It's no surprise that tongue-in-cheek songwriter, Chloe Carrubba is back with another angsty banger. Just enough to 'keep her out of court' but still enough to be savage. This song is my new favourite tune.
This has to be my favourite song you’ve written yet, the angst, the hard hitting lyrics. I LOVE IT. Some great satire, how did you draw the line at it being too soft/too brutal?
I’m really lucky my producer that I work with on all my tracks Liam Roberts (Pedro to me) He keeps me in line and we have a phrase that we use in the studio and amongst ourselves which is that Liam keeps me out of court.
There is actually an earlier version of this song which was far too specific and brutal which the world will never hear but was definitely something I had to make to get the feeling that was feeling off my chest.
Liam is what Jack Antonoff is to Taylor Swift and Lorde to me and I dread to think of situations I get myself into without him. He actually really encouraged me to put this song out as I felt apprehensive and nervous about the honesty of my songwriting . It felt like a big part of myself was being shared with the world so without him I don’t know if I'd had the courage to do it.
"If I see another festival lineup with three tokenistic female acts I may actually go insane."
Your inspiration behind the track is a past relationship, it’s a sick burn you’ve left behind. If they hear this track, what do you hope they get from it?
I honestly hope and wish for growth, maturity and reflection on the person I wrote this song about. I send them blessings and Strength and a great sigh of relief that that person is not in my life anymore.
I think Bella Hadid said it best on an Instagram post of her ex once where she said ‘blessings to you, sweetheart.’ The universe is about to bring you much greater things when you start letting all the bad shit go.
We sort of know the inspiration behind the track, but how did you write it? Were you annoyed one day or was it an amalgamation of bad feelings and wanting a hardhitting banger.
So the phrase Quarterlife crisis was actually a phrase that was hurled at me as a final comment from an ex. As he was stomping away he said I was his Quarterlife crisis as in a mistake he wished he’d never made. Almost immediately as that person had left I pulled out my phone and I went to my notes page and I just wrote what are you gonna call this a quarter life crisis?
Then that led onto me continuing to write how confused deeply hurt and shocked I was by the situation. I can remember driving in my car (I did a lot of crying in my car during this period of time!) and I would be repeating out loud to myself what are you gonna call this?? a quarter life crisis? How fucking millennial. How fucking priceless.
The idea that I’d been reduced to a mistake or a stupid choice someone had made in their life when in reality I’m a whole person that I just wanted to be in love and I didn’t do anything to deserve what happened to me so this song is really my last words on this and I’m so glad that I got the last word. Because for a long time I felt muzzled and silenced and when I finally knew what to say this song was ‘born’.
Also, it’s obvious to most people but you can’t get to twenty fucking five and act like this. In short I’m saying grow up and own your bullshit.
“As a woman in the music industry it’s hard to find those spaces where you feel supported by the people around you but Granary Studios is definitely one of those places.”
To watch Chloe speak to Granary Studio about recording with them and what it means to be a woman in music, watch here:
“You love strong women, so you tried to destroy one” Honestly I SHOUTED at my speaker when I heard that lyric. So relatable for most women out of there. How do you keep strong and resilient when someone’s trying to dim your light?
This is a great question and in all honesty something I am still trying to get to grips with. I found throughout my life people have tried to dim my light or silence me or take credit for things I’ve done. In these moments I always come back to what Taylor Swift said when she received her Grammy for 1989. What she says if you just focus on the work someday when you get where you’re going it will be you and the people that love you that put you there.
In times of deep sadness and heartbreak there are also really beautiful moments where you see the people that have always had your back come to the forefront.
I think of my best friend Katy, coming to pick me up an her old banger Peugeot 206 and driving us to Swansea to see Catfish and the Bottlemen just days after I’d been dumped I’ll never forget that, never forget the people that are there to pick you up when other people are trying to knock you down and that’s what your energy should be focused on.
"Lean into the people that know you and love you and fill all your free time with things you love doing."
How did the writing vary from your other tracks such as Bittersweet?
I think this is the first song where I’ve made many edits and drafts of and I think that’s indicative of how difficult the feelings I was feeling were to process.
When you go through a serious heartbreak your emotions will vary day to day. It's almost like going through the stages of grief and I think my songwriting was varying too so I was constantly editing and changing.
What's great about quarter life crisis in particular is that this is the kaleidoscope of all of the emotions I felt and really a summary of the combination of emotions. I’m really proud of it.
You’ve worked with Liam Roberts at The Granary Studio again to produce and engineer your track. A duo that can’t be stopped. How did the production vary this time?
So I sent Liam a WhatsApp which said something along the lines of “Liam, I am down very bad.” And he was like get in the studio now! I came in I had quarter life crisis pretty much the fully formed and the chorus made and I said to him I think it sounds like this, this is what it sounds like in my head and I sang a random bar of gibberish.
He got it almost instantly. We got out the synth laid down the synth and the drums and we had the entire framework for this song.
How does Liam bring your tracks to life?
Liam and I are almost telepathic on a level I think, while I have the ideas and melodies and lyrics he has the mastery and ability to know exactly what instruments will create the sound that I want, he’s also just a really bloody good guy.
Have you got any advice for people going through a quarter life crisis?
My advice is to feel it, feel all of it, and know that someday soon you’ll be through it and stronger and better. Don’t bleach your hair, leave your hair out of it! Lean into the people that know you and love you and fill all your free time with things you love doing.
Finally, Block him sis.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Technically the first gig I ever went to was Paul Weller in 1997 and my mum who was heavily pregnant with me at the time met Noel Gallagher at that gig, so I like to say I’ve met Noel Gallagher. I’m glad I wasn’t able to speak because I would’ve 100% embarrassed myself.
What advice would you give to a woman entering the music industry?
My advice would be to reach out to other women. I know all of us would be willing to share knowledge and help lift each other up. And be aware of how much pressure you’re putting on yourself. You don’t have to be the end product in the first five years, you can just do it simply because you love it.
How do you want to see the music industry change for women and gender minorities?
If I see another festival lineup with three tokenistic female acts I may actually go insane. I would like to see men taking responsibility to put female acts on their lineups and on their tours and I don’t mean this from the very top I mean this from the bottom to the top so I would like to see the men in my city, in my area leading the way with this put female musicians on your lineup, not even as a gesture just because we’re really fucking good.
Stream Quarter Life Crisis here: