Spotlight On... Theo Bleak

Katie Lynch, aka Theo Bleak, released her debut EP Fragments last Friday. Its woozy, laid-back six tracks tackle everything from mental health and poor relationship choices to everyday mundanity as well as the way she's affected her family over the years. Lyrically, some of it is a hard listen, but musically it's breezy, light as a feather and simultaneously the perfect soundtrack to difficult days through the change in the seasons.

A week on from the EP's release, we shine a spotlight on Theo Bleak, with a very frank discussion about Fragments, her reason for creating Theo Bleak, and the difficult moments in her life which have led her to make this stunning record.

The Skinny: We’ve been a fan of your music for some time now, from your time in st.martiins to your new solo project as Theo Bleak. You describe Theo Bleak as a "character". Can you tell us more about "Theo Bleak" and the reason for creating this character to release your music through?
Katie Lynch: When I was writing songs, I realised how critical I was of myself and how often I wrote about myself in an exceptionally negative way. Creating Theo gave me an outlet to look at my life with more forgiving eyes. Theo was all the things I wanted to be because the character I had created felt so idealistic. I don’t much like myself but I like Theo so that makes it easier for me to release songs about my experiences. 

Can you tell us about some of the musical inspirations that have helped shape your debut EP as Theo Bleak?
My influences don’t just come from music as I want to create an atmosphere with this project. Musically, Jeff Buckley, Alexisonfire, Current Joys, Mk.Gee, Grouper, Anohni, Alex G, The Districts, Radiohead, Grandaddy, Pavement, Fog Lake and Loving have influenced me sonically. However, movies and the ‘feeling’ of visual things have also influenced Theo. I love a certain era of film: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Practical Magic, Contact, Romeo + Juliet and Twin Peaks. Someone said to me at a show that my music sounded like it would be in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I also love books and poems, so authors such as Mina Loy have influenced the style in which I write lyrics.

Image: Theo Bleak by Nathan Dunphy

You explore a lot of difficult themes across the record; can you tell us, in a bit more depth, about some of those?
I reached a point in 2019 where I genuinely felt like I’d destroyed my chance at life, like every decision I’d made had been the wrong one. I wrote the title track Fragments about the conversations I had with myself during that time. I felt chronically embarrassed about how I’d projected myself to the outside world and I definitely ended up in a type of self-inflicted solipsism. I’ve struggled with an eating disorder since I was very young and I think the EP ended up showing me how I’ve consistently punished myself in very dark ways. The general sentiment was that I could tape myself back together, even though I’d felt smashed into pieces.

I imagine it’s been quite a hard, but hopefully cathartic, experience pulling inspiration from all of these very personal issues. How have you found the process of using very personal experiences to shape your music?
I don’t think I’ll ever reach a pinnacle moment of clarity, or like I’ve fully healed from the past but I do feel grateful that I can perform as someone I respect, when I couldn’t respect myself. I definitely feel like I’ve created a world which is very personal to those who listen to me or watch me perform. I recognise that it is a privilege to immerse myself in music, though, because when I look back everything has changed.

As well as the debut EP, you’ve played a lot of live shows recently, including a run of dates with Joesef. What does the rest of 2022 hold for you?
I have been so lucky to tour with Joesef, it’s so wonderful to perform every night to new people in new places. I’m hoping the rest of 2022 will entail a lot of live performing, anywhere I can. I have a headline show on 2 June in Edinburgh (Sneaky Pete's) and a headline show on 4 June in Glasgow (Poetry Club). Besides that I have so much music to release and that will be my priority.

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Fragments is out now, available to stream in all the usual places; Theo Bleak plays Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, 2 Jun; SWG3's Poetry Club, Glasgow, 4 Jun

linktr.ee/theobleak