Back in February, Lausanne-based Mary Middlefield released her impressive debut album Thank You Alexander, a record with its roots in mid-pandemic ennui and uncertainty yet radiating confidence from every note. Not one to rest on her laurels for too long, the Swiss songwriter is already planning to release more new music next year, with her new single a tantalising taste of what’s to come.
We’ll likely see ‘Sexless’ recontextualised before long but it makes for a stunner of a stopgap single for right now, immediately hooking the listener with its disarming opening lines (“I haven’t had sex in the past year / It’s not as bad as it sounds”) and self-effacing lyrical outlook, not to mention a knockout, propulsive chorus that tips the hat to Middlefield’s violin chops as she works through emotional setbacks and trauma. “I’d already pushed my sincerity all the way out there with the sad songs, but with this, I wanted to push myself towards embarrassment,” she explains. “It gave me a new perspective. There’s nothing really embarrassing about not having sex or being single or not having a partner or just not even wanting it. I don’t want to censor anything in my art. Life isn’t pretty, finding love and taking care of yourself and your loved ones is really fucking hard, a lot of people are cruel and mean. If just getting through the day is hard for most of the people I know – myself included – why would I try to make anything prettier than it actually is?”
Check out ‘Sexless’ below via its Imogen Harrison-directed video and go listen to Thank You Alexander immediately afterward; we just linked the Bandcamp, you’re welcome.
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