s a breakdown of a few of them (but they get more unhinged as you go):
→ Coraline (2009, dir. Henry Selick) — The mixed darkness and whimsy, the characters — the ‘be careful what you wish for’ element
→ Lady Bird (2017, dir. Greta Gerwig) for,,,many reasons — conceptual and aesthetic.
→ The ‘Before’ Trilogy (dir. Richard Linklater) — also for,,,many reasons — conceptual and aesthetic.
→ The Love Witch (2016, dir. Anna Biller)— I have very mixed feelings about this movie, I gave it like a 3/5 on letterboxd so I wouldn’t say it’s the best but visually, conceptually, costume-wise, it’s a satirical dream world that pokes fun at itself and looks so pretty while doing it.
→ Sucker Punch (2011, dir. Zack Snyder) — also for,,,many reasons — conceptual and aesthetic. I wrote a really long critical theory essay on this one in year 11 and it just… has a special place in my heart.
→ The Crow (1994, dir. Alex Proyas)—I think my brain flipped upside down four times when I first watched this movie. It is one of my favorite things ever made. I think the tone and writing of the character have been a very big inspiration on September Curse, I’m also a very big fan of a tragic love story (La La Land (2016, dir. Damien Chazelle) is also a massive inspo for that reason but … more on that … later.)
It killed me to have to keep this one brief.
5.What’s the most unexpected place you’ve drawn inspiration from for this project?
I’d say the most unexpected is probably … hm, that’s a hard one actually. There’s these artworks by Joanna Posey that made it into my Pinterest board of ‘September Curse vibes and references’ that are just specks of color that have absolutely nothing to do with the project that really inspire me visually. That’s one. The other I’d say is really regal cake decoration.
6.Your Spotify bio is full of questions (see above). Can we expect those to be answered/engaged with by the music you release? Do you think you even have the answers?
This is a good question I was not expecting!
Parts of it definitely are explored within my work, parts of those questions are … hm. There’s a lot I want to keep secret for now, I think.
I’m putting a lot of myself into this project and I think there’s some things I want to prompt for the audience to have a think about and consider while listening to my stuff to make their own meaning out of… but that’s also just because I want to keep some bits of it for myself.
Any way, I’d say in some ways yes there will be answers, my answers, how I responded to a few of the things covered within the questions, but those won’t really be the answers for everyone and in some ways that’s really exciting, but in others, that’s really scary to me.
There are things I think I thought I found answers to and then had to reshape or lost the meaning of overtime and am kind of … searching for again.
Part III — Microdosing
1.What was your process when writing this? Did the lyrics or the music come first?
This is an awesome question I don’t have a straightforward answer to.
I usually write lyrics and music at the same time— one doesn’t come before the other, they both come together. I keep a compost heap of notes on my phone (in Neil Gaiman fashion) that is then copied into a notebook once it becomes too painful to look at. It varies from silly things my friends have said, like when my friend Sabrina told a security guard “Thank you, I love you,” after he checked her ticket at a concert, to the most gut-wrenching painful thoughts I’ve ever had like “You’ve got me microdosing on pain every time I say ‘hello’”.
I wrote that on the train home from work — I’m pretty sure that’s what set the whole thing off. I must’ve picked some chords, grabbed my notes, and put things together. I very briefly talked about the whole process here, but from then on I would sit write some chords with some thoughts sung over it, record it, and come back to it. I think I had the first verse ready almost immediately — minus one line.
I also, usually, write in the song’s structural order (with some exceptions but verse 1 chorus verse 2 etc. is usually how I write).
2.Were there any major influences for you when it came to making the music video?
As someone who gathers a LOT of inspiration, expecially for this project, there actually aren’t too many. Before I sat down to edit I took notes on Lemon Boy by Cavetown, Daylily by Movements, Crush Culture by Conan Gray, and 1950 by King Princess. Earlier this year I had a video editing assignment that I based very closely on 1950’s layering and elements of Aftersun’s (2022, dir. Charlotte Wells) tone and attention to detail in specific shots. I think that assignment inspired how I approached editing this more than I intended hahaha.
3.There’s quite a contrast between the sparkly bright tone of the music and the emotional devastation of the lyrics, was this a conscious choice?
I don’t think so. Maybe in some ways — I think at the time I wrote this I was already thinking about September Curse and what the structure would be, and a big part of it is contrast so maybe it was? You’re definitely asking me to remember too far back though hahaha.
I remember recording with Dan (Romeo) and him saying something about the contrast between the sound and the lyrics and how I’d have lines right next to each other that felt hopeful and then painful — I think he used the ‘The way you teased me / never kissed / do you miss me?’ lines as an example and I remember being like yeah that’s the vibe I’d love to have.
In saying all that though, I still don’t fully see it? and maybe that’s because I’ve moved past the events of the song a bit, but, I think in my head there isn’t a contrast. The outro chords are so painful to me with the ‘I’ll be here waiting’ and the building strings, that I don’t really see the happy sound sad lyrics, it’s all a little… devastating.
Any way. long story short. I can’t really remember if it was.
