New Zealand Indie Darlings Womb on Sibling Band Dynamics and Music as Dreams

"The Wellington music scene has changed so much in the time we've been involved in it. It's pretty lucky being involved in such a small scene. We've met a lot of our best friends through the music scene" – there’s a humble pride to the way Charlotte Forrester, lead singer and guitarist for indie darlings Womb, waxes about the tight-knit yet robust community of bands and musicians in the New Zealand capital city.

That fluidity is felt even more within the band considering its remaining members are in fact, her twin brother Haz Forrester (on synth) and her sister Georgette Brown (on drums). Together, they cast a spell with a mood that gracefully toes the line between dream pop and grounded alt-folk, with a lo-fi sensitivity and psychedelic undertow that slowly engulfs the listener. It’s the equivalent of watching a flashbulb go off in slow motion, illuminating its subject totally while covering the periphery with burning embers and a cloud of smoke. Or better yet, of falling endlessly in a bottomless dream – wherever your mind goes, your ears will follow beguiled.

The band is currently in the midst of a nationwide tour around China with the help of Chengdu promoters Kiwese and alongside fellow Wellington act Strange Stains – known affectionately as the “Bogan Madonna of New Zealand.” The Wellington brigade will find a home at DDC this Saturday, Jul 13.

I chatted with Charlotte Forrester about how Womb found their specific sound, what it's like to perform with your siblings, and the visual treats that will accompany their music this weekend.

How did the tour come about? Are you guys excited? 
The tour came about kinda by happenstance. Our paths crossed with Kristen Ng's and then it all went from there! We are all extremely excited and still can't believe it's real!

The ideas surrounding our bodies, selfhood, and the bonds that we share seems to not only be expressed in your music but also in the band’s name. How did you settle on Womb? 
All those ideas surrounding embodiment and bodies definitely resonate. We settled on the name Womb, I think not only because we are siblings, but also just thinking of the womb and it being a symbol of life... Kinda the embodiment of life, in a way.

Your debut album Like Splitting the Head From the Body perfectly captures the feeling of being suspended in time. How did you capture that sound?
Thank you! That blurring between dreams and reality is definitely a vibe we like to tap into; songs being like a bridge between this world and someplace more ethereal. I'm not sure if it's something we think about how to actively create, it's more just what comes out in terms of what the songs are about and the instruments, especially Haz's synth, we're using. A lot of the music we listen to also embodies that dream-reality blur, like the Cocteau Twins, so I think we draw on what we're inspired by too.

Working with your siblings must have both its perks and its nuisances – how did you bring them into the fold and does making music together bring you closer as a family?
Initially, Womb was just me. I had it in my mind that I wanted to write and record an EP by myself, like a challenge. That's how the first EP came about. After that though, especially with live performance, I found myself at the limits of what I'd set out to do; I wanted to go further and couldn't really do so by myself. We all started playing together about four years ago, and it really is a magical experience making music with your siblings, or I guess anyone you're super connected to. It definitely feels there's a level of telepathy!

Visuals play a big part in both your music and your daily lives – how do you view the relationship between the two?
Visuals are definitely important for us not only as a band, but also in other aspects of our lives. Georgette is an artist, and Haz is too, even though he claims not to be. Because of this the visual world just merges into the sonic without us really being aware of it. We are super excited about the visuals for the tour, being lucky enough to have artists Laura Duffy and Christopher Ulutupu with us to live VJ!

You can catch Womb at DDC this Saturday, Jul 13 alongside fellow Kiwis Strange Stains, and local act Guiguisuisui. Tickets are RMB 100 on the door or RMB 80 advance. Click here for more information.

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Images courtesy of Womb