Lindsey Mackin never grew up thinking she was going to join a rock band — little did she know, she would eventually become the lead singer of the retro-grunge band, Annabelle Chairlegs.

 Annabelle Chairlegs released their debut album, Watermelon Summer, in 2015. With its retro-grunge energy, Watermelon Summer quickly rocketed Mackin from Annabelle Chairlegs to popularity, inspiring the band to release their second album, Gotta Be In Love. 

Mackin joined her first band in college where she majored in Musical Theater and learned about the basics of being in a band. 

“I started playing with musicians [and] learning everything from how to plug in a microphone to everything about guitars,” Mackin said. “I just started to get really into it and started playing guitar, writing songs, recording, and I would just pick the brains of everybody I was around and working with.”

Mackin takes charge of the logistics of Anabelle Chairlegs, from booking tours and buying merch to running the band’s website and Instagram. 

“Right now, I would say [the hardest part of having this band] is balancing tasks and learning how to ask for help and navigating the process, not sinking your own ship,” Mackin said. 

When writing songs, Mackin uses the strategy of recording herself and layering the sounds to see how her ideas sound.

“I do have the habit now of just sitting down and recording [songs], and navigating it that way, almost like a painting, like laying down guitar and then layering on top of it,” Mackin said.

As a pre-show ritual, Mackin tends to steam her face and throat to heal her vocal folds. 

“I like to pace around, stretch, make weird movements, center myself, and not be in a loud, overcrowded space,” Mackin said.

When performing, Mackin likes to take an actor’s approach and display the emotions represented in the songs.

“If I’m having a rough day, I try and channel it in [my music] and release it in a new way, or when confronting something that I can’t confront in real life, I try and do it on stage instead,” Mackin said.

Mackin also discussed her third album, which currently has an undecided release date, and she already has plans to start recording her fourth album.

“I’ve just been trying to navigate recording songs and figuring out when and how to release them,” Mackin said. “And while doing all that, [I’m making plans for] tours and to get out on the road as much as possible, so we could have more attention in order to put these things out in a good way.”

The mantra Mackin lives by in the music world is that  “if it’s not a yes, it’s a no.” She uses this advice whenever she’s making decisions for the band and follows other important advice when writing songs. 

“I have stacks and stacks of notebooks that I’ve written in, and on the first page I always write ‘Write for life, for no one else,’” Mackin said. “[Do it because] it’s something that you want to share and do, not just for other people and for the endgame. Just do it in the moment.”

Anabelle Chairlegs will perform at Stubb’s Austin on Thursday, October 26.