Start Listening To: Naima Bock

Ex Goat Girls bass player goes on a folk music odyssey through the mists of time on her debut album, Giant Palm.

Naima Bock's music has deep historical roots. Naima, raised in South-East London after being born in Glastonbury to a Brazilian father and a Greek mother, spent her early years there before returning to England. Naima's music draws from family, the environment, and the transmission of music through the generations. It includes Brazilian standards that the family would listen to while travelling to the beach, European folk traditions she tapped into, and current interests like archaeology studies, gardening, and hiking the world's great trails. Her debut album Giant Palm is out now on Sub Pop Records.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

My names Naima Bock, I’m from London. Confidently saying what kind of music I make might be a bit too much of a stretch for my brain but I can say that my music is inspired by a mix of Brazilian Bossa classics (without sounding like that at all), British and Irish folk plus a big dollop indie pop (I know it sounds less cool).

What’s it like releasing music as a solo artist?

It's been challenging and scary so therefore very rewarding. Like a lot of musicians (not all) putting myself out there doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve had to go against some of my shyer instincts and instead I’ve been learning how to perform in-front of people, how to sing LOUD and how to do this honestly whilst combining it with deeply personal and emotional world of music (which can often be an intimate and quiet space). This year has been a bit of a ride and playing a lot of shows solo increased my confidence a lot but it continues to be something and hopefully will be something that I am always learning.

We loved your debut album Giant Palm. How are you feeling about it now that it’s been out in the world a while?

It feels great and sad, once something like that is out there it isn’t yours anymore and that release can be a little painful. At the same time, it fills me with joy to think that someone could relate to those songs and perhaps they’ll help them in a way that my favourite musicians have been there holding my hand since I was young.

What is the background story of the album title?

There isn’t a great story unfortunately, we were going to call the album ‘God, or whatever’ but it didn’t quite land right so we settled on the song name of ‘Giant Palm’ as it evoked a bit more imagery.

How was your recent tour? What was it like playing the ICA?

The tour was very good, it was our first time being driven by a tour manager; Sam Tucker from Yuppies music. He increased the positivity ten fold and is a very hardy man who never complains even when the drives are tough. Having him there instead of us driving ourselves around meant we weren’t so tired and so the shows went well! All the folk that came down in each city were very sweet and loving people, it was fun. I think the funnest tour I’ve ever been on.

Can you tell us more about how you produce your music?

If you mean songwriting, yes. The actual production of the album was by Joel Burton. In terms of songwriting… for me its a very slow process, there’s absolutely no force in it. I could never sit down intentionally to write a song, its more like they would float around in my head for a while and if I could remember the melody and lyrics then I would consider it a song worth expanding. If the melody isn’t memorable then I wouldn’t pursue the song and let it go. It normally takes months for me to know what the song asks for and then I’ll go through months of not writing any music and just honing in on lyrics and parts for songs already written. I consider myself lucky because I don’t allow for anxiety to come when I don’t feel inspired or have the motivation to write, I’ve learnt to respect it and know that its my soul asking me to do something different.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s important to you?

The Radha Krsna Temple (London) album, produced by George Harrison performed by the Hare Krishnas at the temple in London. You can still go and eat lunch there, its called ISCKON just off Tottenham Court Road. Strange location for it but weirdly appropriate as you go from chaos to this loving peace that surrounds the place. I don’t know if I could say why its so important to me but I first heard it as a young teenager and I think it expanded what my notion of music was. I didn’t know much about spiritual music but with its freedom and ecstatic feeling it touched me deeply. I still listen to it whenever I need to introduce those elements back into my life, to tap back into joy.

Is there any new music from 2022 you have been enjoying?

Loads!

This whole year has been incredible for new music. There was the Big Thief album ‘Dragon new warm mountain, I believe in you’, the Aldous Harding album ‘Warm Chris’ which is one of my favourite albums hands down. ‘Gold’ by Alabaster De Plume, particularly the song ‘I will not be safe’. ‘Good and Green again’ by Jake Xerxes Fussell, ‘Centrifics’ by Marina Allen. ‘When it comes’ by Dana Gavanski, Alex G’s ‘Cross the sea’, Sorry’s ‘Anywhere but here’… also, not technically an album from this year but the reissue of Soy Un Caballo’s album ‘Les Heures de raison’ I’ve listened to on repeat.

How have your parents influenced your music?

Both of my parents love music, in particular my dad. When we lived in Brazil he was working as a sound engineer in a studio in Sao Paulo, I would spend days there as a little kid running around. At the time I didn’t really understand what it was but I’m sure it went in somehow, being surrounded by the instruments, equipment etc. I also was asked to do some singing for adverts on Brazilian TV when I was very little, I found the recordings the other day! My dad played guitar so that was always going on in the house and when I was 9 or 10 he tried to teach me to sing harmonies, the first one I remember being to The Beatles song ‘Because’ which was quite ambitious of him considering me and my friends still can’t quite get that one today.

What advice would you give for anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to your music?

A friend gave me a great analogy which helped me a lot in considering what I would do differently for my next record. They said that the artist (this is applicable for any artistic or creative endeavour but the negative of which happens to musicians often) is like the source of stream and the listener is the sea. You want the flow of the stream to be as uninterrupted as possible in order for the listened or receiver to be able to understand and therefore connect to the person that is creating the ‘thing’. At times, a lack of trust in oneself can lead to dams (other people) being put up along that stream, the flow gets diverted once or twice, thats okay and can make it more interesting but if there are too many blockages (others opinions) then the trickle into the sea is weak. The connection from person to person can be lost, in the same way you want to connect with someone when talking to them but having dozens of voices in-between the two of you makes it harder and means you have to shout. I know this is a little abstract to use a metaphor but it helped me visualise my intention when I make music and I know that the music I love the most is hopefully a reasonably unadulterated expression of that person. Each person symbolises all of us, so to listen and feel one persons emotions or spirit is to connect to everyones, in some way. I’m not saying that this is what I’ve done, as music is an art that gets dissipated and diluted with endless opinions (this can of course be very helpful at times) but to stand confidently and say no, this is what I mean, is brave. Regardless of the outcome, whether it’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’, as long as it is honest, it will help someone who needs it.

What do you love right now?

At the moment I come in and out of loving. I wrote something in my diary the other day when I was feeling a lack of a sense of home and I think that probably (if somewhat un-poetically) expresses what I love. It reminded me that I didn’t need a permanent physical place to call home and that I am home in all of these, as these are the places that I feel safe.

‘I sang last night that I wanted to be somewhere that I didn’t have to try, as I get tired. I live in the coffee and cigarettes that I consumer in the in-between places of the day, in playing my guitar, in humming quietly, in having a shower, in saunas and plunge pools, in climbing waterfalls, in jumping over waves, in walking the way, in driving to Somerset, in arriving to the woods, in temezcals. I live there and in all of the places in between but rarely do I live with people. Occasionally, I live in laughter when the electricity is right, or with my parents when we talk for hours, or with my best friend when we have tea on her doorstep but this year mostly I have lived on trains and in the fields that I pass by whilst on them’.

I have to forget love in order to be reminded daily of the presence of it all around us, maybe its called gratitude. So, the answer to that question would be I love where I live right now, nowhere and everywhere!

Plus there are a bunch of great movies out at the moment.

What do you hate right now?

Lack of compassion.

Is there a particular place in the world you would love to play a gig one day?

I’d like to play in Brazil so my grandparents can see me, I’d also love to go back to Japan. And I’d like to play New Zealand with the band, our drummer Cassidy is from there.