In our latest band spotlight, we talk to Kim Logan & The Silhouettes!
S] How much importance do you put on the aesthetic of the band – I love your visuals!?
The visuals accompanying my music have always been important to me, something I’ve had a lifelong respect for. It probably comes largely from the fact that I started out as an opera singer, and the influence that being in so many large-scale, glamorous productions surely had on my artistry. I’ve also just always been a gothy witch… I’ve been studying and practicing in both ancient and modern occult traditions for decades. Now that these topics are more discussed and accepted than they used to be, it’s much easier for me to let my natural “brand” open up the throttle and be completely free. I’ve been lucky to attract Silhouettes in every iteration who have all been quite mystical themselves!
The silent film era, German Expressionism, the art of the Weimar Republic, art deco, and retrofuturism were all huge inspirations for the aesthetic of this current album cycle. I think we’re in a weird déja vù where we have a lot in common with that time in history.
S] How do you feel about the current success of ‘Half Life’?
I’m so proud of “Half Life,” and the song’s role as leader of the transition of sound I’m going through right now! I’ve spent so long making this psych-blues-rock music that I felt anxious for years while making the new album, as to how this new work would be received. Trip-hop, industrial, post-punk, and grunge were the roots of this new record, and I can’t wait to share more.
S] How do you look back at ‘Better Way’ and its success at this point in your career?
I love that song, and it’s one of the first times I experienced a funny phenomenon that I’m now sort of used to… sometimes I will write lyrics and not be certain of why I chose particular words or phrases, only to discover years later that they held VERY specific meaning, and paralelled events in my life that hadn’t come to pass when I wrote the lyrics.
Anyway, I don’t really think about its “success” anymore… I’m grateful that my team at Ditto Music were able to secure that Spotify placement when the song came out, as it exposed so many people to my music who are still very much listening. However, I’ve been spending the interim years 100% railing against Spotify and the economics of the streaming system, as it has not only completely devalued recorded music in the functional economy, but has also made everyone in the music business blindly fixated on numbers as a measure of success, even creeping into music journalism here and now.
The day I recorded “Better Way,” my mom called me to tell me my grandmother had passed away after a very long illness, and an entire herd of black Texas goats came running to me when I sat at their fence to cry. That’s all far more relevant to my art than the number of streams.
S] What’s motivating you outside of music – think specific people, places or movies for example?
Astrology and politics are my special interests, and I think they’re both super relevant to the artist’s mission to bring messages and experiences of higher consciousness to the masses. I am motivated by seeing the constant attacks on human rights across the globe, and I am motivated by studying to understand everything from the stock and crypto markets to quantum theory, so that I can keep trying to unravel this fucked up mystery of the history and current state of our planet.
I’m motivated by my friends and their art, and their sacred drive to keep creating no matter what they’re facing.
S] What would you say is Frankenstein’s monster for your sound – the arms of Hendrix, the thighs of Greta Van Fleet for example?
My Frankenstein for this album would have body parts from Mark Lanegan, PJ Harvey, Trent Reznor, Shirley Manson, Iggy Pop, Lady Gaga, Jack White, Josh Homme, and Amy Winehouse. I would let them all choose which part they gave me.
S] Is there a message for any UK supporters?
Trans rights are human rights. What happened in UK legislation this week was largely aided by JK Rowling putting years of financial support into dog-whistle transphobic groups in Scotland, which before had very little profile on the streets or in the news. Scotland is one of the most trans-friendly places I have ever been, and this is a great litmus test for how public sentiment can be entirely different from lobby and law. I urge Americans to address their frequent assumptions that people in the UK and Europe are more educated, enlightened, or socially liberal. I urge everyone to speak up for your trans friends and let transphobes, racists, homophobes, and sexists know how mentally and spiritually weak they are, and how they can absolutely heal and change their minds. We have to have the tough conversations and each take a stand, NOW.
Images by Lucie Baudin, Paris 2025
