By its very nature, rock music tends to be full of itself, bombastic and incendiary. But that confidence often comes with a lot of cliched sonic baggage. Pop music, on the other hand, can be cool and infectious, but again, pays the price through its often shallow and transient nature; but there is a place where these two genres meet, a place where just the right level of pop addiction is balanced with just enough rock swagger. Where muscle meets melody, poise dances with power. It is in just such a meeting place on the sonic Venn Diagram that you find Mary Strand making her music. Throw in a touch of Americana and a few more funky vibes, and you have the sonic fingerprint for her debut album, Golden Girl.
It is telling that many of the songs started life as a response to a Singer/Songwriter Songwriting Challenge on social media, which means that the songs themselves are the first thought; the songwriting bridge between artist and listener is placed above other considerations. I’m not saying that how the songs are built up musically is not up to scratch; nothing could be further from the truth. But I am saying that such an approach means that it is the songs that sell the album rather than having to rely on studio tricks and production gimmicks, or, god forbid, guest rappers, and dance routines. This is a case of substance over style, for sure; it’s just that the songs are also substantial and stylish!
There are songs such as “Quarter to 10” which is the perfect blend of pure pop and garage rock, there are funky Latin vibes courtesy of “Kiss Me At Midnight”, and then there are fabulous folk creations such as “I Don’t Want To BeYour Yesterday”, which features the additional gorgeous harmonies of Sarah Morris.
By the time you have steered your way through the more New Wave pop of “Acabe”, the almost vaudevillian vibes of “Stay For Breakfast”, and sashayed around to the album’s final offering, “Act As If”, two things are obvious. Firstly, this album explores the various aspects of love, loss, longing, and life itself. Secondly, Mary Strand has, even on her first long player, reserved herself a seat at the “ones to watch” table.
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