Track By Track: mxmtoon - 'the masquerade'

Mxmtoon has released her wonderful debut album ‘the masquerade’, which is filled with her unique blend of beautiful bedroom-pop-folk. She took a moment to talk us through the release - track by track.

the album:
my album, the masquerade, is about my journey of growing up! about learning who i am, who i want to be, and the challenges along the way. but it's not just for me, it's also for you. the stories told are universal experiences, so listen along and find yourself within the lyrics.

unspoken words:
“unspoken words” is written for my grandmother. i’m now very close to her, but it wasn’t always easy to tell her how i felt! family is extremely important to me, and storytelling is the way i connect with them and others. as i grew up i would catch glimpses of my grandmother’s life from the tales she would share over cups of tea or bowls of cereal. i pieced together fragments of information and eventually gained a larger understanding of how her life has shaped her into who she is. saying something like “i love you” is not always an easy thing, and empathy for the adults in your life is sometimes hard to grasp until you’re at an age where you can understand them on an individual level. “unspoken words” is about all the things you wish you could say so blatantly to those that you care about, but how verbalizing them can often times be difficult. i would sum it up as this: tell those you love that you love them often, be honest, and practice empathy and patience.

prom dress:
born out of my innate desire to tweet my every fleeting thought, “prom dress” is my ode to high school and the perpetual feeling of missing out. after a particularly food heavy evening at in-n-out in spring of 2018, i decided that it would be an excellent idea to put on my prom dress with a double-double cheeseburger and fries sitting in my gut. much to my chagrin, i could not fit! i melted to the ground in a puddle of tears, and after being consoled by my mom, i took to twitter to write “crying in a prom dress, what a mood. wait i’m going to write a song about that, don’t you dare steal my idea!” a year later, “prom dress” was released, and voiced all of the insecurities and worries i had about high school in the span of three minutes and eighteen seconds. i imagine high school isn’t fun for most people, and the feeling of being lost and worried is so universal but so silent. so, the song is for anyone who’s felt that way! FYI: i ended up having a great time at prom despite the song :)

suffice:
doing absolutely nothing about the way that you feel is probably the most mxmtoon topic ever. “suffice” is the anthem for crushing super hard on someone but knowing you will never act upon your emotions. whether it’s for fear that you’ll be rejected, left behind, or unprepared for things to actually go the way you want, settling for what the current situation may be is very common! but there’s also never anything wrong with a really solid friendship at the end of the day.

blame game:
lofty expectations of life is something we all hold at points. relationships especially can be what many of us dedicate a lot of time to, and sometimes too much to the point we develop unrealistic expectations of another. “blame game” is about craving a relationship with another person, and feeling betrayed by the fact that the other party didn’t want it to work out the way you did. ultimately though, every relationship is a two way street. to be blindly optimistic and ignorant of the signs something isn’t meant to be, is just as much a problem. eventually, many of us figure out our own shortcomings, but even after the fact, it can be easier to continue to blame another before you reconcile with yourself.

high & dry:
one sided relationships are really common. putting all your energy into someone only to have them give you nothing in return is an experience known to too many. so, “high & dry” is the song for you when you’re fed up with it all. when you’re done being kind to someone who doesn’t care about they way they make you feel. i suggest you blast it on your car stereo and yell along to the all too deceiving cheery melody and sing some of your worries away! this is my personal version of a family friendly “screw you” song, and i hope the sentiment remains despite the lack of cussing!

my ted talk:
i write a lot of songs about love, and i often get comments from people telling me my songs perfectly describe their relationships or crushes. as someone who admittedly doesn’t have much experience in the romance department, i tend to question and hesitate a lot when i receive these messages. am i allowed to sing about love having not experienced it fully? am i a fraud for dramatizing situation i’ve been in for the sake of the lyrics? “my ted talk” deals with this inner monologue head on. starting as a bit of a ramble, the song dives into the back and forth i often find myself in when it comes to my role when writing music, and i hope it gives the listener a peak into my brain and process!

seasonal depression:
“seasonal depression” was born to fill this gap I found in music, and create something wonderful. i adore that a song so gloom and doom in writing can sound like the sunniest musical number of summer movie. my hope with the song is to provide affirmation to those who find facing certain days beyond difficult, but to simultaneously uplift them from their stormy thoughts. music can provide comedy, validation, and insight, and i feel strongly “seasonal depression” hits all three wonderfully.

untitled:
growing apart from people you care about is a theme i cover pretty regularly in a lot of my songs. “untitled” is about just that. loss is a part of life, and letting go of people or places and finding happiness in yourself alone is a process many must go through. appreciating the experiences and memories you have with your loved ones, despite the current conditions, is personally one of the most important things someone can do. life can move on without certain people, and that’s okay. to find solace in what was and to cherish the times had, is just as important as appreciating the present.

dream of you:
when i was 10, i was told that if someone appeared in your dream you missed them and they missed you. “dream of you” was brought out of that idea, and the lessons i’ve learned as i’ve gotten a bit older. people will come and go in our lives, and being okay with that reality has taken me a bit. admittedly, i’m still working on it! even when someone waltzes in and feels like they will be there forever, they still might go, but that’s okay. to appreciate the time you have with someone and the lessons you learned along the way, is the best thing you can do. so, this song is for those who have lost, loved, and learned from another. which should be all of us!

late nights:
“late nights” is the oldest song on the album! written in 2017 and put up as a demo on my soundcloud, i never expected that it would reappear on the track listing for my debut project. even two years later though, the theme still holds up! laying awake at night with someone on your mind is a situation i find myself in so often i’d be embarrassed to admit the actual number. besides that though, reimagining this song to put it on the album was so much fun! to take a subject that’s about not being able to fall asleep, i wanted to make something that truly felt like a lullaby that helps you wind down to a point that you could close your eyes and drift off. i think it ended up doing just that!

Tour Dates
1st December- Southampton- Engine Room* (SOLD OUT)
2nd December- Birmingham- Academy 2* (SOLD OUT)
3rd December- Norwich- Epic* (SOLD OUT)
5th December- Leeds- Brudenell Social Club* (SOLD OUT)
6th December- Glasgow- The Garage* (SOLD OUT)
7th December- Manchester- Manchester Academy 2* (SOLD OUT)
8th December- Dublin- Dublin Academy Green Room* (SOLD OUT)
10th December- Bristol- The Fleece* (SOLD OUT)
11th December- London- Camden Assembly#
12th December- London- Electric Ballroom* (SOLD OUT)
# Headline Show
* dates supporting Cavetown

WTHB OnlineSeptember 17, 2019Features, Track By Track