Where We Sleep Talks New Single, Her Voice And More
Words by Glenn Sargeant
Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By 3-6-9 Press
Where We Sleep is the latest incarnation of Beth Rettig’s musical vision, a deeply personal, poetic exploration of the world soundtracked with ‘electro-filth’. Her latest single ‘Headlong’ is out now so it seemed the perfect time for a chat:
What is your earliest musical memory?
I lived in Nigeria until I was about 5. I remember my brother and I singing Da Da Da by Trio when we lost power (a regular occurrence). I have a vague memory that we had a copy of that and I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder on 7”. I don’t know why it’s those two that have stuck in my brain.
When did you begin songwriting?
Fairly late on. I think I probably gave it a vague go at school, but I only really started writing properly in a project I was in, when I was about 20 in Joburg.
You have your second album ‘The Arsonist’ released in 2026. How did you want to approach the making of the album?
I’m not a prolific lyricist so this has been in the making – though not in album form – for some time. It took time to build up the motivation to release a full album, though. It’s been over four years since the last one.
Where did you record the album and who produced it?
I recorded nearly everything at home and I did most of the production myself. I like being able to record and write in my own time and space. The album was mixed and mastered by Guy Fixsen – except for Broken Bones which was mixed by John Cranmer.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?
As most of the recording sessions were done on my own, not really. Although, I do remember Jo Gate-Eastley recording her bass part on one of the tracks with a hair scrunchie wrapped around her bass. It was actually quite a good way to dampen the strings a little while she was recording and just shows you the resourcefulness of musicians and engineers in the studio. It’s not always about gaffa tape.
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?
These were the first recordings I’ve done with my AKG mic which I bought a couple of years ago. I had been using a Rode for the previous 10-15 years so that was an exciting upgrade.
Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
A) It’s not the happiest album but probably Under a Big Sky
B) This is a tough one in the context of this album but probably Headlong
C) This has to be Changes.
Who were the musicians who were on the album with you?
Jo Gate-Eastley who wrote and played the bassline on Brutal Truth and Bloodshed
Debbie Smith who played some of the guitars (the good ones) on Outside
Mark Wallbridge who played guitar on Headlong
Axel Ray Steuerwald who played some of the guitars (again, the good ones) on Exhale
Guy Fixsen who mixed and mastered the album and played bass on Exhale
John Cranmer who mixed Broken Bones
Does the album’s title have a specific meaning/significance?
It was sort of developing in my brain for a little while. For some time now, with the state of the world as it is, I’ve been feeling a budding little arsonist in me – just the sense of everything not working and burning things down and starting again. And with a few references to fire and changes in the album, I had a moment when it just made sense to me.
Was it a difficult album to write?
In some ways yes, in some ways no. A couple of the songs have been lingering around my hardrive as demos in different forms for a long time. I guess those ones seem difficult for a while, it’s hard to know why they aren’t working as they are. And then, when you start reworking them, sometimes you just get an idea that helps things click into place. Some of the other songs, wrote themselves in a night. A lot of my songs start out as a lyric in my notes app or a bassline or drumbeat and can stay that way for some time so it can be hard to define when and how the album, or even an individual song, was written. In terms of the subject matter, that’s a little more difficult to pin down in terms of the ease of writing.
Writing is a way of dealing with things for me and a way of exorcising my demons. But shit happens and I’ve kind of decided that if I get one good song out of a bad experience, maybe that experience, wasn’t worth it but, had some kind of positive purpose. While we were mixing the song, I had it in my head, for some reason, that it was a lighter album than the last one but, once I listened to the full album for the first time, I was hit by how dark it is.
Who designed the album artwork?
The photography and the design was by DesignByGreg. I had a rough idea of what I wanted and knew I wanted to incorporate my love of street art into the cover somehow. Greg did a great job of interpreting my vague ideas and coming up with something really striking.
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
London – ‘Best city in the world’ (official).
How do you look after your voice?
Warming up is really important. I’m not good at staying in practice at times when I’m not recording or playing live so I always have a bit of catch up to do. I’m working on that.
Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?
The next date for me is a live session on the Loud Women Resonance FM radio show, where I’ll be joined by Jo Gate-Eastley and Ms Mohammed, who I collaborated with on a song, ‘Write My Name,’ earlier this year, to raise money for MSF and Medical Aid for Palestinians. You can tune into that at 6pm, December 2nd on 104.4FM.
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
Obviously, I hope to have entertained or at least stirred something in the audience. But personally, I hope to come off stage feeling like I gave everything and communicated the essence of the songs. Obviously within reason, but I’m far more likely to connect with a performer if I believe them than if they’re pitch perfect.
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
I really enjoy messing around with pedals. For guitar, I love using my Space Echo delay and I like using reverb and delay pedals on my vocals. 17 – You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?
I don’t know if I’d be good at scores. But I’d love to be involved in music supervision. I’m sure everyone says this but I’d love to be able to really define the mood of a scene with the right song. There’s a scene in a book I read recently when I instantly thought, ‘if they made a film of this, there is an A Place To Bury Strangers song that would set this scene on fire.’
One of the tracks is the single ‘Headlong’ which is out now. What is the story/inspiration behind that song?
I think we’ve all known someone who doesn’t take any responsibility for their own behaviour, who thinks it’s always someone else’s fault. Someone whose orbit you get sucked into and then have that realisation that you need to get out, they’re just causing too much drama and too much devastation in your and everyone else’s lives. And the last part of the song is really about how being broken in some way, doesn’t give you an excuse to pass that damage on to others. We can’t always control what happens to us, but we need to, as best we can, take some responsibility for not breaking other people in response.
The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?
More than one person who I spoke to about a video for Headlong got the image of driving when they listened to it, so we went with that and I was happy to trust Connor to take the reins, for the most part. I think the idea of having me sitting in different seats kind of represented being in control and not being in control. I have a difficult relationship with videos so I’m not always the easiest to work with, but Connor was really patient with my insecurities and did a great job.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
So many! There are the obvious ones like Kate Bush and artists like Curve, Garbage, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nine Inch Nails, Skunk Anansie, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Massive Attack, Foals, PJ Harvey, Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple and so many more. And not just artists of that ilk, I’m often inspired by production in other genres like hip-hop and dance music. Some of them have been more influential in production and sound, some in writing but all of them in being able to create a mood in a song that transports me. More recent releases, I’ve been listening to the last Nadine Shah album a fair bit.
As for recommendations, I could go on at length, but I’ll keep it short. More people need to, immediately, go and listen to Forest Fire by Adele Dominique Emmas, Alibi by Ms Mohammed and Spongebob by Billy Woods.
What makes Where We Sleep happy and what makes you unhappy?
There are many things that make me happy. Some of the happiest moments for me are those moments where I’ve started off with an idea – it could be a bassline, a beat, a synth line, anything – and the ideas come faster than I can process them and, in an evening, I’ve got most of a song written. It feels like the song already exists in the ether and has chosen you as the conduit to come into the world.
What makes me unhappy? Being patronised and people being overly familiar with me. Crowds and sound-clash. People who never have to take any responsibility or face any consequences for bad and harmful behaviour.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By 3-6-9 Press
Beth is performing live on Resonance FM Loud Women show on Tuesday 2nd December at 6pm (UK Time). People can tune-in here.
https://www.resonancefm.com/schedule
Her latest single ‘HEADLONG’ is out now.
Her second album ‘The Arsonist’ is scheduled for release in early 2026.
Where We Sleep’s fundraising track for ‘Write My Name’
https://wherewesleep.bandcamp.com/track/write-my-name
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wherewesleep/