4.The song is clearly about an emotionally painful time in your life, does writing and releasing music offer any particular catharsis for you compared to other ways of dealing with difficult moments?
I do a few things in difficult moments: it’s usually about a week of watching a movie on loop that links to that moment in some way — with a lot of crying, followed by a week of planning a visual project that I neglect very quickly because it becomes too painful to give my time to so it just becomes a concept I’ll ‘come back to in a few months when I can handle it but when i hasn’t been long enough for it to be irrelevant’ (thats usually means I, unfortunately, won’t come back to it no matter how much I hope I will — there’s a series of discarded comic pages next to my desk that I still think I’ll come back to), a lot of journalling, and eventually… some songs.
Songs are just quicker to put together. It lets me sit, in tears for a couple of hours, without dragging it out longer than I need to. I usually find it hard to start visual projects and harder to stop musical ones — hence why Microdosing goes on for 4 minutes.
5.What were some challenges or unexpected moments you faced throughout the recording and release process as an independent artist?
The music video process I think. Not sure if it fits within recording and release but the music video process was … something. Every part of September Curse is bits that I’ve somewhat attempted before in some way or another but directing a video was not something I’ve ever done so the whole thing was really messy. I am very, very grateful to everyone who jumped on board (on cameras Jordan Atkins and Claudia Kurdoghlian, my ghost friend Moon*ie, and my good friend Jimmy — who’s made art on here before — coming in for moral support) but it was the most disorganized project I’ve ever put together — but I’ve learnt now which is good.
Also, the video edits took ages to get right but I always end up having so much fun during that part of the process.
6.We’ve been acquainted with the bedsheet ghost, do they have a name and can we expect other characters to pop up in the September Curse universe?
Initially, the bedsheet ghost was meant to be a fully-fledged character but they didn’t fit the timeline correctly and started to represent different stories in different songs so instead of a character they became a concept.
Without affecting people’s interpretation of it, the ghost makes you question ‘who’s haunting who?’ and acts as a mirror image of September Curse while also being the other person haunting her. The lyrics are ‘I love haunting you / being the ghost around you.’ and I think part of the ghost concept is running away from yourself when you feel that way and, eventually, running away from someone else when they suddenly become a ghost in your story too. It’s all deep and meta but that’s what it is for now.
As for other characters, yes. There are many. And I’m not sure how they’re all going to be introduced to you just yet, but there’s a nymph, more fairies and butterfly inspired characters of all different vibes, maybe some animals, maybe some mermaids, a witch for sure, maybe other ghosts, the moon might even be a character?, some silly pumpkin and skeleton dudes, and a spooky lil moth fairy guy.
7.The main throughline I’ve heard in response to ‘Microdosing’ is “I love the vibe”. How important was the use of the ghost imagery to creating the world of ‘Microdosing’, and was there anything else you considered vital to capturing that ‘vibe’?
I love this question because it lets me gush about Baxter Berrie’s styling work.
The outfits were a vital consideration for this project. Mainly because I’m trying to build a larger, conceptual world outside of the music, but also because I’m a very visual person and a big part of me was kind of like ‘if I don’t believe it, no one else will’. So I asked Baxter (my wonderful friend and fairy godmother of sorts) to dress me like the perfect combo of what my 6-year-old fairy self would’ve dreamed up and what my 14-year-old emo self would’ve thought was cool.
I came to describe the project as ‘emo fairy’ but I had no references to go with that term, so it kind of became important that the outfits — and the rest of the visual elements that I built around them — could introduce that.
Part IV — Conclusion
1.What are some ways you’d like to approach creating in the future?
I want to experiment with video a lot more. I had fun editing the music video together — even though it was kind of a task getting myself to sit down and work on it . I’d love to be able to create more stuff like that to fill in the time between releases etc. because it feels like the best way to capture the September Curse world.
Also! More illustrated work. I really love the designs I’ve been able to put together for the instagram posts, cover art, etc. But I’d love to contrast that with some illustrated / physical scrapbook work that feels a little bit more personal and vulnerable — as that’s an important part of this world too. (In saying that, I do have some of that coming soon).
2.What can we expect from your future releases, more of the same or something different?
A bit of a mix. Elements of the same within elements of something different. Both a heavier side and a lighter side — some more emo, some more fairy, all equally as heartbreaking.
So there you go. That’s September Curse.
If you want to know more specifically about the behind-the-scenes process of creating September Curse and putting together “Microdosing”, you can do that by clicking here ! I’ve dedicated a few posts on Instagram to breaking all that down for you in a way that is quick, pretty, and engaging. There’s one on the styling work, one on the visual identity and design, one on the writing and recording, and — soon — one on the music video.
I’m playing a show on November 30th at Goodspace in The Lord Gladstone. Tickets are $18, and they’re available here— it would mean so very much to see you there as this may,,,, honestly,,,, be the only show I play in a very long while.
Get more Webspinner on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and check out the Spotify. If you have any questions, requests, ideas, or want to work with Webspinner get in touch through webspinnermag@gmail.com, I’ve not been too active on there, so I can’t promise a quick reply (or any reply for that matter), but it’s always nice to find new music in my inbox every once in a while.
