Andreya Casablanca: “Making music was the one thing that felt familiar to me”

In 2016, the world seemed to belong to Andreya Casablanca. As one half of the garage rock duo Gurr, alongside Laura Lee, Casablanca was touring constantly, their music lauded by critics and fans worldwide. And then, just like that, it all came to an end in 2020. The duo went on an indefinite hiatus. Her bandmate was quick to release solo music, but on Casablanca’s side everything seemed ominously quiet. It was a time, she says now, that the artist spent reflecting on what had transpired, dealing with her rise to the top and contemplating what to do next.

Fast forward four years and Casablanca is breaking her musical silence with her debut See More Glass, a record filled with vulnerability and emotion. Leaving behind her rock‘n’roll past (and sound) Casablanca now takes on more electronic and 80s pop sounds, creating a daring and experimental body of work. It’s a record that allows her to open up and express herself, her artistic resurrection and her journey back into the limelight.

The record is about looking for new patterns or new ways after feeling really lost. It’s about grief in a way but also about optimism.

Let’s start from the beginning. You were doing really well with Gurr, and then it ended. What happened?

We were doing a lot, and I noticed that I was starting to feel worse. It was just getting too much. We had agreed to go on a break because I just needed some rest. My nervous system was just a mess. And then when we decided we were taking this break, Covid started. I was in LA at the time, and I had to take a plane back, and then, I don’t know, it’s just that I had to deal with so much personal stress and stuff happening at the same time. After a while, we just decided that we were gonna focus on our own projects and set up our lives a bit differently, so it’s better for our preferences and mental health.

Looking back, how do you feel about that time?

I feel like there’s no better way I could have spent my twenties. But when I think about it, it’s more like we were pushing the gas pedal and never stopping. It was just so weird. Every month, there was just something else happening. And then after a while, I think I was just really not in touch with myself anymore. And that shows up in your body. During that time, I didn’t see the point of making and releasing music. It felt so pointless to me and so narcissistic. I just wanted to do something else. I was like, what else is there in life?

I had no idea because I’d been busy all the time, so I just decided to spend time working on my relationships, exercising and picking up hobbies, like playing baseball and knitting, getting into swimming and skateboarding.

How does it feel being on your own now, emotionally?

Like a full on mental breakdown (laughs). It’s different and you don’t even realise it. I was a little bit naive because I really underestimated how many decisions are suddenly just on me and how much it helps to have another person to carry responsibility or the financial or creative [aspects], or whatever. In the end, I have to stand behind whatever is coming out. It’s a really hard process. That’s also why it took a while for me to really be ready to [release this album], because I realised I needed longer to process certain things. Like, do I like this track? Do I feel ready?

I really wanted to continue doing music because it was the one thing that felt familiar to me. I feel like there was always something not letting me finish it. I don’t want to overshare, but I think there were a lot of things that I hadn’t dealt with in my twenties that were showing up, and I was like, okay, I need to deal with these topics, like, in therapy and by finding a new base.

So every time I would start making music, I would get so sucked into the work. I was really a workaholic, so I had to slow down. It’s almost hilarious. I’ve been telling people forever that I’m working on an album, but I’m not putting it out. A year and a half ago or so, I worked with [Jan] Philipp Janzen, who plays in Die Sterne, and we found this workflow that was good for me. We would send emails and meet up in the studio for a couple of days. When I heard his mixes and the master tracks, I think something changed for me. I just freaked out, it was so cool. It lit a fire in me and I was like, okay, now I really want to do this.

What themes are you dealing with on that record?

When I was writing a track-by-track for the press release, I noticed that the record is about looking for new patterns or new ways after feeling really lost. It’s about grief in a way but also about optimism. And then there’s also a whole bunch about dating, which I don’t understand why it’s in there. I was like, damn, what is going on with me? I never really participated in hookup culture, but there was a moment where I felt like, damn, I really feel like I just want to have fun, but I’m too scared to do it. And then I did it, and I was like, okay, that’s pretty cool. Now I have a crush on a person I will never see again.

I just freaked out, it was so cool. It lit a fire in me and I was like, okay, now I really want to do this.

There was a lot of stuff that was also really painful and uncomfortable for me. It’s kind of crazy to me that I released [these songs]. I was actually really worried about playing them live. I was playing a track with the band that was hard for me to hear, and I was like, I can’t do this. But now I have a more detached relationship to it, which is great that I can deal with these painful memories. You don’t have to suppress them or want to throw them away, but you can live with it and see it from a different perspective.

‘Pick up your phone’ I recorded when I was in LA when Covid started, and it always reminded me of that time, but now it feels so good to me. And there’s ‘Lose Somebody’. I was so stressed, and so ambitious, and so hard on myself and hard on the people around me that I didn’t even know how to emotionally regulate myself. I wrote the track after I realised I was in this really crazy mood. And I didn’t know what this was and how deep that actually was until two years ago.

What else does the future hold for you?

More music, fun tours, collaborations. And there’s gonna be more shows this year that are not announced yet, and next year probably. I have to be honest. In the beginning, I was super scared because I think touring is a big part of burning out. So I knew from the beginning that I don’t want to tour all the time. But now I’ve been practising with my band, and I feel super happy, and I’m looking forward to it. With Gurr, the live show was such a big part of how I put out music. I feel like I need to perform live to give people the feeling that I want to give them.

Do you expect fans of Gurr to follow you?

Well, I am the girl from… I mean, that is part of me. And if people are also enjoying this music and are fans of both, that’s great.