Exclusive Interview: Why Ya Gotta Be in Love with Annabelle Chairlegs
Updated: Sep 15, 2021
Austin-based psych rockers, Annabelle Chairlegs are back with a new supply of soundscapes. Taking a departure from the sunny poolside vibes of Watermelon Summer, the group dives into murkier waters with their latest album, Gotta Be in Love.
Freshly out of college, vocalist Lindsey Mackin carried the idea of Annabelle Chairlegs into existence after moving into the area back in 2013. About a year later, she started throwing house shows to familiarize herself with Austin's local DIY community. Over the years, the group continued to take part in the supportive community and quickly gained notoriety within the psychedelic underground. Mackin's Joplin-esque vocals and shimmery guitar chords are quite captivating and really stand out on tracks like "Axe Me if I Care" and "King of the Future".
After recording their debut album in their home studio, the A.C. came together after a few lineup changes in 2017 to record Gotta Be in Love. Being an independent artist definitely comes with its fair share of struggles and Mackin and the boys weren't spared in this case. A lack of band funds and the constant quest to find a trustworthy label paused the release time for their newest project, but the wait has been well worth it.
Gotta Be in Love has gotta be their heaviest release yet.
Set to drop on September 1st, the project is self released and will be their first physical record. Give yourself a taste by tuning into the group's latest music video for their single, "Outside".
I had the opportunity to catch up with Lindsey back in July while she's away from Austin, visiting family out in NY.
Here's what she had to say:
Q: When did Annabelle Chairlegs come together as a band?
A: So I went to college in Santa Fe, New Mexico and moved to Texas with some bandmates from another band I was in. Once we moved to Austin in 2013, I started Annabelle Chairlegs with some of my old bandmates and friends from college.
After about a year, we kind of got booted out of our house because there were alot of changes going on in Austin. They all decided to move elsewhere, mostly back to Santa Fe, so I just decided to keep up with the project and started playing with some new people. There’s been a couple of transitions since then. As of now, it’s three of us. I’ve been playing with our current bassist Derek for about six years, so he’s been around for awhile and our drummer Billy has been with us for over three years now.
Q: Would you consider your newest project, Gotta Be in Love, to be your debut album?