Abbe May: 'I Do Think It Is Rather Wise To Have A Sense Of Humour About It All'

Abbe May has long been a part of Australia’s independent music scene, known for her 70s-remnant power chords, husky alto, and unfiltered lyrics.

Her latest single, Clam Rattler, blends humour and sexual grit, inspired by an R-rated AI meme and her love for distorted guitar riffs. When not exploring bluesy headbanging rock, May can also be found performing with the WA Badass Gospel Choir and has previously been linked to projects such as sibling band Fox Mulder, The Fuzz, Abbe May and the Rockin' Pneumonia, and The Devil & Abbe May.

With Clam Rattler released this week and a sixth studio album titled Wet Denim on the way, here’s what May had to say about the chameleonism of her music-making process, internal healing, her pet Tuxedo Winnie, and another type of cat…

Hi Abbe! Thanks for joining us today. What have you been up to lately?

Hi! I have been watching lots of movies. The weather is quite glorious at the moment, so I am out in the garden a lot and riding my bike too! There’s a cool coastal ride from my place to Fremantle. It’s 16km to Fremantle, and almost the entire route is coastal. It’s my favourite hobby. I love living in WA. I’ve been mentally preparing, too, for the release of Clam Rattler. It may come as a surprise, but I am largely an introverted person, so I sometimes find the extroversion needed for such endeavours a bit overwhelming. So, I am trying to find healthy ways to navigate that whole thing.

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**Can you share the story behind Clam Rattler? What inspired the title and the sound of the track?**

I found this AI-generated meme about a sex toy called the Clam Rattler 900. I still laugh when I look at it. I shared it on my FB and IG pages because I love memes and my audience, and I had a good laugh about this one especially. We had recurring jokes going back and forth in the comments sections for a few weeks. There was a strong petition for me to write a song called Clam Rattler. Initially, I was certain I would never do that. Then, after a while, I asked myself, “Why not?” I thought about how my audience is so loyal, funny and supportive. They are the reason I can fund my work! Consequently, I thought, “Why wouldn’t I give them what they want?” That is how the title came to be.

The sound, however, comes from a love of guitar music and distorted guitar tones. My producer, Matt Gio, and I have been playing around with my songs here and there since Fruit came out in 2018. But I was in a funny place after Fruit. I loved Fruit, but I wanted to make something more guitar-based. Gio is mostly the kind of producer who will take the song and completely twist it. He’s wonderful. But I knew I wanted to be able to play my next recorded songs both with my band and solo on an acoustic.

With the songs on Fruit, it wasn’t super easy to play solo on acoustic. Almost impossible at times without totally regressing the songs back to their more country/blues/rock origins. I also knew I wanted to make another record with Gio. One of the coolest things about Gio is that he listens when you speak. I was able to articulate all my vision and he has been so awesome to work with. I love making music with him.

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You seem to be a big appreciator of memes judging by your Instagram page. Are there any that you’ve particularly enjoyed lately that you want to share?

One of my all-time favourites is a picture of Alanis Morrisette standing in front of a cross-eyed bear. The eyes on the bear are so badly drawn that it makes it even funnier. And it says, “It’s not fair to remind me of the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me.”

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**What was your creative process like for Clam Rattler compared to your earlier work?**

I am very, very deliberately writing scaling power chord riffs. It’s a lot like how I wrote songs like Design Desire, Mammalian Locomotion and Taurus Chorus. I realised my band and I have SO much fun playing those songs, so I wanted to bring more of that to the live sets. The difference is that the new songs are much brighter in theme. There’s a lightheartedness in these songs.

I didn’t have a very light heart back when I was writing Design Desire. My process is to write challenging riffs that scale the fretboard back and forward. It brings interest for me and requires a lot of focus as well as a lot of practice. I am still not sure how I’m going to be able to play Clam Rattler live. In the studio you can do many takes. Live you really have one shot. I am up for the challenge though!

You released another single in 2024 titled ‘Big Pu$$y Energy’ - have you had many people come for you online for your openness to sexuality? What do you say to the haters?

I haven’t really experienced haters. That’s not to say they don’t exist in my realm; I know I am not everyone’s cup of tea. But I am fine with that because I don’t want to be sipped by everyone. Some people don’t deserve the cuppa! But I have found my experience online these past few years to be really fun and supportive.

My audience is super lovely, and I am proud of the type of person I am attracting. They’re open-minded and complimentary. On the very rare occasion I have had some kind of bullshit, I’ve just ignored and blocked them. It’s very much a policy of “Adios dickhead!” I don’t have a lot of it…But I am not very well known on a broader internet scale. I think online haters generally come for people who are REALLY famous and so their presence is a bit more widespread, making them more of a target for silly people.

It’s best to ignore dickheads. Sucks to be them – people who focus on trying to cut people down must have pretty hardcore wounding. I’d hope they find a way to heal! Same with anyone who tries to control another’s expression of sexuality. For me, if it’s consensual, then sexuality is beautiful and natural and nothing taboo. If me naming a song Big Pu$$y Energy upsets someone – then perhaps that person needs to be upset. Sucks to be them! I wish for them clarity so they can get the fuck over it and perhaps have a look inside their own heart.

