Eleanor Friedberger talks about her new album ahead of Dublin gig

When indie-rock star Eleanor Friedberger made the journey from her base in upstate New York to her family’s ancestral home in Greece, she had writing on her mind.

“I’ve been going to Greece as a tourist and with family for decades,” she says, talking down the phone from America, as she gets ready to embark on several dates throughout Ireland and the UK. “So the country was a place I’ve always felt very connected to.

“Then I started playing gigs in Athens seven or eight years ago, and I feel like I have a close musical relationship with it. I went over back in 2016, but instead of hunkering down and writing, I just went out every night and met lots of musicians and played a bit with a band I formed there. It ended up becoming more of an inspiration trip than a writing trip. The writing began in earnest once I got back.”

While in Athens, Eleanor found herself at an “’80s goth disco” club named Rebound where she witnessed a unique type of solitary dance routine that captivated her imagination. She described it as “alienating and exhilarating”, which chimes perfectly with her state of mind upon leaving the States. She was so impressed she named her new LP after the venue. “I spent a lot of time touring in 2016,” she says, “then come November of that year… Well I mean I think most people felt disappointed and angry and confused at what happened. And I guess I already had it in my head to get away from New York for the winter, so I just decided to get away and write somewhere else for a while.”

Rebound is not about US politics, but it does focus on ideas of miscommunication, disappointment and failure to understand, all channelled through an intensely listenable electro-pop sound. It received rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. Did Eleanor know she was on to a winner when she started writing?

“To be honest, as opposed to my last couple of records where I’d collaborated so much with guys I’d been playing with, this one was something I worked on by myself for a long time without playing songs for anybody,” she explains. “Then when I was ready to finish it, I only worked with one other person (producer Clemens Knieper), who is an outsider in a lot of ways. So when I was done I was like – I don’t know what the fuck this is like! All I knew was that I felt way more vulnerable releasing this record than I’d ever done before.”

Was there an immediately fertile writing period after Eleanor came back from her trip?

“I came back and I’d a bunch of ideas for songs,” she affirms. “I’d bought this Casio keyboard which really set the tone for how the album was going to sound. And I’d written a bunch of songs without fleshing them out – I didn’t have the lyrics ready or anything – so when I got back I spent a good two months finishing the songs and recording them at home. I liked that process. Up until that point, I’d never made a bunch of demos which almost, you know… I thought they could’ve been an album on their own. So I just kind of sat on them for a few months because I was so satisfied by what I’d done. But eventually I finally decided to work with Clemens and share them.”

We’re thankful that she did. We’re also thankful that Eleanor will be making her return to Ireland later this month. With her live performances now better than ever, this’ll be one not to miss.

Eleanor Friedberger plays The Grand Social, Dublin on August 18.