From early evening support slots to TV hook-ups in Hollywood, Catcall has blossomed quickly into an upcoming force within the Australian music scene. Wrapping together hip-hop, classic pop and advanced electronic production into one tight little package, Catcall’s poised for a big year in 2011, already making a splash (bad pun) with recent single Swimming Pool and it’s bevy of remixes. We talk to the girl behind the moniker, Catherine Kelleher about her production process and what’s next.

Since the first EP it seems as though you’ve been gradually building up steam to the album release this year. Has that felt like a long process or something that you’ve kind of relished being a part of every step of the way?

“It has felt like a long process which I think is quite standard for an artist releasing their first album. It has been very necessary to let the process happen organically and to let myself grow naturally so I could reach the standard of songwriting that I aspire to. I’ve had to spend a long time demoing, then working/re-working demos, then graduating them to fully formed songs, and so many ideas get binned in that process that you have to write new material. I have really enjoyed this process because I’ve gained a lot of confidence in myself, learnt a lot and increased my ability. The EP is quite naïve and driven by a blind enthusiasm and I had no real idea of where I could go with this and what my capabilities were until I started working on the new demos. I also didn’t realize how much I had to improve on my songwriting and my vocal ability and how much I needed to mature. It’s taken a lot of failing and patience, but it’s all been worth it.”

We’ve already heard Swimming Pool off the LP, is that tune an indication of what we can expect from the full thing?

“I think so, I mean nothing is going to sound exactly like Swimming Pool, and nothing else will be that slow on the record, but I think in terms of vibe that track is an indication of what will inhabit the record.”

One thing which I really like about your stuff is that you don’t seem afraid to experiment a little and open your work up to others like G.L.O.V.E.S. on Swimming Pool and I know Youth has been doing a few tracks for you. How did you go about forming relationships with other producers and getting them involved with the LP?

“Yama (G.L.O.V.E.S.) I’ve known via his work with Snap Crakk and Damn Arms (they played shows with my first band Kiosk way back when), and I had heard some of the later Damn Arms stuff and G.L.O.V.E.S. stuff, really dug it and approached him to work on a track. He sent me some beds over email and I demoed some ideas then we worked on the track a bit more together in his studio. The collaboration with Luke (Youth) was hooked up through a friend and we actually demoed 4 or 5 tracks over email before I even got the chance to meet him in person. Most of the people I’ve worked with on the record are friends or friends/collaborators of friends and I’ll usually just contact them, get them to send me something and see if magic happens. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t.”

I always wonder how those relationships with producers work, like, who brings what to the table?

“It always begins with the producer sending me a bed…it could be very simple, a beat, some bass, a synth line…and then I work at home on my computer writing vocal melodies and lyrics. I’m primarily a top line songwriter so I need a beat and some semblance of a melody as a spring board to write. I almost always work alone when I’m writing initial ideas for a track and we usually go back and forth over email, sometimes we’ll get together and work on it in their studio and sometimes we won’t, it depends on the logistics. Then I’ve been taking these demos and doing the final vocal performance/recording with a producer called Bry Jones. From there we seek out cohesion in terms of production so every track on the record can sit well together.”

Were you able to work with everyone you wanted to on the LP? Is there a wishlist of potential collaborators?

“I’ve mainly just worked with who I had access to and I’ve tried to work with as many local artists I can whose work I dig because you never know what magic can happen. I think at this stage its great working with local bedroom producers because they’re hungry like me to get tracks out there and create great work, plus we’re all at the same level so there’s no ego or bullshit. There’s so much amazing talent in Australia, especially in electronic music and I’ve been really psyched with everyone who’s been involved. I’m keen to work with anyone who has a good vibe and gets where I’m coming from, and I really like seeing what falls in my lap.”