Last year, Maria BC announced themselves to the world with their debut EP Devil’s Rain. They are following that up this year with their first LP, Hyaline, recorded in their flat in Brooklyn, and have now shared another preview of the forthcoming album with ‘Good Before’.
The first thing you notice with this song is the contextual relationship between the ethereal guitar and vocal as the layers build, and it sets the tone for a beautiful soundscape backdrop. The guitar is heavily soaked in reverb and delay which keeps the music moving gently towards Maria BC’s first top line vocal, utilised to glorious effect. Once the first verse finishes, the introduction of the synth comes into the mix and reinforces that beautiful, wavering backdrop. There’s a rawness to Maria’s vocal which is mirrored in the guitar playing due to the scratching of the fretboard as the fingers move up and down the neck.
The forth-coming album has been described as a collection of ghost songs, but not as we know them. ‘Good Before’ does exactly as it promises and sees Maria reflect on times past and longing for those precious memories to resurface again. With grief, anxiety and wonder captured within the sound of the song, you do get the sense there is a spectre haunting Maria throughout this piece.
There is a real intimacy on this single which is incredibly difficult to capture as part of the recording process. However, bringing your father in to play organ can certainly help reach that intimate delicacy which so many musicians strive to capture. Add into the mix tracks recorded directly into their phone and samples collected over the years, and you get an assured but tranquil work of art.
‘Good Before’ should belong on anyone’s ‘chill playlist’ (I’m sure you have one of those too), so if you’re looking to find some music for your next bedroom read, candles by the bathtub or relaxing after applying your face mask, Maria BC has got you covered.
Words: Seamus Daley-Dee // Photo: Ulysses Ortega
‘Hyaline’ is due out 27th May via Father/Daughter with the co-release in the UK coming from Fear of Missing Out. You can pre-order Hyaline on Bandcamp.