Carina Round is an accomplished solo artist and has been a member of Puscifer, the art rock outfit of Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle), since 2009.

Their fifth album, Normal Isn't, comes out on February 6th. The Needle Drop's Tyler Roland sat down with Round to discuss the new record, Puscifer's elusive Fleetwood Mac cover, and plans for a follow-up to her last solo LP.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Tyler @ TND: I love that all of you in Puscifer posted "what we were listening to" playlists in the lead-up for the record. From the songs you picked, say, KLF's "3 AM Eternal" or Kendrick Lamar's ubiquitous "TV Off", I wanted to know if any of the tracks offered a vocal line or instrumental break that made you think "wow, I have to put my own spin on this for a song on Normal Isn't?"

Carina Round: Not directly, but, you know, sometimes I'll do something and I'll just be like, "where does that come from?" Because I don't necessarily always choose that way of delivering. Sometimes I could be unsure, and I'll call Mat [Mitchell, Puscifer instrumentalist] in to listen. He'll be like, "fucking love that KLF vibe moment." And I'll be like, "that's where it came from!"

That was something that I was listening to, just subliminally, when I was growing up. But also, that song was just such a big part of what [was] around me in England. So, whilst I don't think I've taken things directly from songs, we're all thieves. Whether we know it or not.

In the press material, you talk about your background "as an Englishwoman with a knack for insulting people." What's your favorite lyrical insult on the new record?

I mean, my favorite has got to be just the simple "you're an idiot" [from "Self Evident"]. Like, it just says so much. I say that in my head to different people so many times every day. But obviously, as an English person, "twit" and "twat" [also on "Self Evident"]. I really love that Keenan got "twat" into a song. You know, it's not the same in England as it is here. It's actually really extreme.

Do you think that Puscifer's sense of humor veers a little more English than American?

One of the first things that Maynard and I connected on was English humor, you know, English comedy – Monty Python, League of Gentleman, Little Britain, The Young Ones, things like that. I think it appeals to him because, like, it's kind of mean, but funny, and cute, and obnoxious. I don't know, we both are into that. So yeah, I guess it errs on the side of English, because that's what he likes.

Over the years, Puscifer's discography – which you've put your stamp on for most of – has become a little moodier, a little darker than its earliest days, where you have songs like "Queen B" or "Cuntry Boner", and album names like V Is for Vagina. I want to know if, on the later stuff, sometimes you think that lyrical additions like "bunghole" [on "Self Evident"] or your cheerful backing line of "shut the fuck up" on the song "Fake Affront" from Existential Reckoning feel a little shoehorned in? Or do you think it's natural?

When I was asked to join Puscifer, and I heard V Is for Vagina, one of the things I really loved and appreciated about it – and, you know, he does this in Tool and other bands, too – [Keenan approaches] lyrics about unexpected things and makes them dark, and brooding, and serious, and appealing... I loved that.

I was hearing this song about oral sex, or whatever, and it was moving, and it was dark, and it was brooding, and it had this groove, but it was also so clever and poetic. I don't think it's necessary, in life, to put boundaries on what art can be about. The anger, and sex, the general disbelief and confusion and, I don't know, hatred – it's all just as important as love, and darkness, and all the other shit that everybody else writes about all day long. I think he has such a brilliant way of communicating those things. It's one of the things I was drawn to about him.

So, I don't think it's shoehorned in. I think it's very much at the core of what it's about and everything else that grows around it. Maybe I'm neurodivergent –

We all are.

[Laughs] I find it moves me, that kind of stuff.

One track that stood out to me on this new project is "Seven One" because it's so driven on spoken word. It almost reminds me of what might be my favorite Puscifer track ever, "Simultaneous". Those tracks are both kind of anomalies, for lack of a better term, and I want to know – what's one thing Puscifer doesn't yet have in their discography that you would like to see? Maybe it's a 10-minute song, or a dream collaboration with another artist.

I don't know, because when I think about it (even though, like you say, it's kind of settled into the band that it is), at any point, there could be any kind of wild collaboration that happens. To me, a collaboration with Van Halen and a collaboration with FKA Twigs – they're both, like, totally acceptable for Puscifer. They both fit completely. I wouldn't like to say that we're missing anything, or there's anything I'd like to see, I just enjoy being confused all the time by everything that's going on.

