Guest review by Captain’s Bar events manager, Say Something Music label owner and promoter Scott Evans
Maddy Storm is a bit of a genius. Although I had heard of Maddy and seen plenty of promotion for her activities, it was only really this year that I got to hear her play at an acoustic set at Captains Bar, in Hanley. Each song was well written and delivered, and it would have been easy to think ‘ah so that’s what she does then?’ Well… You’d be wrong.
When you go and check out her 2022 EP Forced Extrovert, it’s a far cry from a set of acoustic ballads, it’s a very well crafted record mixing pop, big beats and trap. If you have not listened to it yet, it’s well worth the investment of time to do so. And then you find out she writes, performs, records and produces the whole thing. It’s mind blowing.
Maddy’s latest single Last Halloween follows that same formula of written, recorded and self produced. As I said, it’s a slice of genius. Debuted at her sell out headline show earlier this year, it’s an instant ear worm. That kind of song you find yourself humming several days later.
Last Halloween refers to a particular moment of time and not the events of sorority house slasher flick. Lyrically it touches on the end of a long term relationship. Maddy said “This song is about feeling lost in your twenties, it’s about mental health and my lack thereof, it’s about being scared of being a burden to those you love and not knowing how to fix it, it’s 3am notes from a people pleaser.”
The lyrics betray a real heartfelt vulnerability that you would not see if you were lucky enough to meet the confident, smiling lady yourself and in some ways that just makes the words even more poignant.
The production is spot on, opening with a soundscape that wouldn’t actually go amiss in a Halloween film, the song soon bursts into the trap beats with pop overtones that she does so well. An extremely catchy chorus, the vocal melody so cleverly works around the bass and vocal harmonies are subtle and do their job perfectly. This is quality songwriting that deserves a huge audience.
Last Halloween is a fresh original dark pop single that follows on nicely from her previous EP and promises good things to come. With back to back singles ready to be unleashed in 2024, Maddy has her sights set on greatness.
Bethan, founder of The Leopheard, added: “Last Halloween is a single that many will find hauntingly relatable. Dark and sultry, it really captures Maddy’s effortlessly cool character and showcases her artistic evolution while generating excitement for future releases to come. Spooky season is here, and with the likes of Maddy Storm, Lucy Deakin and Dead Bird Lady releasing some wonderfully seasonal hits this month, my playlist is well-stocked in preparation for October 31.”
Listen to Last Halloween by Maddy Storm here:
