Ayla Tesler-Mabé: “I’m not sure I want to hear a purely improvisational solo... My favorite solos are the ones that are singable”

Ayla Tesler-Mabé’s recent single, Give Me a Sign? marks the formal solo debut by the Vancouver-based guitarist, formerly with indie-rock outfit Calpurnia and now one third of soul-jazz trio Ludic. 

This time around, it’s all Ayla, all the way, with Tesler-Mabé self-producing the lush, effects-rippled R&B ballad, as well as shouldering all the bass, drum, synth, vocal and guitar duties. Though on the one hand Give Me a Sign? is the by-product of an artist cutting loose on her own, its glitterball guitar leads are more nuanced than noodly.

“As much as I love and appreciate a wailing guitar solo, unless it’s in a live setting, I’m not so sure I want to hear a purely improvisational solo that doesn’t have some sense of hookiness to it,” Tesler-Mabé says, connecting this to her sleek, octaver-dialing vibrato on the track. “My favorite solos are the ones that are singable.”

That earworm quality naturally extends past Tesler-Mabé’s soloing, and now transcends her usual six-string approach. Tesler-Mabé began as a bassist and admits she’s been leaning harder into her four-string these days, so the hard-popped groove on second single Keep My Mind Off the News is a return to form, of sorts. 

She boomed out the swaggering, envelope filter-heavy funk verses with a recently acquired Fender Aerodyne Precision, though switched to an aesthetically deadened Geddy Lee Jazz model for the mid-section’s Latin rhythm breakdown (“It’s a great bass – I’ve just never changed the strings”).

Back on six strings, upcoming strutter Haven’t Seen Much of U Lately! showcases rich chord inversions informed by years of studying Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder, and a waterfall-fluid backend run.

All three singles are part of a broader lead-up to an as-yet-untitled solo EP set for release later this year. And while Tesler-Mabé still loves the collaborative spirit behind her past-and-present group endeavors (Ludic are likewise working on new music), she notes that there’s a different kind of pride coursing through tunes where “every single note is something I understand and believe in”.

“I’d say I’m experiencing a very important time in my life where I am just truly becoming myself, in a way like never before,” Tesler-Mabé says. “It felt essential to be able to do something where I didn’t have to compromise. Compromising is beautiful, and I feel like I always try my best to compromise [in a group scenario], but it is also very liberating to not have to do that.”

• Ayla Tesler-Mabe