“Party” is the debut single from burgeoning artist Mayzie. With a wide and gorgeously feminine sound, the single feels reminiscent of early 2000s radio pop. Gentle, floating lyrics are under a layer of catchy soft synth stings, while expressive drums beat out a rhythm for the unsure chemistry in Mayzie’s lyrics.
The track opens up by showing its hand upfront. The first third of the song gives us all the sounds featured in “Party”. While Mayzie uses lyrical progression to give a sense of movement through the song, the overall energy remains the same from start to finish. Only when entering the chorus does the music cut back. This gives the stage to the expressive lyrics and emphasizes the changes in the relationship between the singer and their object of attraction. Despite showcasing its sound up front, “Party” has a fun and carefree sort of sound that pulls from the sort of summer rock and pop rock that was dominant around 2008.The drums are the real highlight: the constant tams and hi-hat stings work as either emphasis at the end of a musical phrase, or serve to build up to the next shift in the sound. The song even starts with a small flourish on the percussion. This, alongside the well-spaced foot pedal bass makes “Party” sonically interesting, even if there is less variance throughout the track.
As a starting single, Mayzie makes a fun and emotional splash with a song about that kind of wistful, nostalgic romance. It’s a song about what-ifs, and places itself in a very specific emotional range that I think many listeners will find familiar. It’s summer block parties and seeing a cute guy across the room. It’s collage hangouts and music bumping through the walls. It’s remembering that old flame when you think you saw them on the street.
What was the driving force behind writing music for you?
“Party” was inspired by a daydream I had. It was just this little vignette about meeting someone at a party in front of a punchbowl and then running into them later on and having that missed chance feeling. It’s happened a few times in my life, and it’s always interesting because often between the spark and the reunion one’s life has changed substantially. I liked the initial song structure but as I was singing through it it ended up being rewritten naturally to have this double entendre, a bit of a nostalgic look at giving up drinking and how it feels to know that that part of your life that feels so far away is also so close.
Do you have more singles in mind for release? Or is there an EP on the horizon?
I just released a new single “Socialite”, yesterday (August 11). The two singles are off my upcoming EP Bright and Tiny Sparks due out at the end of the year.
What was the toughest part of writing “Party”?
No tough bits, but the most fun bit was writing the guitar lines. I have synesthesia, and I also have aphantasia so I don’t have any visual imagination. I “feel” colors when I hear music! It’s weird. But also, when I write a song I can easily see all the parts that are going to go into it. I kinda like hear the whole composition mapped out in my head. It’s usually just a case of getting the drum beats and basslines out of my head onto paper.
Is writing music more of an internal or external art? Is your music for you, or do you have an audience in mind?
Internal for sure! I just 100% go with what feels good. I never work too hard on the actual songwriting part, because I find the more I just go with that internal sonic shape the better the songs work out. They just seem to work that way. But definitely I write for me. It’s just like breathing, I couldn’t live without it. Songwriting is never a chore, it’s an accident usually.
Why did you go with the name Mayzie? Is it tied to your real name, or just a nickname that stuck?
Yeah it’s my real name! A nice little story: my middle name is Cocco, but my parents for years told me it was spelt with one C, and when I was a teenager, I used my passport for the first time and saw that it had two C’s. I asked my mum about it, she said “oh yeah, that’s the way it was spelt, like ‘Rococco’…”. Thanks mum, but it’s actually “Rococo” with one c. Turns out it was a spelling mistake! Very funny and quite poignant really, I do often feel like I’m cool but with like a tiny mistake!
