Unpack the Track: MACEY’s ‘Lonely’
NZ’S EMERGING VOICE OF HEARTFELT ALT-POP/ROCK, MACEY, BARES HIS SOUL IN HIS LATEST SINGLE 'LONELY'
Your song 'Lonely' is an incredible introspective pop anthem wrapped in a blanket of dramatic synths, warm guitar lines and driving drums! Can you tell us about the concept of this track?
I was on tour and dancing with strangers after my set. I nearly kissed someone else, my partner at the time was home in Auckland. I wrote 'Lonely' about the aftermath of cheating, and the pain it would’ve caused, and how that need for connection can be so overwhelming sometimes. It all started with a riff from Ben Malone (producer) and the melody and words just sort of fell out of me.
What were your top artistic influences going into this song?
Definitely The War On Drugs, just with the initial driving rhythm and circulating chord progression.
What was the writing & production process like?
It was super easy and fluid. There were even more melodies and new sections in some of the earlier versions of the track, simply because it was so inspiring and easy to write. Ben and I knew what we wanted out of this song as soon as we started.
What was your main highlight working on 'Lonely'?
Probably coming into studio A at parachute and seeing Stan Bicknell playing the live drums.
Plus, you've just dropped your debut EP 'The Lovers (Side A)'. What was the inspirational behind the name of the EP and what can we expect for Side B?
Yes! The whole album is about loss and unlearning some of the things I thought I knew about love. My dad passed and my 6 year relationship ended, and then the album sort of started to make sense. 'The Lovers' kinda represents that naive, innocence of first love, the influence of the love we see from our elders and how as we grow that all changes (or doesn't). Side A is definitely the most aggressive, reactive 'WTF' collection of songs, Side B has more understanding and acceptance thematically/lyrically.
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