Fielded
Fielded’s Lindsay Powell carries forward a rightful reign of prominence & proliferation of pop progressions that helps us make sense of our worlds, ourselves, our consciousnesses, bodies & all the astrological/cosmic connections in-between. But this is not something that happened over night, but rather established out of the mercurial tides & trends where Powell has introduced an eclectic array of electronic-pop aesthetics that evolve & continue to be an influential force for both the underground/above-ground pop sects to reckon with. Presenting the world premiere of The Eclipse Single available now via Lindsay’s Universally Handsome imprint, the ambitious new Fielded couplet “I Want To” & “I Could Have” surveys yin & yang experiences with a psychic force. Like the electrically charged expressions on the Boy Angel EP & the Julian Fader & Carlos Hernandez produced “Tapioca” single—Fielded’s narrative is one that elaborates upon disciplines from musical models, styles, activism, humanitarian outreach & a mission of international femme empowerment. Here the ineffable arenas of joy & loss are illustrated in Powell’s arrangement of motifs that move within transformative patterns of meditation, introspection, feeling & song. Lindsay presented her new material with an introduction to a sophisticated & sincere survey of dualities that pertain to the polarity network channels between the glow of illumination & the absence witnessed when shades have been cosmically/personally cast:
The Eclipse Single is a meditation on non-attachment. I wrote, produced and recorded these songs in one day with the intention of releasing them along with the extremity of feelings that were caused by the Universal events of the past month. The first Eclipse taught me Love, the second Eclipse broke my Heart. Here are two of the same song with both the Light and Shadow perspective on a single situation.
Fielded’s The Eclipse Single hones in on the effects, insights, inspirations, impulses & so much more caused by planetary motions as they are experienced by the spirits & hearts that dwell upon Earth & elsewhere. “I Want To” responds to the changes brought about by the Lunar Eclipse where the opportunities for infinite renewal rain down in an ambitious outpour of expressions that spells out the epitome of exhilaration. Powell’s reiterations of epiphanies that pertain to life, love & the connection between others & our worlds congregate in Lindsay’s own sophisticated stitch pattern of styles & sensibilities of heart, mind & the indefatigable spirit. Fielded unveils an intimacy that occurs in blissful benedictions that spring forth from inner reactions & rise up in lyrical litanies like, “I want to give today, a love that is pure” that seeks a standard of an indescribable sort of love for surrounding environments. “I Want To” exhibits the reluctance of opening one’s heart to new intuitive inspirations about the world & the self that are spelled out through a language of future-forward music to dance to, think & feel along with—all in time to the delivery of botanical beats & life affirming lyrics.
The flipside of Fielded’s The Eclipse Single shares the emotive undercurrents of planetary motions with the introspective illustrations heard & felt on “I Could Have”. Affected by the Solar Eclipse, Lindsay’s maudlin synths signals an opposite rendering of the previous incarnation of the single where notions of want are turned into the coldness of could where the tangible is obscured by the hurt caused by self-sabotage & the antagonists who perpetuate heteronormative and patriarchal constructs & all sorts of outdated conventions. The solar burns of “I Could Have” runs a strange parallel set of lines against the lunar liberation heard on “I Want To”, where the moonlit beams of reflected light are traded with sunburned spotlights cast on failed & faulty systems that still seek to save their long cast shadow of dominance over all, as their own kingdoms feel threatened by the mobilized & vocal advances of the enlightened. Fielded examines the resonance of how identity of societal roles continues to influence ourselves, working to isolate these antiquated & obsolete ideas as constructs as a way to better understand who we are, how we become who we are & how we become the person we want to be. Through Powell’s meditations on the struggle to control with whole heart the self & their interactions with their universes; the stalemates & circular reasoning perpetuated by the ancient orders from the globe’s collective patriarchy are indicated by funereal, cathedral organ synths that sends out a requiem for the manufactured self, made to resemble the demands & expectations of someone else. The former offers a chance out between the societal hold on identity where an ineffable idea of love materializes in myriad possibilities that moves outward, inward & then outward again in a continuous bouncing pulse rhythm of natural harmonies. The latter underlines the opposite of that energy, where the alternative to living for yourself is expressed in uneasy emotions that arrive with tackling the terms of obfuscated truths & their impact.
