Having first crossed paths back in 2016 during a songwriting course, Louise Macphail and Kristin McFadden have openly celebrated the strength of their friendship ever since. Their musical journey as Prima Queen has flourished, marking a new era for the Transatlantic duo. They have undertaken a journey akin to those depicted in films, touring extensively and supporting acts such as Everything Everything, Wet Leg, The Big Moon, and others, with both their audiences and performance venues expanding each year. So, what better way to celebrate nearly a decade of companionship than by unveiling their most significant project yet? Following their 2023 EP ‘Not The Baby,’ Prima Queen’s newly launched debut album ‘The Prize’ showcases their talent for crafting intimate portrayals of life, love, and friendship; whether wandering through a field at Glastonbury or navigating the complexities of modern dating, it offers a rich (if occasionally chaotic) representation of their experiences thus far. To commemorate its release, the duo shares insights into how ‘The Prize’ came to fruition.
Congratulations on your debut album release! What emotions have you experienced leading up to it?
We often say that releasing music feels akin to revealing a long-held secret. There has been a whirlwind of feelings since it’s such a monumental moment for us. Tackling such a significant project for the first time can be quite daunting and overwhelming, but we take immense pride in what we've created and in letting go of that secret. This experience has been incredibly fulfilling, and we understand that nothing will ever compare to releasing one’s first album – so we’re focusing on being present and savoring it.
When do you think the journey for ‘The Prize’ truly began? You've mentioned that the album comprises songs from various years, but do you recall a specific moment when you knew the album's work had genuinely begun?
We’ve been envisioning ‘The Prize’ since our friendship began nearly a decade ago! From the moment we started writing together, we fantasized about what it would be like to release an album and we wanted to wait until we felt prepared (and confident that there would be interest). The album really began to take form after we released our EP in 2023. We had a few songs we knew needed to be included (like ‘Mexico,’ which we’ve performed live for years) but we also wanted to ensure the album felt like a unified collection. As we gathered songs, we recognized recurring themes of growth and empowerment that mirrored our personal journeys. We realized there were gaps in our narrative that led us to create tracks like ‘Flying Ant Day’ and ‘Sunshine Song.’ We wrote those songs during the summer of 2023, and you can definitely sense the summer vibe in them, making us excited for the album's spring release so that listeners can experience them as intended.
Did you enter the recording process with specific expectations or hopes? After releasing your ‘Not The Baby’ EP in 2023, did you consciously think about how you wanted to build on that release?
After touring our EP ‘Not The Baby,’ we reflected a lot on which songs we enjoyed performing live and how we desired the album to feel during performances. High-energy and fun shows that left audiences exhilarated inspired us significantly. This influenced our song selection for the album and its production. You can hear that energy in the upbeat tracks like ‘The Prize,’ ‘Oats,’ ‘Ugly,’ and ‘Fool,’ which we all love to play live. We wanted storytelling to remain central to the album while also aiming to create an entire world, which can be difficult with the constraints of an EP. Previously, we’d arranged our songs with the intention of performing them live with just two guitars, bass, and drums. However, creating an album for the first time allowed us to choose songs that didn’t necessarily need to be performed live or singles, granting us more creative freedom. For instance, we introduced ‘Sunshine Song’ as a simple, stripped-back piece and then decided to add a wild section in the middle with seven key changes and dramatic glitches, making it somewhat challenging to perform live. It was liberating to showcase different facets of our band, including both upbeat and more intimate and experimental sections.
Storytelling has always been fundamental to your work, and the album is clearly a compilation of stories and vignettes. How did you determine which stories to tell?
The title track ‘The Prize’ felt like a defining moment for us. The album had been completed for a year when we decided to enter the studio with our producer Steph [Marziano] just to craft another song for fun, and it seemed to effortlessly connect all the stories within the album. Many of the other tracks feel like rites of passage—songs that we felt compelled to write as they encapsulated universal emotions (like heartbreak, frustration, and the evolution of those feelings). You can hear younger versions of ourselves in some earlier songs, and intentionally, the tracks interact with
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A debut album a decade in the making, 'The Prize' showcases Transatlantic duo Prima Queen as they once more present their distinctive depictions of daily life, love, and all that lies in between.