Home > New music > Seemingly straightforward, observational and traditional folk

With her last couple of releases, Melanie MacLaren has shown a knack for a stream of conscious, tongue-in-cheek yet timeless lyricism.

Dissociating at a Tiki Bar in a Landlocked State proves that she has mastered this balance as an artist. What starts off as a seemingly straightforward, observational and traditional folk song evolves into a dissociative daydream, with distorted banjo, bouzouki and drums building to an unexpected and absurdist moment of catharsis halfway through the song.



While the lyrics at the end of the song turn timeless and contemplative once again, she relies heavily on the use of ambient synthesizers to create a feeling of uneasiness and express an otherwise inexpressible yearning for something beyond the mundane. This is the third single from her upcoming EP which will be released in March 2023. Melanie is currently touring her collaborative folk EP (released October 2022) with singer-songwriter Lorkin O’Reilly in the UK and Ireland.

Melanie MacLaren’s natural aptitude for nuanced delivery, wistful guitar playing, and her ability to write about life as if life were simply writing itself is everything you could want from a modern folk artist. She released her stunning debut EP “Kill My Time” this year independently to enthusiastic critical reception before gaining the attention of one Tree Distribution in Nashville. As well as landing coveted playlist spots on Spotify Fresh Finds Folk, Apple Music and Amazon Music, she has received glowing press from the likes of Pillar Artist’s

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“We’re certain that it’s only a matter of time until Melanie is recognized as one of the most exciting artists to be writing and releasing music right now.”

Gaining comparisons to indie folk giants such as Hozier, Lord Huron and Phoebe Bridgers, her music is as intimate as it is anthemic. Melanie’s lyrics have been described as “haunting yet humorous” and possessing a “sentimental cynicism” that “oozes with Gen-Z relatability.” Sonically her music also reflects this modern twist on genre as she rests her classic finger-style guitar on beds of ethereal, ambient synthesizers and punctuates her compositions with distorted trad instruments like banjo, bouzouki and fiddle, weaving the threads of past and present.

In addition to releasing a follow-up EP with Tone Tree, of which she has released her first single “Orion” (featured on Spotify’s Fresh Folk Finds), Melanie released a collaborative folk EP with songwriter Lorkin O’Reilly which they just took on the road with a tour of the UK and Ireland in fall of 2022.

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