SPILL FEATURE: I KEEP DREAMING IN ULTRAVIOLET – A CONVERSATION WITH SHANNON HEMMETT OF LEATHERS

I KEEP DREAMING IN ULTRAVIOLET

A CONVERSATION WITH SHANNON HEMMETT OF LEATHERS

Vancouver is known for its significant counterculture presence and pristine natural beauty. Out of this mystical concoction of a city comes LEATHERS, aka Shannon Hemmett, a dark wave, synth-pop artist who describes her sound as “nocturnal” and “shoegazeish”. Sitting with her newly spayed dog Mary, we chatted about her new album and what she has in store next for the LEATHERS persona.

“I love music from the 80s, so to me, it’s definitely a compliment”, says Hemmett after being asked about the popularly voiced opinion of her music. “What they’re picking up on is the like the types of synthesizers that we use in writing the songs definitely have [an] 80s flavor to them. We use like the Roland Juno 60 and the 106 a lot and those sounds are definitely like typical like 80s vibe synths and stuff like that”.

While her music can fill listeners with nostalgia, Hemmett’s vivid songwriting keeps people on their toes. This may be accredited to her beginnings in visual arts. “I went to high school in Richmond, just outside of Vancouver. And yeah, we had a really good darkroom program. So, I got really into like developing film and taking pictures and all that stuff”. Hemmet would go on to pursue photography in college, and later work with the CBC’s music department. After the industry’s shift into digital photography, Hemmett would also switch lanes and start working in graphic design. “I had so much…real-world experience of designing logos and like doing layouts for clients and things like that, and like I always had kind of a natural ability for that even when I was in school for photography”. Today, Hemmett is a tattoo artist alongside her music career. She runs a private studio in Vancouver called Almost Painless.

One thing that hasn’t changed for Hemmett though, is her love of dark aesthetics. Reminiscent of her time in the darkroom, her ability to submerge listeners into nighttime soundscapes is deserving of a name like LEATHERS. Hemmett commented on her stylized fashion choices saying, “I was a bit of a high school goth for sure, but I always liked…the photography of like Helmut Newton, say, or his kind of darker fashion element …I liked the style of that. And like, you know, the films of like David Lynch, [the] jewel tone colours and like that kind of like nighttime, mysterious vibe…Fashion can be like an interesting puzzle piece to like someone’s identity. [And I] like the way that light plays off [of] metal or leather”.

ULTRAVIOLET ALBUM REVIEW

Judging by her stygian sound, it’s surprising to learn that Hemmett’s venture into the music industry started with a ukulele on Big Island in Hawaii. “I don’t know I felt kind of connected to it, it’s like this little ukulele and I was strumming kind of by the pool and it was like this very peaceful moment and um when I got home I started to record these videos on Instagram… and my bandmate [Jason] saw these videos and he was like, oh, Shannon’s got a nice voice. And he was like, have you ever, like, thought about joining a band before? [That was] about six or seven years now that I’ve actually been pursuing singing more seriously. So, I came to it kind of later in life, but yeah, it’s been so nice. I love to sing”. Speaking more about her transition into music, Hemmett recalls her early struggles with insecurity and shyness. “I’m definitely like a textbook case of like okay I’m too scared to do it. I don’t wanna do it. And I kind of like overcame that to like, you know, to actually be doing it, which was, you know, it’s made my life like really cool…It’s increased my confidence. And like, you know, music is just like such a rewarding thing to be involved in that. It’s helped my like expression and all that kind of stuff”. Hemmett is also part of the band ACTORS based out of Vancouver. She says her bandmate Jason [Corbett], who first encouraged her to pursue music, is also responsible for “fleshing out” the sound of her new album, Ultraviolet.

While the album is concise, with 10 tracks and a run time of 34 minutes, its atmosphere and sharp lyricism contain a universe of meaning for Hemmett and fans alike. “I like [the song] “Highrise” a lot. It was a little bit inspired by this book called High Rise by J.G. Ballard, which is a science fiction novel about a high-rise apartment building and how it’s kind of like its own ecosystem. But also the way that we live in modern life is kind of unsustainable, in terms of like the things we want for ourselves or like the things that we desire we can’t always afford, and so it’s kind of some culture thoughts I have about like modern-day culture”. Hemmett says songwriting is the one thing that she still finds daunting as a musician. “I’m not very fast with writing lyrics, which is something I was really frustrated about myself at first…my process is just a little bit slower and more gradual… I need more time with the song to like listen to it and then write the lyrics uh beyond that and then we would go back in and then add more like percussion elements and then record the vocal”. This slow process has worked for Hemmett, judging by the acclaimed reception of her album.

LEATHERS looks to continue growing her fanbase and working on projects she finds inspiring. While her album may have come out just last month, Hemmett is already looking ahead to doing live shows around the continent and in Europe. It is a smart strategy considering the feelings she expresses are relatable to most people who have felt comfort in the midst of lonely dread. So be sure to keep an eye (and an ear) out for whatever LEATHERS has planned next.

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