Maddie Jay is one of those artists who is effortlessly cool. You’re thrown off by her existence, plus she’s filled with that inevitable millennial angst. She’s an LA-based singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Her roots as a bass player heavily inform the beats and productions that she creates in her apartment, referencing everything from psychedelic rock to lo-fi R&B to jangle-pop. This is where Maddie’s unique voice coalesces to create a rapturous world of unexpected tempo shifts and funk-laden, fluid guitar lines, harkening memories of a sunny day at the beach.
She grew up in the wilderness in Northern Canada, then moved to the United States to pursue a career as a “hired-gun” bass player. She found much more satisfaction working on her laptop and songwriting on her days off, Maddie began releasing small clips of her creations on Instagram. Since then, her account has grown over 50,000 followers, and has been named on Mixmag’s list of “15 Best Producers on Instagram.”
Maddie’s vision of being a solo-artist came to life with the release of her very first EP, “Mood Swings,” which was put out in April. The 6-track collection of songs was written while Maddie uprooted her life moving to Los Angeles, it captures her rollercoaster of emotions she was experiencing at that time.
“I had to take stock of the people in my life,” Maddie shares. “Sonically, I was very inspired by California and the sounds that have historically come out of the West Coast like The Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson.”
The EP closes with the title track, “Mood Swings,” in which Maddie wrote in part as a reflection of her emotional journey, and also as a thank you to everyone who’s stuck by. Here, Maddie opts for a sparser composition, making room for the clarity of her voice and soft-strummed guitar to convey the deep sincerity of the lyrics.
The album can be listened to on all streaming services.
