Off the Record with JBF

An Interview with Wolf Arrow Rain on first impressions, creative beginnings, and the emotion-fueled journey of a debut album

Wolf Arrow Rain conjures myth, memory, and magic into sonic form. With a name rooted in personal mythology and a debut album that feels both ceremonial and courageous, “The Arrow of Time” is a rite of passage.

Blending folk traditions, dreamlike storytelling, and emotional truth, Wolf Arrow Rain pulls listeners through seasons of darkness, transformation, and light. Her music is part spell, part story, and fully alive—with echoes of the past, visions of the mystical, and a call toward something greater. In this conversation, she opens up about the origins of her name, the mythic threads of her songwriting, her tarot-inspired creative process, and the white wolf who found her just in time.

This is the revelation of an artist who has long been walking with the wild.

Debut & Beginnings

The name “Wolf Arrow Rain” is evocative and powerful. What story or meaning lies behind the moniker?
As a child of 6 or 7 years old, I thought that my mother was some kind of wolf shape shifter. Her hair line looked like a wolf or husky mask (a widow's peak) and her eyes were a shining amber color. I thought that somehow the wolves were our relations. We had white Samoyed dogs in our home.In my mind as an only child at that stage, I thought that they were my wolf siblings.

There was one ‘Wolfie’ dog in particular that I thought was my auntie. She always watched over me and followed me wherever I went. She came into my life when I was a 6 month old baby. I also had a brother dog called Basil. He was cherished.

I was a lonely kid and I spent a lot of time hanging out with our dogs. I grew up with family violence often sought refuge among my furry friends. I used to enjoy howling with them and stirring up the neighborhood dogs from our balcony. We lived quite near to a forest and I enjoyed escaping into my imagination a lot whilst going for walks or wading through the nearby creek that meandered through our property. I cried a lot and often sat in the rain because it calmed me.

My grandfather introduced me to poetry as a child and I wrote my first song at 9 years old.

My literature studies brought me to the Arthurian legends in my early teens. I discovered the Code of Chivalry in an old poem from the middle ages and decided that when I grew up, I would be a brave knight that upheld good and protected the weak.

I changed my name legally to Wolf Arrow Rain 25 years ago. It’s a description of who I thought I was at the time or what I thought had given me the power to get through life!

I was very young when I took that title. I grew into it over time. My initials are W.A.R.

I have previously performed with a band under the name of Wolves of Rain. Many band members came and went over the years but the music was always written by me. Eventually I decided to use my own name because it sounds like a band name anyway and then once I had made a decision about that, my concept album THE ARROW OF TIME began to form.

Creative Storytelling

Your EPK describes your “bits and pieces” of work—do you see the album as a collection of distinct snapshots, or as one cohesive story?
The album is a collection of snap shots from my life over a period of time. It explores rites of passage from a witchy, mythological, even Juangian perspective. It draws upon archetypes from all over the world and relates to my own journey of growth and interaction with the world or universe that I live in. It also holds archetypes of my own creation. I actually developed a tarot deck and all of the songs on the album also represent tarot cards in this deck.

I plan to release a mini version of this deck in the future with The Arrow of Time on vinyl. It will hold approx 20 cards full of detailed mystical artwork. I haven't finished it yet. It’s a work in progress!

What inspired your lyrical vision? Are there particular themes or emotions you’re exploring?
The album travels through the seasons of life. Each season has a vibe or a feeling attached to it. Every individual person has a different response to the seasons, right? For example, most people really thrive in Summer and a lot of folks dislike winter. However, others thrive in winter. The tracks in the album show my own relationship to the varied seasons in my own life.

I am really inspired by nature, mysticism, magic and my old dog Ushki. Ushki is a motif in the album. Her story is explored in The Journey of The Huntress (which is a 3 part trilogy embedded into the album).

Musical and Emotional Landscape

How did you decide on your signature sonic style—what genres, moods, or artists shaped the album?
I spent a lot of time listening to folk music as a youngster. I love Irish traditional music, folk music of the 70’s and prog rock. I also really like ceremonial music and psychedelic music.

Bands and artists of influence that come to mind would be PLANXTY, BJORK, STRAVINSKY, TORI AMOS, PJ HARVEY, BLACK SABBATH, AGGALOCH, SUB ROSA, ARROWWOOD, LOREENA MCKENNIT.

Everyone usually says something about Kate Bush in my music. I actually never listened to her music until more recently though I reckon Kate's approach to sound mixing and composition definitely influenced some of the approaches to The Arrow Of Time as an album.

