Review by Freya Bennett
Molly Mckew writes alt/folk songs that she describes as harmony-drenched and whiney – a nod to the heartfelt angst in many of her tracks. She has been performing around Melbourne in various guises since 2015, and in 2022 she released her first solo EP I couldn’t grasp it. In May, Mckew will release her first full-length album It should have been done with ease, recorded and produced at Road Noise Studios by Rowena Wise.
The shape of grief is her third single from the album, a beautiful track which captures the dejection, shock and cyclical rumination that comes from a sudden ending, synthesized in clever, rich harmonies. “I like singing about really vulnerable moments because firstly, I need to express my pain and sadness, but secondly because I think it’s important that we air these human moments of vulnerability. There’s a lot of shame that comes with heartbreak – as if it’s sort of childish, trivial, over dramatic – but it’s a very human experience, a physiological one too, and beautiful for that reason”, says Mckew.
The video was filmed and directed by Becky Salomons of Dinkum records, a folk/punk label from Melbourne who will be releasing the album. “We wanted to recreate a post-break up feeling of foggy flatness and survival in all its grot”, says Mckew. “It could even be an advert for the before part of a cleaning commercial”. The track features violin by Rowena Wise and keys by Didirri Peters. It will be launched at the Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy on March 17th.
