Being a fox or a hedgehog, with Molly Rankin (Alvvays), Tracyanne Campbell, Mac DeMarco and Molly Nilsson

Molly Rankin, Tracyanne Campbell, Mac DeMarco and Molly Nilsson talk about whether or not you need to be social to make your best work, whether you’re a creative fox or a hedgehog, and how much of yourself to expose in your work.

Molly Rankin grew up in a musical family on the remote island of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada. Her father was a professional folk musician, and she started writing music with her neighbour Kerri MacLellan as a teenager, before forming Alvvays in 2011. They won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year in 2018, and last October released their third album Blue Rev.

Tracyanne Campbell is a singer from Glasgow who formed the band Camera Obscura in 1996. Their first album was released in 2001 and was produced by Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian. They have since gained a cult following and released five LPs to date. She’s also one half of Tracyanne & Danny with Danny Coughlan.

Canadian Mac DeMarco was once described as the “lovable laid-back prince of indie rock” by the New York Times. His latest album, Five Easy Hot Dogs, came out earlier this year and was recorded during a road trip from Los Angeles to New York.

Berlin-by-way-of-Sweden synth-pop singer Molly Nilsson produces and performs all her music solo, and is determined to find magic in the everyday. She released her tenth album, Extreme, last year.