Sisters doing it for themselves

BRENDAN CRABB


COUNTRY music stars The McClymonts will officially release their debut album Chaos and Bright Lights in the USA in May.

The Grafton-based sister trio will also travel to the country that month for a two-month promotional tour, but youngest member Mollie, 22, said that even if things don’t work out, she’ll have her siblings Brooke (28) and Samantha (24) to lean on.

“It’s pretty exciting,” co-vocalist/mandolin player Mollie said. “If things don’t take off we can lend support to each other. We have no expectations; we’re just going in with a positive attitude.”

While only receiving an American release this year, Chaos and Bright Lights was initially released in Australia in late 2007 and the band released their new full-length Wrapped Up Good last month.

The new album was written and recorded in Nashville and according to Mollie was a significant step up from their debut.

“We worked with Nathan Chapman, who is Taylor Swift’s producer and it was a great experience. The songs are mostly upbeat, happy and reflect our lives and getting married... it’s a real feel good album. “We didn’t intend to write it that way, it just happened. We’ve just grown up and changed a lot as three people and the songs are a bit more mature. Musically, it’s quite the same, but the writing makes it a little different.”

With many sections of the music industry in freefall due to illegal downloading, the future appears bleak for record labels and many up-and-coming acts. Mollie didn’t seem too fazed about this development though.

“I don’t think it’s affected country music that much, because I think fans want the finished product. I don’t think it’s affected us that much to be honest; I think it’s done so with pop music a lot more than us,” she enthused.

“A lot of the fans are in rural areas, so they’re more likely to buy a CD… I don’t think much country music is up on those (illegal downloading) websites either,” she laughed.

The McClymonts
Dapto Leagues Club
Saturday, February 6