It’s not that long since your last record, what was the catalyst for 29?

I thought yesterday, it was a year since my second record came out. And when my producer Busbee passed away, quite honestly I just didn't feel like I wanted to go on with that music that we created. I didn't identify with it. It was a lot about falling in love and I just wasn't there anymore. I felt like, ‘I Hope You're Happy Now’ was such a big song that I wanted to kind of go out with that song with Busbee and that chapter. 

So I just started experimenting with writing on Zoom, with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborn. That actually started with us writing ‘Next Girl’. And it just felt like this this door opening to the kind of country music that I always wanted to make; I grew up loving 90s country. Busbee was a pop producer from the Bay Area, so I think I took him as country as he was ever going to get. [laughs] And I just felt super excited and ready to write and work on this new chapter. And all these songs fell out.

Do you think this is your most country record by a long way then?

I was more reminiscent of the 90s, a little bit more traditional than my counterparts. But I would say, just for me personally, this is the first body of work as a whole that I wrote everything on it. It’s absolutely true and true to the kind of country music that I wanted to make. There's no question of who my influences are. There's no question of the kind of artists that I want to be with this one.

Obviously the last year hasn’t been great for anyone, in various ways. You mentioned songwriting on Zoom. Do you think that opened up anything in a different way from being in a room with somebody?

I find it harder. I'm a lot more involved in the, like, collaborative singing and figuring out melodies and just that whole thing. The whole thing of co-writing is to be collaborative and I feel like it's a little harder on Zoom. Quite a few of these songs were started on Zoom and then finished in person, just because I need that.

There's a group that were completely written on Zoom, ‘Show Me Around’ was completely written on Zoom. ‘Messy’ was completely written on Zoom. I think that's it.

What does writing on Zoom look like then, Do you start singing? Have somebody, you know, in another location on a guitar? Is it do you try and recreate that sort of physical writing, suppose environment remotely?

I mean, on both of those songs we had, Jimmy Robbins was writing with me on ‘Messy’, and he was kind of building a track as we went and he would send us clips. And much the same with ‘Show Me Around’, Ben West was kind of working on something, Emily Shackelton was playing piano, I was singing.

I have not had a lot of success with first time rights with people over Zoom. I think if you know what the person brings to the table, it's a lot easier to kind of just jump in and do it that way.

Yeah, I guess it’s hard to get to know someone over Zoom, and is much easier with some people you're familiar with?

That's at least for me. I'm sure other people have had a lot of success. I just, I need to be in the room.

It sounds like your most personal album. What was the what was the most difficult song for you to write the seven tracks?

It's definitely the most personal. I feel like I've always tried to write things that are personal. But, you know, I've cut a lot of outside songs in my career and this one is all me. And I would definitely say the hardest song to write was ‘29’. The title track that to me in essence has nothing to do with anybody else. It just is truly what happened to me during the making of this music. And it's it's pretty honest.

Was there any difference in what was difficult to write and then difficult to record, did you find it was harder actually to write down the vocals for any of the other tracks?

I need to get out and sing them live and then I'll figure out which ones are hard. I think they all were a little difficult in their own way. ‘Show Me Around’. Obviously, I wanted that vocal to be so perfect, yet I couldn't really get through it without crying because I also was realising Busbee wasn't on the other end listening like he always was. And so that one was hard. But I think it'll be interesting to see which ones evolve as to being like a little harder than the others.

Obviously a few of the songs are about your relationship with Michael. Were they harder to do?

I think they were difficult in different ways. I mean, I experienced a lot of loss during this time. And all of it was hard. It was hard to grieve. It all kind of felt like it all happened at once, which was difficult for me at the time. Which meant it was pretty difficult for me on a lot of levels. It felt like everything was crashing down at once.

You’ll be doing lots of interviews about the record now, and probably getting asked the same questions about the same songs. Do you find this kind of thing difficult to do or is it kind of just part of the job?

I mean, of course, it's difficult, but I have to say that I'm very excited about this music. I'm very proud of this music. I'm very hopeful for what this music is going to do for a lot of country music fans. And also, I just am proud of it as a writer and as somebody that really went after a sound that I feel like I created that. So I'm really excited.

I wanted to ask about ‘Liability’? It’s got such a clever central lyric, where did that come from?

I came into that write with the idea of “your lie ability is a liability to me”. And I think like that song was written in 45 minutes and what's funny is “fabricated”… we knew melodically we needed a four-syllable word and we went through so many words and I remember Shane throwing out fabricated and he's like “that’s that stupid” and I was like “no, it's great”. Those moments are fun, I remember that distinctively being a word that we were like, what can we put here?

 Carly’s new record, 29, is out now and streamable everywhere. If you want to find out more about Carly check out her website, or her Twitter and Instagram.