Maria-M – EndTimes (Year of Glad)
A glitchy electro-pop single and ambient b-side are the first releases from Maria-M for collective Year of Glad.
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Artist: Maria-M
Track: EndTimes
Label: Year of Glad
Release: 10 July 2020
Find it: Bandcamp
“I miss you / I miss you too / We’ll go dancing soon / I’d like that / I love you / I love too / These are not the EndTimes”
There is no shock to the sudden start of EndTimes from Maria-M but rather a sense you have opened the door on something which was already happening before you arrived. This track is not for you, but you’re welcome to stop by and share the experience.
A shimmering beacon of hope and purity the track is described as being about “a queer trans couple finding love and hope in the face of a doomy media culture”. Over glitchy beats and soft synths there is a back and forth between digital voices, a virtual outreach of hands. There is real yearning for presence underpinning the song but there is comfort given in knowing thoughts are with each other, even when bodies are not.
A TJH remix sits with the single and although it inflates the beats it isn’t a radical departure. Maria-M’s vocal phases in and out, around the digital exchange, and there is more space given to the melody and rhythm. If the single is the party you walked into then the remix is the wind-down, and the heart-swelling desire to stay in the moment forever even while the energy slips away.
A ‘b-side’ too is here (and do we still call them b-sides? A throwback phrase to the physical pressing days stubbornly attached to a digital only release). Dysphoria is 9-minutes of shadowy ambience. It’s not a dark track, but it definitely lives in the half-light. Shrouded and pensive, even as an instrumental this track feels introspective. It invites you to accpet it, but has no expectation you will understand. As upbeat, comforting and hopeful as EndTimes is so Dysphoria sits in opposition: creeping, solitary, and numb.
A prolific artist (Maria-M also releases music as Grawl!x) and one who is hugely underrated these tracks are a more personal exploration thematically and more playful musically, as well as landing more on electronica than dreampop. Let them be your entry point to their catalogue if you haven’t delved in before: open the door, the party is already underway.
Find Maria-M: Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
90% of proceeds from downloads of this single will be donated to Derbyshire LGBT+. We spoke to Maria-M about identity and creative natures.
- Follow our New Music 2020 playlist for a weekly update of fresh releases.
This is one of the first New Music pieces we’ve published on the site. While we remain committed to long-form writing which explores creativity and creative natures, supporting new artists and new music is important. This seems like a way we can play a small part in that. Hopefully we can keep up the pace. If you’d like to contact us about being featured on the site please take a look at the info here first.
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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