Locate S,1 mastermind Christina Schneider talks new album, touring highs and lows

Christina Schneider records and performs as Locate S,1, with a sound that bounces between 1960s girl groups, synth pop, bossa nova, indie guitar rock and more.

With that said, even Schneider isn’t not quite sure how to classify her output.

“Honestly, I always struggle with that because I have no idea what kind of music I make,” Schneider said while on the road from Vermont to Georgia for pre-tour rehearsals. “But I try to tell people that I try to write pop songs, but they come out a little bit weird.”

Her latest album, “Wicked Jaw,” came out on July 28, and she’ll be performing some of those news songs as a support act for Of Montreal on Sept. 12 at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale.

Speaking of the headliner, Schneider is romantic partners with Of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes. They also shared a creative partnership, with Barnes’ co-producing Locate S,1’s “Personalia” album in 2020.

But for “Wicked Jaw,” Schneider wanted to step out of that shadow, so she took on challenge — and feels like she succeeded — as the album’s sole producer.

“Working with Kevin … he’s such a brilliant genius, it’s so identifiable that it’s almost like if he collaborates at any level, it just kind of sounds like Of Montreal,” Schneider said with a laugh. “So I just really wanted to explore what my kind of sound could be.”

Whether it’s the breezy but subversive “Go Back to Disnee” or the synth-pop “Heart Attack” (which addresses PTSD), Schneider delves into an intriguing variety of genres and uses the music therapeutically.

“I’m sure it’s different for everyone who makes music,” she said, “but for me it’s definitely a way to process emotions and make sense of feelings.”

After a break from a headlining stint out west, Schneider is looking forward to getting back on the road, where her songs have evolved — out of necessity. Her keyboard player, JoJo Glidewell, missed that tour as he was serving as a roadie/synth tech on the Boy George/Howard Jones tour.

“So we had to play songs a little bit differently. I really liked getting to play things maybe not so much exactly how they sound on the record,” Schneider said. “So that idea has grown on me, just kind of feeling it out as a band and changing it up sometimes.”

Schneider said she relished performing for people who find value in her music.

“It’s really rewarding to talk to people who are liking the songs,” she said with a laugh, “and it makes me feel like I’m not wasting my life completely.”

And yet there are still doubts.

“I feel that way about 10 times a day,” she said with another laugh, “but it always makes me feel good to be reminded that it’s just my brain.”

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As good as it feels to find affirmation from fans in her music, the low point of touring would be never getting to spend enough time in each city.

“You meet people and make friends, and then you don’t see them again for like a year sometimes,” she said. “It’s a little sad to move on so fast every night.”

But it does get easier since she’ll be touring with Barnes and “a really great group of people.”

“I feel like we’re just a stronger couple now than when we first started dating,” she said. “In the beginning, there’s weird tour tension and dumb fights and stuff, but now we’re so locked into the process, and it’s just really fun.”