Q&A: Shining the Spotlight on the Darkness Within Her, Flower Face Takes an Introspective Dive With ‘The Shark in Your Water’

Q&AMusic

Jul 5

☆ BY Steph Dunlop ☆

DIVING DEEP INTO THE DARKEST FRACTURES OF THE PSYCHE — Ruby McKinnon, who produces music under the moniker Flower Face, explores her own introspectivity in her latest album, The Shark in Your Water. Blending gloomy folk music with bedroom pop, Flower Face’s soundscape conjures up an atmosphere that is equal parts soothing and unsettling.

The young yet skilled musician first started building her talents at just five years old, when she was trained in classical piano. Just nine years later, at 14, she began writing her own music. Self-producing all of her earlier music, McKinnon created her debut album, Fever Dreams, entirely on her dad’s GarageBand app. Following this, she released her sophomore album, Baby Teeth, alongside a close family friend, Joshua Kaiser.

Baby Teeth explores McKinnon’s ovarian cancer diagnosis at just 17, alongside other themes. Being known throughout high school for her cancer diagnosis rather than her name and seeing the intimate details of her private life advertised on fundraising campaigns empowered her to start telling her own story. Refusing to let this part of her life define her while still drawing a newfound sense of purpose from it, her diagnosis encouraged her to pursue music as a career.

While her previous two albums capture McKinnon’s response to external influences, The Shark in Your Water sees the artist stare into the vast murkiness of her inner world and take ownership of her feelings. The album takes its title from its opening song “Spiracle,” a track that explores love that escalates into a dark obsession — where you want to be everything to the person you love and know every aspect of them, lurking around them like a shark in their water. This is echoed in the lead single “Cornflower Blue,” with lyrics that talk of loving someone until it exhausts you, when it descends into an all-consuming obsession.

Keep reading to dive deeper into Flower Face’s music as she shares her inspiration, her creative process, and her musical beginnings.

LUNA: Congrats on your new album, The Shark in Your Water! Where did inspiration for the album come from?

MCKINNON: All sorts of places! I try to find inspiration in everything and not always draw from the same place. It was definitely a huge convergence of feelings and experiences I’d had over the course of several years.

LUNA: Which song from the album are you most excited for people to hear?

MCKINNON: It’s crazy the way the release cycle works these days — half the album has already been put out as singles. I was so excited for people to hear “Cornflower Blue.” Of the ones left, I’d say maybe “Bad Astrology,” the last song on the record, because it’s very different from anything I’ve done before. I’m nervous to see how people react to it.

LUNA: A few of the songs on the album have astrology-themed titles. I'm curious if astrology is something you incorporate into your own life?

MCKINNON: It isn’t something that has any real bearing on how I live my life but I do find it interesting. I read my horoscope pretty often and I like checking my compatibility with people. I don’t necessarily believe in it, but I think it’s fun and a good tool for reflection and growth.

LUNA: What was the creative process like for the album? How does the final product compare to the initial vision?

MCKINNON: I had a bunch of songs I’d accumulated but I didn’t start thinking of it as an album until I had almost finished writing all ten of them. I was worried that it would lack a sense of cohesion because of that, but once we started working in the studio it all came together really nicely. So I guess there wasn’t necessarily an initial vision for the album until it was already underway.

LUNA: Where does the moniker Flower Face come from?

MCKINNON: Flower Face is the nickname my grandmother gave me when I was a little kid. It came to mind right away when I was releasing my first song on Bandcamp and had to come up with a stage name.

LUNA: You started off creating music entirely on your own in your bedroom. How has your sound evolved since then?

MCKINNON: I used to make songs with nothing but a tiny interface and GarageBand. I’d make these wall-of-sound kind of arrangements using built-in instrument sounds and effects. I’ve always been interested in creating big, cinematic songs, and so I found a way back then — but it’s definitely a lot easier to do when you can work in real studios and have other musicians contribute. This record is the first time I’ve had real strings in my songs, and it makes such a big difference.

LUNA: What do you hope to communicate to listeners through your music?

MCKINNON: Most of the time feelings are good, even when they feel bad. You know?

LUNA: How would you describe the overall atmosphere your music creates?

MCKINNON: Haunted carnival.

LUNA: Sonically, what are your favourite things about The Shark in Your Water?

MCKINNON: I love how dark and rich and expansive it is. To me, it feels like a descent into a weird but beautiful underwater world. It’s a lot bigger, sonically, than anything I’ve done before, and I can’t wait for people to finally hear the full extent of my vision.

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