Each track on Fife musician Xan Tyler’s new album contains a different story, but they all have one thing in common: women.
There’s Xan’s personal favourite, Rebecca’s Desk, inspired by the real desk of feminist writer Rebecca Solnit, given to her by a friend who suffered near-fatal domestic violence.
There’s her producer, Boo Hewerdine’s favourite, Forever Things, which charts the influence Molly Drake had on her famous son Nick.
And then there’s the song that 51-year-old Xan herself had to go out into the wilds of Fife to find: Devil’s Hand.
Inspired by legend of local witch
“I went on a couple of pilgrimages while writing that song,” reveals Xan (full name Xanthe) who is known to many for her 1999 success Sun Is Shining with synth-pop outfit Technique.
“Torryburn isn’t far from where I live, but I wanted to visit the grave of the Torryburn witch.
“Of course, she wasn’t a witch,” she continues, “just a woman, like most of those who were murdered in that state-sponsored femicide.
“Her name was Lillias Adie and she she was accused of being a witch and fornicating with the devil, and she was put in prison, where she died.
“It’s probably because she died there, rather than being drowned or burned, that she was given an actual grave.
“Some brave soul dared to take her body out quite far and bury her when the tide was out, and put this enormous stone to grow over the body.
“And so it’s only accessible when the tide is out, this intertidal grave. It’s really quite difficult to find.”
Xan says that making the trip to Lillias’ grave “brought it all home” to her.
“It made her real, and therefore made the whole horror of it feel very real.”
Borrowing other people’s muses
Xan admits she is fascinated with the idea of muses.
“When I started writing this album, it was very much a letter to my younger self,” says the seasoned musician. “The subjects are all very personal to me, but I wanted to write about them from the perspectives of these other voices.”
She reveals she wrote the track You’re My Muse about Lizzie Siddal, the “Pre-Raphaelite supermodel” who posed for many famous paintings in the 1800s.
“I actually wrote about four songs about her, because I just went down a total rabbit hole,” enthuses Xan.
“Her relationship with the painter Rossetti, who she was married to, was bonkers.
“She was addicted to laudanum, and he had all these extra women. But he was also insanely in love with her, and she was his main muse.
“When she died, he was so distraught, he buried her with all of the poetry that he’d written for her. But seven years later, decided he wanted it back, so he got some guy to dig it up!”
Teen daughters are mum Xan’s biggest fans
When we speak, she’s on a family holiday at Ardtoe, enjoying some well-earned rest on a secluded beach after her bumper album launch, which included an art exhibition with artworks inspired by each of the tracks.
But her enthusiasm for her art is palpable even when she’s supposed to be on her downtime.
And partly, that’s because her family are her biggest fans.
Her teenage daughters “play the album all the time”, and her eldest daughter, Lily, has even created a music video for one of the tracks.
“She’s an aspiring filmmaker, so she’s made a video for me for the track February,” says Xan, audibly bursting with pride. “It’s not out yet, but it’s beautiful.”
To celebrate the release of the album, Xan is planning a ‘hometown’ show at the Acoustic Music Club.
“It’s a great club,” she says. “I’ve been there to see loads of people I really love, just 10 minutes from my house, so it’s nice to be asked to do it.”
Genre is a serving suggestion for songstress
Long-time fans will know that Xan is notorious for flitting between genres.
Since she started off in dance and electronic music, she’s dabbled in reggae and dream pop.
Now this latest record, Holding up Half the Sky, is firmly in the realms of singer-songwriter. Has she simply not found a genre she wants to stay in?
“I just make music that I like,” she shrugs. “I know lots of people find their thing and they stick with it, but there’s not much I wouldn’t try.
“That’s not to say that everything would work for me!” she adds. “I don’t think I’d quite get on with a death metal album or something. But I think my vocal style means the sound and the lyrics all just hang together.
“It’s all me, so it works.”
Xan Tyler will play at the Acoustic Music Club, Kirkcaldy, on August 8 2024.
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