History Of A Feeling by Diaz album review by Adam Fink for Northern Transmissions

ANTI- Records

8

History Of A Feeling

Madi Diaz

Words by Adam Fink

“I don’t want to be crying in public but here I am crying in public”. Relationships are complicated, to say the least. Most artists try to make sense of these complicated feelings. Few are able to replicate that distinct heartbreak and regret as palatable as Madi Diaz. Imagine cutting to the core of every failed relationship you’ve ever had with a distinct clarity of emotion, with only a guitar and words, in the way you’ve always wanted to express.

That’s the trade Madi Diaz excels in. Her album, History Of A Feeling out now via ANTI- Records, is so filled with these exquisitely heartbreaking details that it is almost like she’s peered into your mind. This human experience is so connected but to hear your own feelings laid out in such a straightforward way is a little bit jarring. The album is a masterclass in songwriting that explores everyone’s individual heartbreak in the most universal way.

Right off the top with “Rage” Diaz casually sings subtly emotive over a sparse acoustic guitar, “forgive and forget/fuck you fuck that” and it seems that she is peering into your head. The whole endeavour is so minimal. Mostly just her voice and a guitar but it’s so undeniably powerful. “Crying In Public” explores the contempt you can have with yourself when those seemingly unstoppable feelings hit. “I could be sitting on the M Train going back to Brooklyn/I could be crossing the street somewhere and not looking/I could be drunk at a party laughing out loud/I could be right here, right now”, she sings over an arpeggiated guitar line, describing all the places she’s lost it and it hits hard because we’ve all been there. On the title track and album standout, “History Of A Feeling”, Diaz showcases her deft touch at making her unique experience entirely relatable. “I’ve found new ways just to count the days that you’re not in/And they’ll come a time when you’re not on my mind/Doesn’t that count for something?”, Diaz sings and carries a combination of resolve and abandon that is so wonderfully upsetting.

It’s rare that an artist is able to capture these unique moments that we all go through so perfectly. There are echoes of such different acts like Elliott Smith, PJ Harvey, Gillian Welch, and Kathleen Hanna but it’s all uniquely her own. Madi Diaz is someone that you should genuinely pay attention to because it seems like she will probably get you and there is a sense of relief and comfort just listening to someone who’s been to the same places that you have.