Who is Blank Instrument?
Blank Instrument is a Perth-based songwriting partnership of singer and lyricist Kim Franklin and pianist Todd Walker.
Kim started Blank Instrument as a way to understand her own chaotic mind and learn to play the piano. A lover of indie folk music, her first EPs, So Far (2020) and My Piano Sounds Okay (2022) captured unique snapshots from her life in the previous decade - the winding roads of WA’s southern coast (Red), making a lifelong commitment (Wedding Song), the dangers of gambling (The Banker) and challenging expectations (Good Girl). Sonically, these early songs combine emotive piano with jazz and soul textures.
In 2023, Kim signed up for I Heart Songwriting Club and during the weeks of lyric writing and song composition, an album was formed. Kim met Todd through mutual friends at the end of 2023 and the pair worked on demos together until June 2024, when the recording of their debut full-length album, Jumping at Ghosts started at Sundown Studios. With the talents of Elliot Smith (drums and percussion) Lee Jones (piano, bass and guitar), Luke Dux (guitar) and Emily Barker (backing vocals), the songs explore universal themes around mental health, getting older, love and grief.
Jumping at Ghosts will be released in 2026, with Kim and Todd writing new songs, putting a band together and generally having a good time.
Why the name Blank Instrument?
Kim had a random thought in 2012 - 'I should buy a keyboard and learn piano'. Previous attempts to learn guitar or bass were abandoned long ago in favour of singing. This idea felt so alien and strange, Kim took it as a sign.
In 2014, in the paperwork for her house was a legal document called a Blank Instrument. Pondering this idea, that an instrument is a blank canvas, holding secrets and discoveries, it seemed like a fitting name for her musical project. This is how each song begins, with a blank instrument.