When it comes to learning, Mary Middlefield is always up for a new lesson to be had and took in plenty of new knowledge when it came to making her debut, ‘Thank You, Alexander.’ We talked about the March 2023 release, as well as why birthdays aren’t for her, what decade was her musical muse, and more in this back-and-forth exchange. 

Kendra: Was music always the creative outlet you found most intriguing throughout your life thus far? 

Mary Middlefield: Music and writing were for sure the main outlets. They keep me busy and on my toes. I get ideas in the most random places…But I also love painting. I’m very very bad at it and no one will ever see my paintings but there’s definitely something special about the process that keeps me calm and focused. 

Kendra: So before “This One’s For You” you released “Two Thousand One,” and they showcase various perspectives. You also penned the latter after a not-so-great relationship came to an end. Was “Two Thousand One” sort of the jumping-off point for the rest of the record? 

Mary Middlefield: “Two Thousand One” was actually the last song we wrote for the record. Everything was done and ready to go before I wrote it. 

I had this phase where I couldn’t stop writing shortly after the album was “done.” “Two Thousand One” was part of the many songs that had been written during that period. I felt that it deserved to have a spot on the record. I ended up showing my producer the song. He enjoyed it and we recorded it a few weeks later. 

The moment I really knew what the record needed to sound and feel like it does now was when I came up with the name ‘Thank You, Alexander.’ We just built everything off of that initial idea and tried to make the work sound as cohesive as possible. 

Kendra: Let’s go back to “This One’s For You.” In it, you sing about a yellow brick road. If you were to compare the journey of writing this record to Dorothy’s whole excursion in Oz, which of those characters would you say you were most like throughout the process and why? 

Mary Middlefield: I love this question. I’d have to say the Scarecrow. I definitely had so much to learn and really wanted to learn. Everything about this field fascinates me. In some moments, I felt really dumb for not knowing things and kind of wished I had the brain everyone around me did. But that just motivated me to learn more. 

Kendra: I also love to shout out videos whenever I can because I grew up during the last great wave of MTV before music was gone from the network. But yes, the video for this single captured my attention right away with the letter magnets, and also that birthday cake that simply read, “You’re really old.” Do you have an aversion to birthdays? 

Mary Middlefield: I really don’t like birthdays. To me, they always seem like reminders of “your parent/loved one has one less year to live” or “you’re one year older and still haven’t done or accomplished anything.” Maybe I’m just too much of a pessimist and look at the bad side of things. I like the idea of celebrating life, but birthdays always seem to celebrate a number rather than anything else. 

Kendra: Overall that song reminded me a lot of music that the ‘80s was built upon. Did that decade play any inspiration on the rest of ‘Thank You, Alexander?’

Mary Middlefield: If I have to choose one decade where most of the inspiration came from, it’s definitely the ‘90s. In my humble opinion, that’s when the world had the best music and the best artists/bands. But we tried to mix it up and just went wherever the wind took us; all the way from the ‘60s to the 2010s. 

Kendra: Time for a side note – We’d love to know when you perform, do you have any sort of lucky charms you take with you on stage, or do you have any sort of pre-show traditions you do to ensure you have a great show?

Mary Middlefield: I have an embarrassing collection of stuffed animals that I have collected throughout the years and kept with me. There’s always one or two I bring everywhere I go. Also, my band and I are all very close, so spending time together and hyping ourselves up before shows is always a must!

Kendra: Lastly, with “Thank You, Alexander” out now, what else can the world expect as we focus on spring and soon enough, summer? 

Mary Middlefield: Well, the “Case Closed” music video is out now! I made it almost entirely myself with the help of my mom and my bestie, Anna Borkenhagen, behind the camera. It’s a weird one. But I like it. 

Other than that, we have recorded a live session in the studio where most of the magic happened and played some of my favorite songs, so I’m very excited to put that out soon. 

We’re also going to start playing the album this summer in Switzerland, which I’m so so excited for!

Maybe, maybe…There might be some new music hitting the shelves towards the end of the year… 

The post Down the Yellow Brick Road with Mary Middlefield  appeared first on ZO Magazine.

What’s nice about music that drops in December is that you can burrow away with it until the new year because really, who is putting their all into their job this time of year? With that said, it’s time to pop on the PJs and pop in ‘Shifting Signals,’ the December 2022 release from Terence Fixmer via Mute. It’s out now and with one of the most iconic sci-fi movies acting as his sort of creative muse, you know you’re in for a treat. To find out what movie we talked about and what to expect from Terence Fixmer’s latest out now, make sure to keep on keeping on and read what follows below…

Kendra: It’s been a minute since 2018’s ‘Through the Cortex,’ and with all the time that’s passed between then and now, I’d love to know what growth you felt was present in yourself when it came to writing and recording ‘Shifting Signals?’

Terence Fixmer: Difficult question – I realize instinctively that I have tracks that will fit together soundwise, while, as well, showing a different side of me. I produce a lot, and it is difficult for me to do an album, hard for me to choose the tracks. I can have maybe 200 tracks… and I must say no to some, but at some point, I find a logical coherence which becomes an album.

