New York City’s November Girl sound is both haunting and heartfelt. Blending dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes with emotive lyrics, the band is emerging as a standout in the indie music scene with the release of their debut EP, “Heart Prayer.” Formed in 2021, this dynamic four-member band features Willa Rudolph on vocals and guitar, Billy Flanagan on lead guitar, Dylan Davis on bass, and Philip Brand on drums.
Released independently on September 6th, “Heart Prayer” was celebrated with a launch party the following night in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where the band treated attendees to a performance of their new material.
In an interview with Basta, Rudolph shared insights into the creative process behind the EP and the band’s evolution.
Willa Rudolph: November Girl formed in 2021, after Billy and I decided to post about looking for a bassist and a drummer. We’d made a handful of songs together over quarantine, and it was my dream to play with a full band. Dylan and Phil were the first musicians we played with, and it all just clicked.
The name “Heart Prayer” literally just came to me, as have pretty much any of our titles, and I knew that would be the name. It just encompasses completely what the record is. It’s a prayer, a spell, a poem, from the heart.
B: When I listened to the EP, it really reminded me of '90s Alternative Rock, like Slowdive and the Breeders. If you could collaborate with any '90s artist, who would it be? What would the song be called?
WR: If I could collaborate with any ‘90s artist right now, and I feel like this answer changes, it would be No Doubt / Gwen Stefani. The song would be called “Valley Girl.”
B: The music in the EP has a dreamlike nature. How do you craft soundscapes that blur the line between reality and dream states in your songs?
WR: I think this would be credited to Billy, who composes most of the music. His guitar style can be very dreamy. The first iteration of our music together was even more bedroom-y and hazy. Otherwise, the lyrics I write are just very dreamlike. I like things to be weird, unusual, and unexpected in my lyrics.
B: If “Heart Prayer“ were the soundtrack to a movie, what film would it be, and what would be happening on screen?
WR: I think “Heart Prayer” would be the backdrop to a coming-of-age movie set in the summer – breaking rules, getting in trouble, feeling lonely while being in a group of people, loving your friends, getting your heart broken, skinny dipping, going to rock shows that get shut down by the cops, that kinda thing.
B: What's your favorite song on the EP? Why?
WR: Right now it’s “Clover.” It just gets stuck in my head, and I’m proud of the lyrics I wrote.
B: How do you translate synesthetic experiences into your music production?
WR: My band will tell you, I describe things so un-technically, all with feeling and vibe and visual comparisons, and then we have to translate that into actual concrete music. I’m blessed that my band understands me when I say, “Make that more muddy and doomy,” or “Can this be more beachy and salty?”
B: If "Heart Prayer" were a physical space, what would it look like and what unusual objects would we find there?
WR: “Heart Prayer” would be an altar. It would be an old vintage dresser, paint chipping off the wood. The top of the dresser would have candle wax drips, a spell book and some journals, bells, crystals, and a box of hair clips with an empty old vile that used to have cocaine in it years ago; you just never threw it away. It would have a jewelry box with old letters, tchotchkes collected from various times over the years, a family photo, and one of you with your friends. A long silver necklace draped across a seashell is used as a dish for your rings and run-away quarters. Guitar picks and some random lists. Eye drops, a rolling tray, and an old ticket from a concert you went to with a past situationship. A mirror of course, as this is where your worship takes place.
B: If your music could magically solve one minor inconvenience in the world, what problem would "Heart Prayer" fix?
WR: I’m trying to think which minor inconvenience I’d most want to be solved. I’m trying to think of something really insignificant. Maybe it would get you home after a long night when the trains are taking too long. You’d just be able to float all the way home if you put on “Heart Prayer.” Yeah, that’d be it.
B: What's next? What can we look out for?
WR: A music video is coming soon for one of the songs on “Heart Prayer.” We’re also writing again! And we want to release more music as soon as possible.
Listen to their new album, Heart Prayer.
November Girl Show Photographs by : Layla Blue Rudolph and Cat Marchenko
Interview by Katie Kern for November Girl