Princess Century – AmeliasMagazine

Tasseomancy by Casey Otremba.

The debut album from Canadian twins Tasseomancy (meaning divination of the future in tea leaves, adiposity coffee grounds or wine sediments) is out on Turf Records at the end of August. Ulalume features the same beautiful vocals as Sari and Romy Lightman‘s former outfit Ghost Bees, try but for their Tasseomancy incarnation they have embraced a new gothic intensity. Sari answered my questions.

Tasseomancy by Rachel Fujii.

Why did Ghost Bees become Tasseomancy? What’s changed and why did that need to happen?
We felt like we had outgrown Ghost Bees. Our band was changing from a folk duo to a fuller, more ambient sound, experimenting with pedals and noise. That’s the direction we’re still going in.

Tasseomancy press shot

How would you describe your music? Who writes the lyrics and what inspires those?
We both write the lyrics, but separately. Half the record are Romy’s songs, and the other half are mine. We’re inspired by Japanese folk music, by eastern percussion and melody, and also by contemporary artists – like Timber Timbre, who are utilising technology with older, more traditional forms. It creates a timelessness in their music that both of us are into. My lyrics are often inspired by writers. A lot of my inspiration for this record came from a book of poetry called Poland/1931, by Jerome Rothenberg.

Tasseomancy by Casey Otremba.

How has being twins affected your creativity? Do you have any of that mythical twin 6th sense?
Being twins has definitely affected our dynamic as a band. There’s a lot of intuition that exists between us. Working with someone you knows you in such an inexplicable way has it’s strengths and also it’s weaknesses.

Tasseomancy-Illustration-by-Melissa-Kime
Tasseomancy by Melissa Kime.

Was there ever any question that you would make music together? Any other possible careers that have fallen by the wayside?
We’re very different people, and I’m sure we’ll both pursue other creative pursuits in our lives. I really like to write, and Romy is very visually inclined.

Ulalume_by_scott_waldron
Ulalume by Scott Waldron.

You also tour as part of Austra – how does this partnership work? Are you all friends and do you work together on other projects as well?
We’ve been friends with Katie Stelmanis and Maya Postepski for a long time now. We actually met them on a dock by in the ocean in Nova Scotia, where I organized a show for us to play together in our separate projects at the time at an all girls surf school. We get along really well, and both Katie and Maya have performed in Tasseomancy for a few performances. Currently, we’re collaborating with Maya for a string of shows we’ll be doing under as Tasseomancy featuring Princess Century (Maya’s solo project). She also made a remix for one of our songs, Heavy Sleep.

Heavy Sleep

You will be releasing the album on a specially commissioned candlestick and matchbook set – how does this work and what inspired the idea?
Our UK label, Turf Records, asked us to release our music with any medium we could think of. We both thought of the candle, as it enhances the experience of listening to music when you create an atmosphere to go along with it. Candlelight is a good lighting.

Tasseomancy girls

When and where will you be playing next in the UK?
We’re playing our release show on Tuesday 30th August at the Camp Basement. It will be our first time in the UK playing with a band. Maya will be joining us on drums and synth, plus, expect special guests!

Soft Feet