Kendra: You noted that ‘Alien’ served as a bit of inspiration behind your 2022 release. What song off of ‘Shifting Signals’ do you think would have been Ripley’s go-to when it came time to get down to business?

Terence Fixmer: Actually, there is not a track on the album for this purpose…when I speak of ‘Alien’ as an inspiration, I’m inspired by the travel to the unknown, the silence of space with the non-stop engine sound, mixed with technology. It is this atmosphere that inspired me. ‘The Passage’ defines this well.

Kendra: Space in general seemed to be the guiding light of the album, which how could it not? You know, it’s this massive thing – idea really – that we’ve really yet to uncover. For you, what’s the biggest mystery about space that you hope is uncovered in your lifetime? 

Terence Fixmer: Well, I do believe in other kinds of life forms, from antiquity to the present-day people have seen mystery in the sky, so why not the Third type meeting? Would be fun, no?

Kendra: Now we’re going from space to the sea to talk about “Corne de Brume.” The visuals took me back to watching those sorts of underground, almost public access-like, music channels back in the day. Being someone who is so engulfed in sound, did you grow up also admiring the visuals of an artist AKA music videos? 

Terence Fixmer: Visuals are important for the sound, but a different visual can come to mind from different people for the same sound. On “Corne de Brume,” the sound brought imagery of a boat in the fog, with its fog horn, but for someone else, it could mean something with a totally different vibe.

Kendra: Time for a side note: With the holidays being right around the corner I’d love to know what artist’s discography you consider a true gift to music as a whole?

Terence Fixmer: Depeche Mode – 100 %

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Shifting Signals’ out on December 2nd, what’s on the horizon as we head closer to 2023?

Terence Fixmer: Probably a new EP from me on Planete Rouge, then maybe some remixes of the album, re-releases of some classic tracks from Fixmer/McCarthy, and I’m already working on a new album for Mute which I would like to finish in mid-2023.

The post Synthetic Shifting with Terence Fixmer appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: So much has happened in the world since you dropped 2016’s ‘Fire.’ Would you say the wild reality we’ve been living in impacted you when it was time to sit down and begin the process of creating ‘Alice?’

Claudia Balla: I started writing ‘Alice’ right after the release of “Miracle” in 2019, my track tackling climate change. Of course, I did not, could not foresee that there was also a pandemic on our doorstep, followed by war in Europe with a potential global economic collapse and an ever-growing nuclear threat. However, there was something in the air already, a certain tension and unease which probably made me want to create a dystopia.

Kendra: You’ve noted how you wanted to make this sort of Wonderland, hence the name ‘Alice,’ but were you channeling any of the other characters in that story when you were writing like the mischievousness of the Cheshire Cat or the mysterious ways of the caterpillar?

Claudia Balla: I was channeling Alice, her grownup version, the young adult, she is the narrator of each song, who suddenly finds herself in this dark, despondent, digital Wonderland. The intro of the opening track, “why,” with its simple, repetitive synth melody, sounding almost like the weeping of a depressed, broken robot, references the ticking of the White Rabbit’s pocket watch. 

Kendra: I was checking out the album and “In My Head” caught my attention because being a particular age, the chorus took me back to the late ‘90s/early ‘00s when Britney Spears was still giving us straight-up pop bops. Love it! What type of music were you taking in as a tween and what influence do you think your earlier music collection has had on your songwriting and artistry today?

Claudia Balla: Thank you for mentioning that track, I am glad you like it. It is certainly the most cheerful, upbeat song from the album, despite the break-up theme. Surprisingly, I discovered pop music quite late, as a teenager, probably due to my classical music training – I played the piano for several years from an early age and studied classical singing. As a teen, I kept listening to ‘Spirit Room’ on repeat by Michelle Branch and ‘Let Go’ and ‘Under My Skin’ by Avril Lavigne.

Kendra: As for “Baby”, I think that this song speaks to a very universal crowd as it is about something everyone in a relationship has faced, and that’s the idea of whether or not love and devotion will keep things going. For you, what are three key mainstays a relationship has to have to endure those eventual challenges?

Claudia Balla: This is a great question. I believe that in any human relationship, whether it be romantic or not, I suppose it is essential to be capable of tolerating and forgiving the flaws and missteps of the other person. Secondly, to be open for compromises and ready to adapt, and finally, to remain sincere and transparent while doing all this, even when it is difficult, for the sake of the other. If I may, I would like to add a fourth item, which would be always having the best intentions for the other person – this may sometimes implicate putting the other one first.

Kendra; Time for a side note: With Thanksgiving being right around the corner I’d love to know what artist’s discography are yoau most thankful for?

Claudia Balla: Wow, naming only one artist would be so disrespectful towards my heroes. Can I be thankful for music and any form of art in general?

Kendra: For sure, and lastly, with ‘Alice’ out now, what’s on the horizon as we head closer to 2023?

Claudia Balla: I have just finished recording my next album, so in the following months we will be ending the story of Alice and stepping into an almost void-like space, the space of transition between two chapters.

The post Walking in Wonderland with Claudia Balla appeared first on ZO Magazine.