With her new album release, Bay Area artist Lara Hoffman, alias eggcorn, challenges both herself and the listener to take a look inward: Observer Effect explores the inevitable ways in which we alter our own experience through reflection. Written in part during a period of physical immobility after a foot injury, the opening tracks “Observer Effect” and “Solo Party” delve into themes of isolation, healing, and identity. Hoffman reflects on how coping mechanisms—both physical and emotional—affect healing and perception. “Through making Observer Effect I’ve been thinking a lot more about how we all inevitably effect each other as opposed to just being like, well, I’m over here doing my own thing by myself. Interconnectivity is unavoidable so what kind of interconnectivity do we want to have?”
We also spoke with Lara about what it was like to record Observer Effect with a full band for the first time—a clear contrast to the more electronic sound of her debut Your Own True Love—and about how much of her therapeutic experience from working as a music therapist finds its way into her songs. And now, we’re excited to premiere the full album right here on C-Heads.
photography by Ginger Fierstein
Hey dear Lara, thank you so much for taking the time to chat. The first thing that comes to mind is that I’d love to hear the story behind your artist name, eggcorn.
I used to make music under my first and middle name since the time I started writing songs around age 16 up until about 32. Songwriting existed as my therapy but I didn’t put much thought into production or the bigger picture of what I was creating and how I wanted to communicate the vision to an audience. With the inception of eggcorn, I wanted to create a division between my past and current songs, to deepen my commitment to fleshing out, finishing and sharing music. An eggcorn is a word or phrase that sounds like or is mistaken for another word or phrase. This brought to mind misheard lyrics, how singing can warp the pronunciation of words, and melodies imbue layers of meaning- aspects I’ve always found so magical in how songwriting functions distinctly from poetry.
“To quote the movie Moonrise Kingdom, the most important thing in life for me is “to not get stuck in one place.””
I love the theme of your upcoming album Observer Effect, where you explore how we inevitably alter our own experiences through reflection. That topic really speaks to me. You’ve also mentioned how the “observer effect”, a concept that you read about, helped you through a difficult period. Could you tell us more about how this concept works for you and how it impacted your personal experience?
My interpretation of the observer effect is very poetic and scientifically inaccurate. I tend to use songwriting as a way to metabolize concepts and experiences, and create my own narrative. Ever since puberty, I’ve been kind of a loner. My way of coping with the world has been to isolate, to avoid effecting others and to avoid others’ effect on me. I think this avoidance came out of feeling very sensitive to the energy, feelings, and opinions of people around me and not knowing how to manage this sensitivity. Songwriting became a bastion for processing feelings and thoughts without external interference. While a lot of strength lies in my independence, I can also swing too far to the lone-wolf side of the pendulum in a way that limits growth, exploration, and joy. Over the last few years, through the creation of eggcorn and particularly through the making of this album, I’ve been consciously putting myself out there, letting others see me, letting people in to collaborate and fostering this interplay between the observer and the observed. The song “do 2 u” acknowledges that this interplay exists even without intention. “I could spend my days basking in this isolation with the sun’s standing ovation/Every tree makes a sound falling down with no one around.” Through making Observer Effect I’ve been thinking a lot more about how we all inevitably effect each other as opposed to just being like, well, I’m over here doing my own thing by myself. Interconnectivity is unavoidable so what kind of interconnectivity do we want to have?
Feelings play such a big role in your work and life. What feelings did you process on Observer Effect?
Feelings processed: loneliness, love, New Relationship Energy/euphoria, nostalgia, anger, sadness, guilt, remorse, shame…
“Interconnectivity is unavoidable so what kind of interconnectivity do we want to have?”
Do you usually use the same instruments to express certain emotions, or what is your process when creating the melodies?
I am primarily a singer so most songs begin as a vocal melody and/or lyric bursting out during the height of an emotion while I noodle around on guitar or piano for accompaniment. As I continue to write a song, I am mostly focused on making sure the vocal quality and melodies preserve the original feeling(s). Instrumentation can be a more random decision for me because I enjoy songs in so many different arrangements that I can easily become frozen by decision paralysis if I think about it for too long! For Your Own True Love I created most of the tracks on my own using Logic and so that lent itself to a more intergalactic, electronic soundscape to embody the quest for romantic love. With Observer Effect I craved something more organic and grounded that could be played live with “real” instruments, in which we could effect each other. I’ve always gravitated toward orchestral strings and am lucky enough to be friends with some talented string players- hence the instrumentation for this album.
What was it like for you to record Observer Effect with a full band, in contrast to your first album Your Own True Love, which had a different production style?
Recording Observer Effect really forced me to trust and open up to others in ways I haven’t before. Working by myself, I have relished not having to explain anything. Working with other people, there are magic non-verbal connections that form, yes, but I often have to make the effort to clarify certain things verbally. This can be very frustrating to me! But I’ve also seen how having to explain things to others helps me clarify ideas more for myself. It’s like how teaching a subject helps you gain a fuller understanding. Also- it was so cool to be surprised by what other musicians came up with after many, many years in my own echo chamber. Though I joke that I am a dictator, all of the musicians on this album added parts, perspectives and personality that enhanced the record- it was beautiful to collaborate.
You are also a music therapist with experience working in psychiatric facilities. How do you separate these two worlds – as an artist and as a therapist? How much does your work in therapy influence the music on this album?
I tend to bristle at describing music therapy and my relationship to the field. The therapeutic effect of music is so self-evident, yet the institution needs to prove itself through “evidencebased practice” in order to be valid for reasons like insurance coverage or for settings like hospitals to take us seriously. Many music therapists I value struggle with this paradox. All that being said, practicing music therapy has helped me a lot with performing because I stopped feeling like I needed to be perfect in order to be of value playing a song for others. Leading music therapy groups often involves looking up chords to a song minutes before or even during a session. I began focusing more on connecting to patients’ as opposed to my own ego. The moniker eggcorn was also created as a way to separate my music therapist identify from my songwriter identity.
“Practicing music therapy has helped me a lot with performing because I stopped feeling like I needed to be perfect in order to be of value playing a song for others.”
What would you say is your favorite song on the album and why?
My favorite song on the album changes all the time! Right now I’m sick of the singles and analysis so I would say “Phorest.” I wrote it when I had just started dating someone new after getting out of a long, dispassionate relationship and I was stoked to be feeling alive and excited again! Out of this canon of songs, “Phorest” presents the most innocent, adolescent perspective. Repeating “I don’t wanna go” over and over is just me whining about not wanting a date to end, that unquenchable thirst to discover more about a person. It’s not that deep and I like that simplicity. In contrast, I love how the arrangement is the largest, and most complicated on the record. The swarm of strings at the end still makes me happy no matter how many times I’ve heard it. Goddess bless Peter Craft at Boxer Lodge for recording this monstrosity.
When you’re not making music, what are the things that really make you happy and that you find yourself doing as much as possible when you have the time?
When not making music I love running, hiking, walking, yoga, drinking beer, playing Scrabble or other word games, drawing, and taking luxurious baths.
What would you say is the most important thing in life for you?
To quote the movie Moonrise Kingdom, the most important thing in life for me is “to not get stuck in one place.”
Follow eggcorn for more:
www.instagram.com/justeggcorn
www.facebook.com/justeggcorn
