Bacchanalia Magazine

By Reb Jordin: Journalist

mayday mae!,a queer indie pop artist, is taking the world by storm through their poetic lyricism and the addictive beat which laces their debut EP ‘my post-desert hearts renaissance’ which they gifted to their ever growing fanbase on June 12 th . This artist is a mosaic of the media that raised them. Whether that be the hit lesbian novel ‘Last Night at the Telegraph Club’ or an underground sapphic film from the 60’s, mayday mae! creates music inspired by the art that never gets the attention and praise that it deserves because it isn’t centred around straight white people. This emerging star creates representation for those who have been forced into the shadows for too long, their EP is an accumulation of their own experiences navigating their identity told through the colourful lens of queer pop culture
references making their listeners feel heard in a society which would rather them be
voiceless.

The EP opens with a bang with bound! the perfect early 2000’s coming of age movie soundtrack song. The first single, which belongs in the world of Scott Pilgrim, begins with a pounding drumbeat and a catchy guitar riff and tells the story of leaving what no longer serves you. Standout lyrics, ‘my efforts are useless when I’m my own enemy’ convey the struggle of leaving something or someone that has become an addiction even though you know that this lifestyle is no longer good for you. Layered with them shouting the lyrics in the background and the same addictive guitar riff that makes you want to dance at the battle of the bands, bound! is perfect for any riot grrrl lovers and those who crave niche references in their music.

Soon we move into “love, your extrovert”, a song which weaves the tale of how being ‘a friend to all is a friend to none’. Opening with a punchy bass riff listeners are then blessed with the lyrics, ‘I just want to see it all never regret anything small I just want to know it’s all going to be ok.’ This moment perfectly portrays when you feel like you need to give a piece of your heart to everyone so that you will have an abundance of people to love you, but really you just become a lonely extrovert who is never anyone’s best friend or first choice because you have spread yourself to thin with everyone. You can be delusional and think you just have big dreams and a big heart but soon you will burn out. “love, your extrovert” uses rich vocal harmonies to serenade the listener, transporting us back to the graphic lined
eyes and beehives of the 60’s. mayday mae! is clearly passionate about reclaiming vintage vibes not vintage values which she does beautifully through this song and also in her second single ‘pin-up revolution’.

Continuing with the film noir, coquette aesthetic, ‘pin-up revolution’ is sonically chaotic in the most delicious way. This single is pure femme manifestations for those who romanticise lesbian pulp fictions and crave divine feminine lyrics like, ‘I just want to be like you to be feminine and powerful too.’ This moment is laced with feminine devotion, the urge to sit in a wisteria-cloaked cottage and write the kind of poetry which people will study when the world is healed. The kind of poetry that’s all about how the stars shine in the girl that you love’s eyes. The kind of poetry that a man could never write because he would never take the time to notice the cosmos or how they illuminate the one that they’re with because they are always too busy focussing on themselves. This single casts a love spell over the girls who
are confused over whether they want to be her or be with her.

‘girls into music’ is the third single and the next song to excite the listener. The single is for all the angry girls who are sick of being chained to a demure girlhood when they have the talent to break free and run an industry ruled predominantly by men. ‘girls into music’ uses a mixture of a strong drumbeat and a satisfying guitar riff to support mayday mae!’s powerhouse vocals. Listeners are gifted with the lyrics, ‘you think that I came here just for the show no no, I came to teach you what should be known’ which convey how women are sick of being gaslit into believing that they should be below men and that they deserve to be trapped by the glass ceiling. Here mayday mae! empowers their listeners to break free and be the person they want to be. This single is an amazing projection of female rage, fuelled
by 90’s angst similar to that of ‘Hole’, mayday mae! proves though ‘girls into music’ that you can try to force them to act like the groupie, but they will always be the true rockstar.

Next, we slow down and move into ‘…ms. desert hearts’ a song which tells the story of how sometimes it is better to say goodbye and move on in a Cher out of Mermaids type of way then stick around and continue to hurt. Standout lyrics, ‘goodbye to the scars on my heart fading away following the North Star’ further convey this theme, supported by a nostalgic strum of the guitar and calm drums the whole song feels hazy and dream-marbled. With the campy finding yourself feeling of the queer cult classic ‘The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert’ mayday mae!’s ‘…ms. desert hearts’ too takes us on a road trip of healing and becoming our truest selves through the summer heat.

The EP closes with ‘here but not by your side’ which uses whimsical harmonies to give the listener a taste of freedom. The lyrics, ‘we made eyes, and I realised what I’d fantasised was only romanticised’ portray the moment of realisation after yearning for someone, where you finally see that they’re just not right for you and then moving on and living your life becomes the best decision you ever made. This song sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack of a 60’s teen beach movie where the sand is always warm, and the love interest can be anyone you want it to be. ‘here but not by your side’ ends the EP in a haze of euphoria leaving the listener to anticipate what comes next for the talented mayday mae!

So go and check out ‘my post-desert hearts renaissance’ and let it be the soundtrack to your summer.