Beth Seymour (Beth Seymour & The Lizzies – vocals / guitar / production)
SPB: You’re essentially releasing back-to-back albums this year. How did you choose that approach in getting these out to the public?
Seymour: There are a few reasons that I chose to release back-to-back albums within 3 months of each other this year. First, I locked myself away from the world for quite a while when I was beginning my transition because I just didn't want to be perceived. Now that I'm out in the world and making noise again, there's so much I have to say that I didn't get the chance to during that time. This is me making up for that lost time by giving as much of myself as possible while I have the fire in me to do it. There's plenty of that fire burning still, even after this!
Secondly, the two albums are two sides of the same coin. They were recorded simultaneously and tell one long story, with the first focusing on my breakdown and loss of identity, and the second focusing on my recovery and finding myself as a transgender woman. There was such a clear division in the songs that it made sense to present them this way as two individual, cohesive pieces of art that are still related.
Thirdly, I absolutely resent that bands are expected in the current industry to release single after single after single without ever releasing an album or, when you finally can, everyone's already heard 3/4 of it by the time it drops. I've been falling in love with albums my whole life and, as long as I've made music, it's how I've always wanted to deliver my art to the world. Again, as a cohesive piece of art. So, in getting the albums out to the public, the one-two punch of delivering them so close together helps them keep their urgency and represent the moment in time that they belong in, rather than another 12 months from now when I have more to say.
Finally, it's actually 3 albums! (haha). I also fully wrote, recorded, mixed and released the album "Hot For Hormones" by my other band, Hormones (with the full support and cooperation of my bandmates, obviously!). That came out in September. I've just had a lot to get off my chest!
