“Baby Anymore” is a complicated love song wherein vocalist Suzannah Raudaschl expresses doubt in a loving and supportive relationship. It’s a confusing situation that can often stem from complacency or the monotony of routine. The qualmed singer pours out why she won’t call her lover “baby” anymore while singing in an empty ballroom dressed to the nines, accompanied in the video by her bandmate Jordan Clairmont on keys.

We caught up with Raudaschl and her bandmates to talk about the single, their new album, and the art of navigating complicated relationships in and out of the band.  

Can you tell us a bit about the lyrics behind “Baby Anymore”? 

“Baby Anymore” is about being very good at loving someone in a certain context and feeling restless in the comfort of routine. It’s confusing when feelings of doubt creep into a very loving and supportive relationship. It’s not so much about a breakup, but more of a reassessment. A reminder that creating more space can encourage love to grow deeper. 

The video is just a short clip of the final minute or so of the song. That moment has a unique drama to itself within the context of the album, and really grew out of the synergy we had with our producer Connor Head. Everything we shot visually for Cool Down exists in this world that’s just slightly more dramatic and hopeful than ours, and I think that’s basically where we want to take the listener.

Can you talk about the band’s penchant for contrasting joyful music with darker shades of lyricism?

My lyricism definitely veers towards melancholy. I spend a lot of time trying to soothe my anxiety and work through the dark places of my mind, so that’s bound to come out in the music I write. At the same time I love to have fun, and love a good pop hook. Even if the contrast isn’t deliberate.

The last time we spoke was during Music BC’s Arc Program and you mentioned that Cool Down is your first album that feels like a (paraphrasing) “real album.” Can you talk about how your writing and recording process differed from previous albums?

We planned from the outset to work with Connor Head as our producer. He did our 2018 release Negative Space, and we wanted to return to that thread. Since then he had opened a new studio close to where we all live in Victoria, called Catalogue, and we were all able to more or less take three weeks away from our day jobs to focus on making the record with Connor there. That close-to-home environment gave us the opportunity to focus.

Where was the band at mentally, physically and/or spiritually during the writing and recording process. How do these traits present themselves on Cool Down?

The story of the record is made up of instances where a speaker is sitting in a moment preceding a big decision. It’s not that they are hesitating, more that they are listening, like on “Baby Anymore.” Of course, the record also takes a more active posture from time to time, like on the title track, and it also remembers a lot, like on songs “Just Forgetting” and “Afterthought.” 

These songs were written when the days were moving in slow motion and there was so much time to think. The lyrics and arrangements come from a very sensitive and reflective place.  Almost all of this material was written and recorded in between lockdowns. However we were less interested in that specific shared reality, and more interested in trying to reach something more universal, more communal, and a bit more fun.

It’s been eight years since the release of your debut EP, Hot Daze. How has the last near-decade changed the band and the members within it?

We began writing what would become Cool Down while we were mostly separated. Later we were able to set aside time so that we could be together and record. But at a certain point with a project like this, it sort of begins to demand your attention, and you can’t really get off of the train for very long. We’re in the midst of that now for the first time since 2019 and it’s showing us how much better we’ve become at navigating all the feelings that come with long term friendships and relationships since we began. Those relationships are the foundation for these songs. We’re more accepting of each other and ourselves.

I think a desire for lightness and fun is growing within the band. We obviously take this project seriously but in terms of songwriting or arranging, we essentially just want to have a good time creating these tunes. 

Anything else you would like us to know before we let you go?

We’re playing Treefort Festival in Boise, Idaho at the end of March and then we’re headed off on a big tour from there across the US and Canada. We would absolutely love to see you at a show! Touring has become less and less accessible for musicians, so we’re coming at this next tour with a lot of gratitude and excitement.