Lindsay Powell of Fielded & operator of Universally Handsome caught up with us this week in the following candid interview conversation on the inspirations behind her new music, the future, getting involved & hopes for tomorrow & more featured in the following interview:
Describe the meditative approaches that were your response to all of the universe’s cycles that would inform The Eclipse Single.
For many, this summer was full of Lunar, Solar and Mercurial wonder. I was born on August 19, and this year I turned thirty. We experienced two eclipses that served as bookends to my entrance into a new decade of my life; partial Lunar Eclipse on August 7 in Aquarius, Total Solar Eclipse on August 21 in Leo. Not to mention Mercury Retrograde, which began on August 13, just now stationing direct on September 5.
I went and am still going through some intense life lessons, and when I feel powerless or alone, I choose to meditate on what I might learn from both the places beyond our reach and the places within our selves.
I’ll spare the details of the personal events in my life that took place within this condensed period of time, as they may become obvious in one’s consideration of these songs. But let’s just say my process began with simple questions and literal meditation. Since becoming sober, I can’t run from my feelings like I used to and I used to love to run from my feelings. So I sat with my pain, I sat with my hope, and my heartbreak, and in stillness I waited to see what messages came to me.
Walk us through the love & heartbreak dichotomies that gave rise to “I Want To” & “I Could Have”.
I considered that the Lunar Eclipse may have opened me up, as the moon is about what is beneath, our Shadow—which isn’t always scary, sometimes it’s the best pieces of ourselves that we’ve buried because they’ve been rejected time and time again. I opened up to Love in a big way this summer; Self-love, Universal Love, Romantic Love. I tried in a way I haven’t tried in a long time, and I allowed myself to be seen, truly, for the first time in years. But I’m still human, and a self-saboteur extraordinaire. So all of the love I felt was suddenly being met with equal parts fear and anxiety.
I wanted to find a way to encourage myself to challenge the fear, and the saboteur, because those are usually just stories we’ve told ourselves over and over to either push away what we want the most and/or to protect us from getting hurt. Neither of these things are bad, in a way it’s sweet to think of fear and anxiety as our little protectors, but there is a time to stand up to them and say, Hey, it’s cool, I’m a grown up now, and I’m safe in my body and my mind isn’t scary. So I wrote “I Want To” as a reminder that life is worth living, people are worth loving, and there are things to look forward to.
I considered that the Solar Eclipse was a moment of focus; What in my current life feels outdated or unnecessary? What am I still in need of? Someone told me the Solar Eclipse might sort of aggressively remove from our lives those things that are not meant to be there. And it just so happened I fell flat on my emotional ass that week. I wanted to find a way to honor what I was mourning, both the loss of something with someone that felt beautiful and alive but also all of the heteronormative and patriarchal undertones that rise when we, millennial women, are being faced with our own attempt to control romantic love. I wrote “I Could Have” to honor the woman in me driven by control, societal formula and outdated romantic beliefs. May she find other ways to feel empowered and important as an independent and wild person…she is/was merely an idea of a woman I never came to be.
Who & what has brought both guidance & inspiration & light to your world lately?
A lot of friends have brought guidance and inspiration to my life. I am moving into a place in my life where old friends are becoming family, and I am so thankful for that. I am mostly inspired by their compassion for others as well as passion for their own work. Therapy has been hugely transformative. Simple movement often offers me guidance, whether it be stretching or beating the shit out of a boxing bag. Meditation. Seeing RP Boo do a set in Chicago honestly made me cry I was so inspired. “Claws” is a show that I found to be really uplifting during a moment when I was having a hard time getting out of bed. And, honestly, as far as people I see on social media and go, okay! HELL YES, GIRL–Kehlani, Cardi B, Niecey Nash, Chani Nicholas, Lindsay Mack (Wild Soul Healing) and for a good laugh—Lauren Lapkus.
Activism that is a must right now?
I’ll begin by saying this: I acknowledge that I do not have the answer to what form of activism is most important to each individual, as we all have our own identities, stories traumas and beliefs. However, there are larger themes and ideas that are important to consider and support for me right now, i.e. Racism is very wrong and needs to be called out; White Supremacy is very bad; White privilege is real and as white people we need to use said privilege to fight white supremacy and in turn do our part to create equality; Nazis are bad and need to be told that their beliefs are wrong; Rape Culture needs to be called out; Intersectional Feminism is crucial (otherwise it isn’t feminism); No human being is illegal; Our President is mentally ill, rich, and white which somehow qualifies him as powerful and entertaining versus unfit for office and dangerous—which is what he is. But all of this feels like part of an even bigger conversation: Capitalism is the worst and our system is broken.
I also acknowledge that I always need to take my own advice, and that being Awake is a lifetime achievement, and there is always room for more empathy and growth. We will always make mistakes, but to learn from them allows us to move forward as individuals so that we can in turn move forward as a society. But people are afraid of making mistakes.
I think it’s important to dig deep right now and ask one’s self, how am I valuable in helping my fellow human being right now? No one is powerless. People are afraid of getting involved with politics but silence is absolutely a form of violence. This isn’t a time of complacency. Find a community with whom you feel safe and strong. The people who want to fight and resist the things that you feel are wrong within our World are out there, you just need to find them—this is where the internet is amazing. Remember that everyone is struggling in one way or another. Find a way to support others with your strengths where they might feel weak, and if they are safe and kind they will do the same for you. Keep that sort of energy flowing. Like a puzzle.
I mean, the bottom line for me right now is to Stand Up for Human Rights. Communicate, Listen, Consider, Question, Discuss, Move Forward. Get off of your computer and take it to your local community. It takes effort, it is hard. And Patience is Everything. But you are not alone.
How do you feel people can be more active in their own community?
It all begins with self-care. Self-care is a form of activism. Taking care of yourself means that you love yourself, and when you love yourself that vibration spreads. Loving and fully knowing yourself allows you to love and know others more deeply. If you are stressed, give yourself the gift of a release: exercise or a self-defense class if that is available to you in your body, or perhaps a community acupuncture or some sliding-scale energy work. Try therapy. It can be free through certain organizations; try googling sliding scale therapy and the name of your town or closest city. Eat the food that makes you feel good. Remember that if you are not feeling strong, it’s very hard for you to be strong for other people. The better you know yourself the more you know what to say and do in the face of adversity. That sounds like a beautiful world to me.
Say hello to your neighbors. Get to know them. Buy local if you can. Support inclusive spaces, artists, festivals, etc. Support your local chapter of Black Lives Matter.
If you have money and/or a platform, support Women and PoC doing the damn work to not only create and support their own passion but who are also up against the challenges that come with societal bias. You can also support and offer both to organizations, individuals and/or artists that you believe in who are doing amazing work for marginalized people everyday.
If you have time and the ability, volunteer within your community. If you are angry, protest. Be with people in safe spaces as a safe person. Show up for your friends and the people who need and depend on you. Speak up against people’s ignorance. Sometimes they don’t realize that what they’ve been taught is not actually what they believe on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes, it’s only a matter of conversation.
I also think listening is an incredibly important form of activism right now. We have all become less attuned to the art of listening deeply and fully given technological crutches. We could all offer more support by learning to be more thorough and engaged listeners.
What else is in the works from your Universally Handsome imprint/empire?
I’d love for Universally Handsome to be the imprint of my dreams but it’s a matter of patience and finding a way to financially support it. I want to be able to release the music of strong artists that I believe in and want to offer a platform to. I want them to release the clothing they feel speaks to their personal style, I want young femme artists to be able to come to someone at U.H. for advice and guidance on navigating the music industry. I get impatient, but I know funding/expansion will come. As with all things, the more you study and listen the better your ideas and decisions.
As far as Fielded is concerned, there’s a lot going on. I have an acoustic EP in the works that I’ll be releasing via Universally Handsome next month. I am about to release a music video for a single off of my new full-length album, which is being mixed and mastered this month. I’m very excited about this record. I’m not sure exactly how I’ll be releasing it at the moment but whatever form it takes it will be a fighter, that’s for sure!
Prayers, hymns & meditations for our collective futures?
Boundaries are your best friend!
Be kind to yourselves.
Have empathy for your own mistakes so that you may have empathy for others.
Keep the lesson, let go of the pain.
Growth is constant and transitions are hard, so find a grounding and meditative activity that helps you speak to the deepest level of your spirit every once in a while.
Look out for one another, stay safe…and laugh a lot!
Fielded’s The Eclipse Single is available now via Bandcamp.
Follow Fielded via Instagram.
