New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Fresh off of her first tour, fast-rising Nashville folk artist Melanie MacLaren is preparing her second solo EP, entitled "
Tourist" which will be released through Tone Tree on April 20th, 2023, along with a release show that night at famed venue The Basement in Nashville, TN featuring Baerd (Listen Here) as support. With the first 3 singles already released and featured on multiple playlist placements across platforms (notably, her singles "
Orion" and "Summer in Sweden" on Spotify's Best of 2022
Fresh Folk Finds), the EP is comes highly anticipated and will expand on the sound she established with her first project— one that reaches beyond convention and effortlessly weaves the threads of past and present.
"She finds the diamonds in the rough of life and she dishes them with unfiltered vigor.... For comparison you can consider Melanie MacLaren to present as if an acoustic Phoebe Bridgers had Dylan's poetic magic." The Wild Is Calling
Melanie's lyrics have been described as "haunting yet humorous" and possessing a "sentimental cynicism" that "oozes with Gen-Z relatability." This duality shines through in all aspects of her music— classic finger-style guitar rests on on beds of ethereal, ambient synthesizers, while distorted traditional instruments like banjo, bouzouki and fiddle punctuate the compositions, demonstrating her keen ability to combine a unique , experimental sensibility with timeless folk style. Melanie MacLaren's natural aptitude for nuanced delivery, wistful guitar playing and her ability to write about living as if life were simply writing itself is everything you could want from a modern folk musician.
"Summer in Sweden" is an atmospheric and haunting modern folk song that highlights Melanie MacLaren's talent for poetic lyricism and her ability to twist the conventions of genre and storytelling on their head. Stream of consciousness writing rests on a bed of acoustic guitar and synthesizers, while Irish bouzouki, banjo and pedal steel join in halfway through as the intensity builds from contemplative to resolute.
"
Orion" is a dreamy indie folk ballad with flashes of classic Americana sensibilities. The tongue in cheek lyricism is reminiscent of today's indie folk powerhouses while also calling to the influences of the long folk tradition before her, and the urgency of the lyrics reflect a self-destructive desire to make up for lost time. This urgency, however, is soothed by the song's production, as ethereal synth arpeggios and swirling pedal steel make "
Orion" a shimmering and bittersweet ode to memorable nights.
After moving to Nashville from New York, she released her stunning debut EP "Kill My Time" in February 2022 independently to enthusiastic critical reception before gaining the attention of Tone Tree Distribution in Nashville. Within a few months of the release, she had signed with Tone Tree and landed several coveted playlist spots on Spotify, Apple
Music and Amazon Music, boasting over 500,000 streams in her debut year.
Not one to stand by and wait, Melanie also released a collaborative folk EP of duets named "Tadpole Emporium" in October 2022 with seminal UK/Irish folk singer-songwriter Lorkin O'Reilly, accompanied by an UK/Ireland tour in November 2022 to great fanfare and success. Dusty Organ raved, "A striking and poetic release, Melanie balances haunting yet humorous lyricism with vintage-inspired musicality for a refreshing folk piece."
