Maddie Magdalene – Here (2022)
Over the last few years, there has been a lot of crisis and political tension across the world. With a song initially written in 2019, Maddie Magdalene brings a cry of protest as she expresses the sadness and anger she and co-writers Joey Walker and JJ Draper felt. ‘Here’ looks at both the state of the world and the internal world we all have while crying out in opposition to the negativity we all face.
While the single started as a look at the tension in British politics at the time of writing, it has aged over the years into something much bigger. With her storytelling ability that she has honed since young, Magdalene connects with the emotions of all listeners. Originally aspiring to life on the stage, her music has led her to notable acclaim over the years.
The drums and piano line that opens ‘Here’ grabs your attention. The contrast between the opening drum beats and the floating feeling of the piano is amazing. While the drums drop for the piano line, they make a moving reappearance that taps across your shoulders. As the chorus hits, the music rises and zips through your brain taking you on an interstellar journey. The zooming feeling of the sound draws you further into the soundscape before dropping back into the piano movement. The flow of the melody is wonderful as it rises and falls only to land you on thrumming deep guitar tones. There is a lot of emotion wrapped up in the music as it builds to the cresting of tones that is perfectly matched by the vocals.
As the music is bringing the contrast to your ears, Magdalene’s vocals reach out with a soft line. Her voice is gentle as it wisps into your ears and drops you into the moment of the track. As the drums roll in, her voice gains a harmonised backing before rising on warm air currents. Her performance rises up from the depths to drop into the contemplations of the lyrics. There is a powerful feeling to her performance as she reflects on life and the greater world. The protest aspect of the single builds throughout the track making the final cry more powerful. This comes through as an aggressive slightly distorted tone that shouts against a layered background. In the latter parts of the single, the real rally cry of protest soars through your senses.
Maddie Magdalene brings a protest to the state of the world at large and our internal worlds to life with the building tones of ‘Here’. The melody opens with wonderful contrasts that turn into a building soar. Her vocals match the pace only to cry with a touch of aggression at the state of the world.
Find out more about Maddie Magdalene on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
