Bacchanalia Magazine

By Reb Jordin: Journalist

Clara Waidley, a soft rock singer songwriter, recently released her single ‘Calico’ on June 28^th marketing it as perfect for those who love Lana Del Rey and steel guitar. ‘Calico’ is a song laced with nostalgia, love and adoration, spinning the tale of hoping someone one day realises that the impact they have on the lives of others does actually mean something and that their existence is a blessing to those around them not a burden. Clara’s beautifully controlled voice is deep and comforting, making the single perfect for long drives at night contemplating where you are in life.

‘Calico’ is sonically quite simple, allowing listeners to be fully immersed in the carefully crafted lyrics and Clara’s soft vocals. The standout lyrics, ‘patchwork of everything you know’ convey how she is a mosaic of the people who raised her and the places which set roots in her soul. She sees the world through the memories of others, the characters who she longed to be in the books she read as a kid and the music that played in her childhood kitchen on Sunday mornings. She is an accumulation of little pieces of everything and everyone around her to the point where she is lost in an ocean of their effects.

The strings which serenade the listener hiding amongst the poetic lyricism and steel guitar of the chorus gives the single a whimsical Stevie Nicks type of sound. Sonically, ‘Calico’ belongs on the soundtrack of practical magic, where all the songs sound like late summer and witchcraft. Other standout lyrics from the enchanting chorus, ‘even the wildflowers are jealous of how you grow. Even the birds want to go where you go’ present how she has the beauty of nature’s eternal garden in her heart and the strength of the migrating bird buried under her insecurities, she just hasn’t realised that she is worthy and an amazing person yet.

The single continuous into my personal favourite lyrics, ‘looking at the map on your bedroom wall, I hope you are seen even when you feel small’ which convey the feeling of everything being seemingly impossible, like the world is so vast that your existence will just be washed away. Clara through this song encourages listeners to not feel small, to stop caring about the judgement of others and to just be yourself as people will love the real you far greater than they would an act of pretend. So, stop longing for your dream life when you could just start living it. ‘Calico’ is for the maladaptive daydreamer girls who are stuck playing the side character in their own life story. For the girls who hide in the shadows at social gatherings and find solace in the early morning waves and the taste of salt-air on their lips. For the girls who are always on the outside of the inside jokes. ‘Calico’ is for the girls who are scared one day they will wake up and realise that they forgot to live.

So go and give ‘Calico’ a listen and let it break you free from the mundane in a shower of positive affirmations. Also be sure to check out Clara Waidley’s other music so that you can gatekeep her as the artist that you found when she was still small, and don’t forget to check out her live shows for the full coastal cowgirl experience.