Speaking of "diverging from the norm," not that Puscifer really has a "norm," but I want to know if the trio has ever floated the idea of having a track with you on lead, and [Keenan's] contributions more atmospheric or instrumental. Has that ever come up?

Yeah, I think one of the songs on this album, Keenan wanted me to sing the lead on. The thing about all of us is, if it's not serving the song, we all know it. I mean, at some point, there might be a track where he was supposed to be singing more, and I ended up singing more than what was initially planned or thought. If it serves the song, that's what will end up happening.

Everything goes through all of our filters, and turns into what it turns into based on the filter it went through. We turn to this other person as something different, and that influences what they do. So it's the symbiosis, for sure.

Can you tell me what song it was that was originally going to have you on lead?

I could, but I'm not going to.

Okay, fair enough. [Both laugh] One thing I love about Puscifer is the fact that your aesthetics change, clothing and appearance-wise, with each album cycle. How did you arrive at your current aesthetic style?

Based on my body type, I choose clothes that are structural in a certain way. And I actually wanted to be a Blade Runner type, that was, like, somewhat robotic but also a total, raw mess. A cross between Blade Runner and manga is what I was going for. I made a folder of looks that I liked, went on a search for clothing, and found this designer that made this dress. I was like, "wow, that is fucking cool." It had the exact right kind of shape, and wasn't too specific in a certain direction – I always liked a little ambiguity. It had the doll-like thing, but was also kind of manga-ish to me. It was right.

Years and years ago, I think it was during the Conditions of My Parole era [2011], only during soundcheck, or something, but Puscifer did a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain". That's one of my favorite songs ever. Have you ever thought about doing a proper studio release, or releasing it in any way?

It's never been spoken about. I feel like one of the references for that record was Fleetwood Mac. You know, the inspirations, and the harmonies, and maybe that's why [we did it] – it was just a little nod.

Is there any song you would want to cover with Puscifer in the future?

I can never answer that question. Again, neurodivergence means my favorites of everything change hour to hour, day to day.

Since it's been over a dozen years since your last solo LP, Tigermending, I want to know: are you creatively fulfilled with what you're doing in Puscifer and elsewhere right now, or do you have any plans for another solo LP down the road?

Yeah, I have plans. I went through a huge, internal... I don't know what to call it, maybe collapse... in the couple of years after Tigermending [released in 2012]. I became sober. Things happened in my life that were... huge. It made me look at my solo career in a different way. I shed a lot of the influences in my life that were negative, but unfortunately, I picked up some other ones that were worse. So now, the creative process on that end is entirely for my own artistic satisfaction. I had to have a period for myself where it was not about output. It was about what I needed internally. But yes, it's ongoing, and it's in the works.

A bit of a cliché question, but what song on Normal Isn't are you the proudest of?

Right now, today?

Right now, today.

It's "Bad Wolf".

What about it speaks to you?

I loved it from the beginning, when it was just a sketch, so much, and even after Keenan put his vocals on it, which were very one-note, I loved it so much that it took me a long time to put anything on it, because I didn't want to ruin it. And then, when it finally clicked, and I knew what I was going to do. I'm so proud of it, how it turned out.

Normal Isn't is out on February 6th via Puscifer Entertainment/Alchemy Recordings/BMG. The band will head out on tour, and you can find tickets here.

03/20 Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
03/21 Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
03/24 Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
03/25 Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
03/27 Nashville, TN @ The Pinnacle
03/28 Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
03/31 Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
04/01 Durham, NC @ DPAC – Durham Performing Arts Center
04/03 Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Event Center
04/04 Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
04/07 New York, NY @ Terminal 5
04/08 Hershey, PA @ Hershey Theatre
04/10 Mashantucket, CT @ Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
04/11 Atlantic City, NJ @ Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort
04/15 Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
04/16 Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theatre
04/18 Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
04/19 Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
04/21 Louisville, KY @ The Louisville Palace
04/23 Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre
04/25 Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
04/26 Milwaukee, WI @ Landmark Credit Union Live
04/28 Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
04/30 St. Louis, MO @ The Factory
05/01 Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theatre
05/03 Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
05/05 Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center
05/08 Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds
05/09 Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
05/11 San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Theatre
05/13 San Diego, CA @ San Diego Civic Theatre
05/14 Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre

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