mazie Breaks Down New Album blotter baby Track by Track: Exclusive
The post mazie Breaks Down New Album blotter baby Track by Track: Exclusive appeared first on Consequence.
Track by Track is a recurring feature series in which artists share the story behind every song on their latest release. Today, CoSigned artist mazie breaks down her playful, inviting new album, blotter baby.
As part of her CoSign celebration, mazie has collaborated with Consequence on an exclusive water bottle design based on the blotter baby album artwork. With proceeds supporting two of mazie’s favorite organizations, Feed the Streets LA and Water Drop LA, you can grab yours at the Consequence Shop.
Part dark fantasy, part cosmic explosion, the new album from mazie is undeniably interesting. blotter baby is the latest LP from our February CoSign, an LA-via-Baltimore singer-songwriter whose recent work poises her for a bright new era.
While certainly pop-forward, blotter baby is multifaceted, shifting like a rainbow-hued kaleidoscope and always keeping us curious. From the hazy opener of “it’s not me (it’s u)” to the glittery, bubbly highlight of “are you feeling it now” and the finale of “as it was before it ends,” mazie is the one in the driver’s seat, taking us through moments of rock and psychadelia alike. We as the listener are just along for the ride.
Following the release of her the rainbow cassette EP in 2021, the story mazie is telling is only getting richer the more she shares. With this record in particular, the artist balances doom and dread with catharsis and an unresistant sense of hope. If the world is on fire around her, mazie is probably going to shrug and use the flames to light one up to pass the time.
Listen to blotter baby and read mazie’s Track by Track breakdown of the album below.
“it’s not me (it’s u)”:
I’ve talked a lot about this song being the hardest thing I’ve ever written — and that’s true! But one of my favorite memories I have of making this song is driving around in the middle of the night with my producer (Elie Rizk) finishing the verses. We used to write a lot of songs in the car when we were younger and it felt so nostalgic to drive around talking, listening to music, and writing the verses. This song feels like a page from my journal being exposed to the entire world and it’s the most vulnerable I’ve ever been.
“another life”:
Wow, this is one of my favorite moments on the entire record. This song was a creative venture start to finish — we originally wrote it acoustically and then it ended up becoming its own sonic universe. I would really like to think this song totally embodies new wave psychedelic music and I’m so excited for people to hear it in the context of the whole project.
“all i ever wanted (was you)”:
This was the first song we made on the album – we (Elie Rizk and I) had written it after I went through a pretty nasty mutual friend breakup and we were both airing out our sadness and bitterness about the situation. It was such a cathartic experience writing the song and it’s one of my favorite songs lyrically on the whole record.
“menace”:
“menace” is the closest I’ve gotten to feeling like a real life rockstar. I finished the verses to this song a couple hours before getting on a flight to start a tour with Still Woozy — I tested out the song the next night at a show and it immediately was a crowd favorite. I have the fondest memories playing this song and I can’t wait to go on the road and play it live again!
“are you feeling it now”:
This is the biggest pop moment I have on the album. Throughout the entire process of making the record, Elie and I really wanted to see what every genre would sound like as a “mazie” song. I’ve always wanted a song that you can really dance to and this is that moment!
“give up!”:
We had spent a whole day in the studio working on other songs and Elie all of a sudden transitioned to making this beat. We immediately knew it was going to be on the album and we finished the hook that night. It’s such a big moment on the project and I feel like it embodies my personality so well. It’s such a freeing experience screaming this hook!
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“girls just wanna have sex”:
Society cares way too fucking much about women and their sexual autonomy, so much so that we’re actively taking away healthcare and stripping women of their rights. Even though the context of the song was inspired by the overturning of Roe v Wade, the message of the song is simple and should be apolitical: Girls just want to have sex. Male artists speak on their sexual experiences without it being a political statement all the time. I wanted to do the same.
“somebody to lose”:
Maturation was a really big theme throughout the making of the whole project. We were constantly asking ourselves how we could not only develop the sound but also show how much I’ve developed as a person. When writing this song I really felt like I was bringing my growth as a person, artist, and vocalist to the forefront. I also feel like it’s a much bigger moment in the context of the record — I can’t wait for people to hear it on the album and not just as a single.
“i look good”:
One of my absolute favorite moments on the album. Elie and I had been trying to experiment with some psych punk sounds and this is what came out of that. I’ve never had so much fun tracking vocals and I’m obsessed with the ad libs on here. I also especially love the ending of the song because it transitions to one of the earliest songs we made on the album called “bottom of the pile.” It’s one of the more experimental tracks we made and I’m so excited to play it live!
“dumb dumb”:
This song was a massive moment for me in the last year that totally changed my life. I originally released this song on my EP the rainbow cassette — I love that I can bring this song onto the album and give it a totally new context.
“life is a long goodbye”:
I love the lyrics and composition of this song; it feels like a more mature take on my last EP the rainbow cassette to me and I had so much fun exploring and experimenting with this sound.
“u and i will always be okay”:
I think this is the most special song on the record. I explored being honest about my personal life a lot on the album but no song is more personal than this one. There is not a single line on this song that is not directly applicable to the person it’s written about and it’s the most wholesome and authentic I’ve ever been. When I played this song to the person it’s about, I bawled my eyes out the whole time and I think of that moment every time I hear it. I love this song!
“as it was before is how it ends”:
I’ve never been more proud of a song that I’ve written. This song nods to some major inspirations of mine and it was so gratifying to pay homage to classic psychedelic rock in this way. I’ve never written about death and mortality because it’s always felt like such an enormous concept to compartmentalize, but one day in the studio, we started writing this chorus and the rest came so naturally. I’m biased but I think it’s the perfect ending to the entire project and the best place to pick up from on the next album.
mazie Breaks Down New Album blotter baby Track by Track: Exclusive
Mary Siroky
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