At the height of the pandemic Julie Kathryn left New York City, moving to northern Westchester County. While the musician, who makes music under the name I AM SNOW ANGEL, has been more isolated at times in the past – see her solo writing session in a log cabin in the Adirondacks, surrounded by 44 inches of snow – relocating to the Hudson Valley gave her a renewed sense of space.
It was there, where she cared for her infant son during the day and allowed her mind to wander and explore at night, that she crafted the songs that would become her new album Lost World.
1. How did you come up with the name I AM SNOW ANGEL? Back in 2012, I began producing my own tracks and exploring the realm of dream-pop electronic-based music. The name “I AM SNOW ANGEL” came to me organically – it seemed like a fitting name for the music I was creating. I’d been a singer-songwriter for years but this new music was different. It felt wintery and otherworldly. I’m very connected to winter. I grew up in Lake Placid, out in the middle of nowhere, so I’m at home in the snow. And I’m often drawn to spiritual imagery, so “angel” felt natural too.
2. What kind of creative impulse do you think you got from motherhood? How did that change your way of making art? Motherhood has been both a blessing and challenge for my creativity. My worldview has expanded a bit. It feels amazing to have such a pure, unconditional love in my life, and to be able to write about it. But also, my creative time is so limited now. The time limitations have forced me to be more efficient. Being able to make music at all feels like a gift. I have a newfound gratitude for my creative life.
3. How is this new record different or unique from your previous work?
Lost World is the first full-length album I’ve created as a mother. In this new phase of life, I’ve definitely noticed a difference in my emotional depth and capacity, and I think that translates to my songwriting. There are more facets to my creativity now; a song can be dark and dystopian, but still have a hopeful tinge at the same time. This album feels more mature and multifaceted than my previous work.
4. Your prior two albums were more in the ambient realm, how was the writing process different for Lost World? What are some of the inspirations for it lyrically?
Lost World is definitely a return to more conventional songwriting for me after the ambient EPs that I put out in 2021 (elegy and Falling Down To The Earth). For the first year of motherhood, I was in a haze. I was drawn to making meditative, ambient sounds. In the second year, I was ready to dive back in again and express myself through lyrics, vocals, and more complex storylines. For this album, I collaborated with Charles Newman and JJ Appleton on three of the tracks – “You’ve Been Telling Lies”, “Twisted Romance”, and “ Lost World”. We did everything remotely, sending material back and forth between the three of us. I found the process inspiring and fun. After so much isolation, working with other musicians was refreshing. I wrote and produced the rest of the songs on my own. Some of them – like “Tom” – didn’t require a lot of editing or re-writing. That one kind of just showed up, almost fully formed. It’s about re-living a past relationship over and over in my mind like a repetitive dream on loop. Writing and recording this music was my emotional and spiritual lifeline during the pandemic. I was inspired by the loss and sadness that we’ve all experienced during recent times, but there are also hopeful notes throughout the album.
5. What are you trying to achieve as an artist? That’s a good question! For me, making music is like an itch I need to scratch. I feel compelled to do it, and I feel unbalanced when I’m not able to for any length of time. So my primary goal is always to satisfy that compulsion, to feel complete as an artist, and to indulge my artistry to the fullest extent possible. And in the process, I’d like to reach as many people as I can and provide listeners with an emotional release, a dark fantasy, an escape, a sense of hope, or many of these things all at once.
6. What’s an artist you think shaped your creativity the most? This is also a great question, and actually a hard one to answer. I’ve been deeply inspired by David Lynch at different points in my creative journey. I am in awe of his ability to manifest his visions, to create these entire warped universes, and to (seemingly) not care about whether it all makes sense to those who are consuming his art. Over time, I’ve learned that making art is less about pleasing others and more about trusting my creative instincts.
