Natalie Prass has always liked the color pink.
With my last record I really wanted to embrace beauty and my sensitive side.
Scrapping most of what she had, Prass started writing again.
Credit: Tonje Thilesen
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:The Future and The Pastmarks the first time youve really leaned into politics, lyrically.
Id just gotten out of a pretty terrible relationship that I had a lot to say about.
And some songs that I thought were the best ones were about that relationship.
But then after the election happened I decided that thats not important enough right now.
I have so much more responsibility.
At least, Ichoseto have that responsibility.
What were you doing that night?
[My boyfriend, Dr. Dog drummer] Eric [Slick] and I went to an election party.
Oh yeah, Ill never forget it.
Women are against women, and men are against women.
Like, women have to rise above so much to get ahead.
I feel guilty that sometimes I hate being a woman.
I hate it because theres so much weight on your shoulders at all times.
Maybe Im just really sensitive.
I needed, especially at that time, a modern anthem.
And then I wanted to talk about domestic abuse.
I wanted it to be as inclusive as possible.
I wasnt taken seriously being the only girl playing in band growing up.
Youvedescribedyour blazer and bow tie on the cover ofThe Future and The Pastas symbolically blending masculine and feminine.
The outfits that Ive been wearing to perform in, I designed those.
Ive always felt very in-between with everything.
Im not girly enough.
Im not boyish enough.
Im not pretty enough.
Im not artsy enough.
Im not jazzy enough.
Its like every turn Ive always kind of felt like I was stuck in this awkward place.
But Im genuinely trying to stay in my own lane and do what makes me feel like me.
I just feel like Im this awkward thing.
Even when I lived in Nashville everyone was like, Why do you live here?
Move to New York.
Anyway, soThe Future and The Past,were just stuck in between.
Because it makes me feel a lot more comfortable with who I am.
My boyfriend is super-feminine, and I just feel like were allowed to embrace those parts of ourselves now.
My friend sewed yellow rose buttons on my shirt to symbolize the Womens Suffragette Movement.
Some of this album also addresses the pain of your last relationship, in particular the song Lost.
I mean, I wasnt doing that.
It was very much self-referential with the music I was writing.
This whole power dynamic to keep me around, threatening me.
It was just a wild experience and I had to finally just completely cut everything off.
Which is creepy because thats not who I am.
Im a very loyal and compassionate person.
I really feel like Ive met my person in Eric.
Ive never felt so comfortable, and we can get through anything together.
But we had to do so much work to get to where we are now.
And it doesnt stop; it doesnt mean that we are in this blissful love relationship.
Which we are, but then we also have problems that we have to face.
Its more about the hard work and the rewarding payoff of real love.
Was that intentional?Yeah, thats intentional.
Karen [Carpenter] is a [major] figure in my life.
My whole life, Ive been told I look like her.
you could hear the kindness in her recordings.
She just had this really inviting, warm quality to her voice.
And then she also happens to be the sickest drummer ever.
She could challenge Buddy Rich, or something.
The one man she married [Thomas James Burris] only married her for her money and stole it.
I just really admire her.
What are some things youve seen since the election that make you hopeful?Simple things.
Like, I love that its now becoming part of our cultural to talk politics.
Thats something that I dont think, especially in the South, people ever did.
My family never did.
I love seeing the young generation, with gun control, taking the lead.
That fills me with so much hope.
