Montreal multi-artist Maryze will release her debut LP 8, on May 6, 2022. Today she has shared a video for the lead single “Experiments.” Fans of Caroline Polachek and Charli XCX will definitely dig.

8 explores the interconnected parts of our past that shape our lives for the better or worse. Like the infinite looping of the number 8, the album observes how we repeat cycles and exist within pre-written narratives. Can we cut loose from toxic histories knotted tightly within us while still honouring our ancestors? How do our coping mechanisms protect us and how do they hold us back, rooting us to events we wish to grow away from? Maryze weaves together songs with themes of intergenerational family trauma, mental illness, identity, sexuality, ruptures, forgiveness and acceptance, performed in both English and French. Teaming up with other queer artists like Margo and Backxwash, and debuting her first self-produced tracks, she experiments with genres that have influenced her life, from emo and hyperpop to Celtic folk. Offering both maximalist electronic production and stripped-down ballads, 8 introduces Maryze’s modern electronic alt-pop, calling listeners to consider the roots and knots that exist within each of us.

For 8, Maryze worked with producers Solomon K-I, Margo, Tigerwing, Jeshway, and Korovo. Her longtime collaborator and partner Solomon K-I mixed and mastered the album, adding additional production touches to each track. Their breakup f*ck you anthem “Emo” pays homage to how they met playing in a rock band, and features live drums from punk musician Graeme MacDonald, their former drummer. Maryze wanted to work on the project with artists who’ve been by her side for much of her music career, such as producer Korovo, who she was in high school jazz choir with. Throughout the album, she also gives nods to her Celtic background (Irish and Breton), highlighted in track Witness, produced by another Celtic artist Tigerwing. The album was recorded in Maryze and Solomon K-I’s home studio in Montreal.

Maryze
8 Official
Track List

01. Mercy Key
02. Experiments
03. Unofficial
04. Emo
05. Panoramic
06. Witness
07. Mutable
08. Squelettes
09. Too Late
10. Playing Dress-up