Beth Orton doesn’t shy away from reinvention, and with Kidsticks, she’s embracing her most electronic sound yet. For an artist with a long career rooted in acoustic intimacy, stepping into this new sonic territory could have been a leap of faith. But as she tells me, it wasn’t a leap at all—it was more like a dance.
“I didn’t have to get into a headspace to make this record,” she says. “I was just in that headspace. It was all so natural. I started messing around on the keyboard—which I’d never really done before—and suddenly, I was writing songs in a way I’d never experienced.”
Collaborating with Andrew Hung of Fuck Buttons, Orton found herself in an unexpected flow state, blending four-bar loops and evolving melodies. “Andy would change the sounds while I was playing,” she explains, “and we fell into this really sweet, symbiotic rhythm. It was 10 days of pure exploration, and it changed how I approached songwriting.”
This fluid process led to an album that’s experimental yet personal. Tracks like “Moon” and “Falling” are marked by a playful vocal exploration that feels both raw and otherworldly. “I’m definitely in character throughout this record,” Orton admits. “But at the same time, I feel more connected to myself than ever.”
The opening lyric of the album, “Project myself into the life of someone else,” almost feels like a mission statement. “It wasn’t planned,” she says with a laugh, “but making this album was like an out-of-body experience. I was just following the music wherever it led me.”
That journey brought her into collaboration with other musicians, including Shahzad Ismaily and Grey McMurray, as she layered live instruments over electronic loops. “Bit by bit, the picture came together,” she says. “It was like the music was drawing itself, and I was just along for the ride.”
One of the album’s standout moments is the track “Moon,” which feels both futuristic and grounded in nature—a quality Orton attributes to the influence of her time in Los Angeles. “LA was so moon-obsessed when I was writing this record,” she recalls. “There was a Blood Moon, a Harvest Moon, and all these celestial events. But at the same time, I couldn’t seem to find the moon. It became this elusive, poetic presence.”
It’s a fitting metaphor for Kidsticks itself—an album rooted in exploration, unafraid to follow the unpredictable paths of creativity. Even the album’s release seemed to align with the stars. “The day we released Moon, there was big news from NASA,” Orton says. “It felt like a sign, like this record was meant to soundtrack all these amazing things happening in space.”
For Orton, the shift to a more electronic sound wasn’t about chasing trends—it was about staying true to the moment. “I don’t want to be clever about what I do,” she says. “I wish I could sit here and tell you it was all part of some grand plan, but it wasn’t. I just followed the music.”
This sense of openness defines Kidsticks, an album that invites listeners to wander with Orton into new creative realms. “It’s a timestamp,” she says. “An imprint of this moment in my life and everything happening around me.”
With NASA making history and Orton crafting the perfect soundtrack for a new space age, Kidsticks feels like more than just a record—it’s a journey into the unknown, guided by one of music’s most curious explorers.
Listen to the interview above and then check out the videos below.
