Alexandria Maillot - Messed It Up
On “Messed It Up,” Vancouver Island’s swoon rock artist Alexandria Maillot deals with fear of commitment to another person. The song is the first single from Maillot’s forthcoming album, Benevolence, slated to drop fall 2019.
Alexandria Maillot
The song is the result of Maillot’s face-to-face encounter with the old adage “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” Translation: when we’re in the middle of a situation, the details obscure our perspective on the big picture.
Maillot experienced this while chasing her musical dream in Vancouver, which meant working three jobs and still being unable to get head. In fact, she was so busy just surviving, she had little time to be creative. In the end, her health was at risk.
According to Maillot, it came down to: “focus on my health by moving back in with my mom on the island (leaving behind my partner, my life, my friends, and whatever progress I had made in my local music community), or stay in Vancouver and continue to grind (until my health inevitably gave up and I was out of options.”
Wisely, she chose the former, moving into a cabin in her mom’s backyard. Bereft of cell service, WiFi, and white noise, Maillot experienced a strange new feeling called ‘normal,’ a state of being she hadn’t felt for a long time. Once she adjusted to ‘normal,’ her creativity, like the Prodigal Son, came home.
The flow of the harmonics on the chorus combined with Maillot’s gorgeously evocative tones produces a gloriously powerful sonic footprint.
Maillot discovered something else, too. She explains, “The relationships that I feared jeopardizing have not faltered. People who love and care for you will still be there, regardless of how much space and time you need. Turning a new page may often be uncomfortable; but change is not linear, and neither is life.”
“Messed It Up” opens on a grungy guitar flowing into a compact alt-rock melody with tangs of pop running through it. I love the groove on this song, simple and raw, and just a tad loose. A tasty bridge introduces the shimmering chorus, as it rides gleaming colors and nuanced accents.
The flow of the harmonics on the chorus combined with Maillot’s gorgeously evocative tones produces a gloriously powerful sonic footprint. Maillot’s voice, creamy yet filled with gravelly timbres, is reminiscent of Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette, back when they had attitudes. It’s a splendid voice.
““Wait” / Is all I had to say / When the words we used / Went from “you” and “me” / Subtly to “we” / Space is all I asked to take / Though, it gets confusing when I say / I can’t leave this place.”
“Messed It Up” is lit, full of visceral emotional energy, slightly stripped down harmonics, and the ear-candy voice of Alexandria Maillot.
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