Orla Gartland didn’t exactly come out of nowhere—she’s been releasing EPs and building a following on YouTube for years—but Woman on the Internet is the kind of debut that makes you feel like you’ve just stumbled upon someone who’s been quietly perfecting their craft while the rest of us were doomscrolling. It’s a coming-of-age record, a masterclass in self-produced indie pop, and a reminder that the internet both gives and takes away in equal measure.
Even though this is her first full-length, Orla approached it like someone who’s been at this for a while. “I think EPs are a great way of finding your feet—figuring out what you’re trying to say and who you want to be,” she explains. “For me, I really wanted to get better at production so I could have a big hand in it. I didn’t want to just be the voice on someone else’s idea—I wanted to be playing the instruments, programming the drums, really getting into it.” By early 2020, she decided she was finally ready to take on an album, which is impressive considering most of us spent that year panic-baking bread and staring into the void. “I wanted a big, meaty, 40-minute body of work,” she says. “An album is like a playground where you can explore different styles and showcase all parts of yourself.”
She means it, too. Right from the beginning, Woman on the Internet refuses to settle on one sound, jumping between punchy indie rock, delicate folk, and electronic elements—all without losing the thread. And yes, that was intentional. “Production, demoing, and writing are all one big process for me,” she says. “I don’t write songs and then produce them later. I work on a demo, revisit it over and over until it’s finished. That way, I can hear all the sounds and beats as I go rather than adding them at the end.” Case in point: the album opener, “Things I’ve Learned,” wasn’t even meant to be a song at first. “I actually wrote that as an intro for my live set,” she says. “I wanted a moment where I could introduce the band—like, ‘And on bass, it’s Pete!’—so that’s why the instruments take turns.” Which, honestly, is a pretty cool way to kick things off.
Lyrically, this album is one long existential crisis set to music, and we mean that in the best way possible. “It’s a coming-of-age record,” Orla says. “I moved from Dublin to London about six years ago, and when you move to a new city, you can be anyone you want. You could go to a party and put on a completely different accent if you wanted to.” She didn’t go that far, but she did find herself trying on different versions of her identity, which is basically the plot of every great quarter-life crisis. “I spent a lot of years being afraid to be myself in certain groups, and this album is about shaking that off and growing into who you already are.”
Of course, no existential crisis is complete without questionable internet advice, and Woman on the Internet delivers that too. The title comes from a recurring character—an online presence offering wisdom that may or may not be helpful. “I originally wrote ‘More Like You,’ and the woman on the internet pops up in the chorus,” Orla says. “Then she showed up again in ‘Pretending,’ and someone pointed it out to me. It wasn’t intentional at first, but I started thinking about who that person is.” Turns out, she’s less of a fairy godmother and more of an influencer trying to sell you a self-help book. “She’s not a wise, all-knowing mentor,” Orla laughs. “If anything, she’s giving bad advice. There are so many people online that we think we know, but we don’t. And if you’re feeling lost, it’s easy to latch onto someone who seems to have it all figured out—until they start trying to sell you something.”
For someone who writes a lot about the internet’s dark side, Orla knows a thing or two about growing up online. Before she became a full-fledged artist, she got her start posting covers on YouTube, which means she had the pleasure of being raised in the comment section. “I was lucky that my growth was slow and steady,” she says. “Back in the early days of YouTube, things weren’t as calculated. It wasn’t like today, where people post with a strategy to build an audience.” That slower rise meant she avoided the worst of the internet’s cruelty, though she still got plenty of weirdly specific feedback. “I did get a lot of flack for my ‘singing faces,’” she laughs. “I’d be really expressive when I sang, and people would comment on it. But at the time, a lot of artists were starting to pre-record their vocals for videos and just mime, so people weren’t used to seeing real singing anymore.” Still, it’s better than waking up one day to find yourself suddenly viral for all the wrong reasons. “I didn’t have an overnight moment like people do now on TikTok, so I didn’t get the same level of negativity. But I did get a lot of ‘why does she make faces when she sings?’ comments, which was a choice bit of internet wisdom.”
With Woman on the Internet, Orla isn’t just finding her voice—she’s owning it. “I think so much of the album is about finally growing into yourself,” she says. “I’m incredibly self-aware, sometimes to a fault, and these songs are me processing that. A song like ‘Pretending’ is about being at a party and realizing mid-conversation that I don’t even believe what I’m saying.” But does she feel like she’s there yet? “Not completely, but I think awareness is the first step. Even if I don’t have it all figured out, at least I can recognize when I’m falling into those old patterns.”
That sentiment is summed up perfectly in “You’re Not Special, Babe,” which, despite the title, is actually meant as reassurance. “It’s essentially saying, ‘You’re not alone,’” she says. “But that sounded cheesy, so I went with something that stands out more.” Honestly, good call.
Another good call? Taking inspiration from Strange Mercy-era St. Vincent. “I remember hearing that record and thinking, ‘Wow, this is such a soundscape,’” she says. “When you approach production as a guitar player, it’s tempting to put the guitar front and center, but Strange Mercy showed me that guitar can be part of a bigger sound world.” St. Vincent’s approach to restraint—choosing when to let the guitar shine—was a revelation. “She’s one of the best guitarists out there, but she doesn’t feel the need to shred all the time. That’s what makes her so great.”
With Woman on the Internet, Orla Gartland has cemented herself as one of indie pop’s most exciting new voices. But what comes next? “I have no idea,” she laughs. “But I’m excited to figure it out.” Whatever it is, it’s bound to be worth the wait.
Watch the interview above and then check out the videos below.