**How has your perspective as a songwriter evolved since albums like Design Desire and Fruit?**

I was very serious back in the day. I really wanted to write because I had a drive to be creative in that way, but I also was very young and not super sure of who I was and so I took my writing very seriously because it helped me to find myself.

Design Desire era was me trying to completely ignore the wounding. Fruit was me openly declaring who I am without shame, and shame was a big part of the way abusive teachers conditioned me to hide who I am.

The years since Fruit have been tough. I had intense depression in 2019. It immobilised me. In a sage attempt to help me, my drummer prescribed me the getting of a kitten. “GET CAT.” He text me. And so I did. He wasn’t wrong. The cat, Tuxedo Winnie, was a lifesaver. I don’t think I had laughed in over a year. And he made me laugh all the time. He still does. It was wonderful to have something to nurture and to realise too that the cat was also nurturing me.

I feel good now though. I’ve done a lot of ongoing therapy and I am at peace with it…mostly. My writing now comes with more overt humour. I realise I am not doing rocket science or heart surgery. Not to diminish the power music can have but I do think it is rather wise to have a sense of humour about it all.

So that is what is informing my writing now. Humour, rather than pain.

Did you collaborate with any artists or producers on this track? If so, how did their input shape the final product?

Absolutely! I co-write with Matt Gio and Dan Carroll. The process is usually along the following lines:

I bring a scaling riff, some verse and bridge type parts along with melodies and lyrics.

Gio and I demo it together and then he will pull an arrangement from the parts. He’s got such an exceptional understanding of how the parts can fit together in the most optimal way.

We debate the merits of the arrangement.

We fist fight (lovingly) over the arrangement and also my outfit for the day.

We take a week off.

We reconvene and realise we love most of it.

We both input a little more before Gio then goes off for a fortnight to work on the arrangement and mix and to record drums for the song in his own time. I stay away because I know he’s going to bring me something incredible and also respect the need for a little alone time in the creative process.

At this point, Dan Carroll is usually called in to bring outside perspective and to deliver some horrifyingly awesome guitar bit that I later have to become superhuman to learn how to play.

Gio texts me and says “I think have something for you to listen to.. I am nervous.”

I come to his studio, and he plays me our song, and I lose my shit because I love it.

Gio says, “Yeah, but you love everything I do. How do I know it’s actually any good?”

I remind him I have pretty good judgement. He relaxes.

We send it to William Bowden for mastering and he says “Love it.” I then send to Distro and PR and brace myself for the amount of self promotion I am going to have to do for the release and launch shows.

Gio and I mentally prepare for the next fkn song.

You’ve mentioned being inspired by existentialism and personal experiences in past works. What’s been inspiring you lately?

I had a laugh recently when I thought, “Why aspire to success when you can simply be happy?”… and I think it’s a valid consideration. I aspire to be happy. I don’t aspire to success. Success made me miserable. I have spent a great deal of my life being unhappy, which is kind of weird considering the relative luxury of my life and existence. I think out of guilt around that I have tried to work out how I can be happy. I simplified my thinking.

I have learnt to enjoy the mundane. I like my little daily routine, and I think I am genuinely happy quite often now, which is such a wonder after all of the weird shit. Self-awareness is definitely key but I think it also can make you rather unhappy. I am self-aware, as much as I can be right now; even if it’s sometimes after the fact, I am accountable. Self awareness and accountability are very much the consideration of one’s flaws and one’s blessings, and realising a responsibility to self and to others regardless of wounding. It helps to soften the impact we can have on self and on others.

I try to be very responsible with that impact. It feels like…well, it’s a form of ethics… which brings me peace in myself. I am both “bad” and “good”. I have choice. I tend to choose kindness and softness on myself and others. I am OK with that. We have choices. I largely make well-considered choices now. I think that is why I love humour. It allows some of my darker stuff to surface without a damaging edge. I find this kind of greyscale really inspiring. This stuff tends to inform my lyrics.

How do you see the intersection of music and social activism evolving in today’s landscape?

I think it is just important to be authentic as an artist and to be who you are if you have the freedom to be authentic. Many people do not have this freedom. I am a white, middle-class lesbian. I have a lot of security, freedom and insight.

It is not lost on me that my experience of life is not particularly common. I have a lot of privileges, and I think the least I can do with my freedom is not pretend or hide myself. I would say it is important to be who you are. Both on a personal level and to make it easier for people with less power to feel safer in being who they are. For me, my out and proud expression of who I am through music and humour helps me to sit more comfortably in my own skin. I hope it helps others – it definitely has been healing for me to just let go and be me.

What advice would you give to emerging artists, particularly young women, navigating the music industry?

Trust your gut. Find yourself. Find TRUE allies who share the same ethics as you. Seek peace and happiness. Don’t chase ‘success” for the sake of “success”. I’ve been there. It’s a mirage. Be kind as fuck.

Can you hint at what’s next for you? Any upcoming projects or directions you’re excited about exploring?

After I make this album, I am going to make something cool for kids. I love kids. I would have liked to have had someone like myself around when I was a kid. You can’t be what you can’t see…but also.. just knowing it’s OK to be a bit different. That is important. I wish I knew that when I was a kid. There was a lot of self-loathing and agony, and a kid shouldn’t have to deal with that. I’d like to make something cool for kids who aren’t really able to hide their differences and help them feel accepted.