As for the sonic style… Well, I got tired of playing in rock bands with all of the boys at music school in my old band Wolves of Rain. I was bored. So I decided to strip everything away to find my own thing. It all came back to classical guitar. That was about ten years ago. My dear friend Magnus Turner, a classical musician, started playing with me around this time. He never told me what to do (like all the other boys did). We both liked some heavy dark music and we just played it without trying to be someone else. We found a vibe. He is very supportive and one of my best friends.

I bought guitar pedals and faffed around with sound until I could create something that didn’t cause yucky feedback. I like loud things. I like delay and reverb washes. I like theatre. I like music that takes the listener on a journey. I am a dreamy person and I like to zone out. Magnus and I laid down a sound bed for most of the album with some friends of ours in Tasmania many years ago and eventually, we finished it. Lots of different friends have featured on it at various points in time. The album took years to create.

Was there a standout moment during creation—whether a lyric, melody, or production idea—that surprised you with its emotional impact?

Yes indeed,I know that something is good when it makes me cry. It’s never a surprise to find myself crying with these songs. The tears are a sign that I have hit the nail right on the head. Especially when I look into the audience and see other people are crying. That happens a lot. If I had to name something in the album that is really close to my heart right now then it has to be the three part trilogy ‘Journey of The Huntress’. It’s three songs wrapped into one epic tale. The last song that is part of this trilogy is our latest single release SOUL RETURN. There is a great video clip that is full of symbolism explaining what this song is about. I urge people to watch it. They can find it online.

Industry Debut & Artistic Identity

As a newcomer in the industry, what’s a lesson or insight you’ve learned so far that surprised you?

A few things - It surprises me that there is such a lack of truly unique art being represented at all. It also appears that there is little to no legislation protecting artists from being exploited by enormous music platforms such as Spotify. Most artists receive little to nothing for their musical contributions to the world. It is incredibly difficult to survive or even cover costs. The best thing that music lovers and audiences can do is buy music directly from the artists or through platforms like Bandcamp that ensure payment will actually go to the artist instead of being swallowed up by a multi-national corporation.

Which emotions or thoughts are you hoping the music will leave listeners with, even long after they’ve hit play?

I hope that they can find a sense of healing from it. I want it to give them inspiration and hope to go on. I want them to find their courage to stand up and fight. I want it to give them peace and know that they are not alone in their struggles. I want them to be able to cut through the darkness and find the light.

Support & Future Directions

You mentioned you’d appreciate reviews—what does early feedback mean to you, and how does it influence what comes next?

Early feedback and reviews are important because an artist needs to gain visibility in the industry if they want people to share, hear and purchase their music. If there are no published reviews, then it’s almost impossible for anyone to notice the art. It disappears back into the void from whence it came.

The world is full of fine music that nobody knows about because it is not visible to the greater part of the music industry. This is such a waste and a sad loss for humanity. The more traction that is gained from this album now, then the more hope we have of getting a following for future releases. Without a following, it will be most difficult to fund future projects.

Beyond this album, do you have upcoming projects—singles, collaborations, videos—that you’re excited to share?

We just put out a music video for Soul Return a week ago. It’s amazing. Check it out.

I am currently working on the art for my Tarot deck which will be sold as part of the vinyl release for The Arrow Time (coming soon). There is also a new E.P cooking.

Off the Record

If someone made a perfume inspired by your music, what would the warning label say?

For stinky bitches and badass witches only.

What’s the question you’ve been waiting for someone to ask you, but never have?
Umm… I’ve kinda heard it all. Hahaha

Finally—what part of this musical process surprised you the most, but you’re glad it happened?

I was really surprised when a white wolf dog randomly came running along the beach and ended up in our video clip. Her name is Meera and I felt like she was part of the mythology of the album. It was very very cool. She was just like my ‘wolfie’ siblings from childhood.

There was also a ‘fans only’ photography shoot going on in the same location that we had chosen to do our video shoot. We had no idea about this and at first it was a real surprise indeed. It felt like a true celebration on the beach in the middle of winter. There were girls oiling up their butts in one spot and our team were dressed like ancient roman acolytes in another spot 100 metres away. We ended up with loads of cliffs and rock features in the vid that may not have been there otherwise. It was really meant to be. Once again, check out the video for SOUL RETURN. You won’t see oily butts on display but you will see a statement of divine feminism.

There’s a deeply elemental feeling about Wolf Arrow Rain’s presence—her music howls, heals, and holds. The Arrow of Time may mark her official debut, but it’s clearly the result of a life already lived with intention, intuition, and a relentless search for truth. Through folklore, feedback loops, emotional catharsis, and howls in the rain, she’s created an album that guides.

With tarot cards in the works, a new EP simmering, and a vision that stretches far beyond genre or convention, Wolf Arrow Rain is carving a path that’s entirely her own—untamed, undiluted, and utterly unforgettable.