Two years ago Stephanie Crase found herself in a figurative corner. Over the course of a year two sets of friends moved from Adelaide, effectively ending her musical projects, and providing her with extremely idle hands. So in the comfort of her home she crafted Summer Flake – not that anyone was meant to find out. “There were never thoughts about doing anything with it, it was just something to do to pass time and keep active with playing the guitar,” Crase admits. “It's been daunting, especially when I became used to recording on my own, adding reverb and cutting and pasting, to playing live and being solely responsible. I had only been in collaborative bands before, so it was pretty scary. I also thought when I started it wasn't worth getting others involved; there was a lot of things I had to overcome.”
Such self-deprecating insights goes some way to underscoring the warmth that sits at the core of debut record You Can Have It All, an album of loose yet personal musings that Crase admits was borne out of a sense of isolation as she was left to her own devices. “I was so used to doing two band practices a week with Batrider and another with Hit The Jackpot, that was happily my nights and weekends for five years or so. So when that was gone I got weirded out and bored... so I had to keep myself occupied. Playing music is one of those go-to things for me, where if I'm feeling angry or bored I put my head down and not notice five hours fly by. I'm proud of myself for going there. It could be quite strange to not have someone there to share the glory with, or indeed the criticism. But I don't know where the fear was, because it's gone now. Regardless of whether the music is great or the music is shit, your friends are still there, and there will be at least two people who can find time for it.”
You Can Have It All is a testament to Crase's evolution as a songwriter. There is a lot of space created within the album that accentuates the languorous guitar and Crase's soft, contemplative vocals, the overall effect one of hope amidst the tiring minutiae of life. “About eight of the songs across the album and two EPs use the same chord progression. So it is the lyrics that alter things, where one can be about giving up on the world and the next a pretty pop song that stems from a rough time of my life. I don't mean to write like that; I tried to write songs about walking around and everything's fine, and on paper it looks good, but you feel that you are at the bottom of a well where it all feels a long way away. It's not me, really, but it suits me.”
