After releasing an album of live poetry back in June, Melbourne singer-songwriter Ruby Gill is building up to the release of her next musical collection, Fishing is not about fishing. In August, she released an early preview in the form of “Carol / not carol,” an engaging character sketch she wrote with her wife. “Carol likes the way the light looks/ When it’s heating up the dash,” that one begins. “Playing poker in the evenings/ She says we could use the extra cash.”
Another advance track is out now, and it, too, centers on a person’s name. According to Gill, “Jamie” is “a song about what is taken from us.” She adds, “I have so much now.” Slow, tender, and thoughtful, the song reminds me of Laura Marling in the graceful way it conveys heavy emotions. It sounds like a reflection on some traumatic experiences from Gill’s teenage years, with lines like “I was just a baby, Jamie” and “I wish you had listened to my mother in the driveway/ When she threatened to arrest you” and “Only as an adult/ Have I learned it doesn’t work/ To burn yourself to keep others warm.”
There’s a lot of turmoil in those words, but they’re delivered with poise and assurance. It’s a remarkable songwriting achievement and just as remarkable a performance. Listen below along with “Carol / not carol.”
Fishing is not about fishing is out 10/16.
