Adam Vaughan, the Cardiff-based artist behind GREEN EERIE, spent years in local punk and anti-folk scenes before landing on this melodic, hazy, and mildly emotional sound. “Magnolias” is the second single off his debut album, and it’s about getting out of a bad situation you’ve been stuck in for a long time, and that feeling of relief that hits once you actually feel free of it.
You can hear that shift happen in real time. The song starts with tense chords and gritty guitars, setting a slightly uneasy mood, before the drums come in to lift everything up immediately. The drums make you want to dance as soon as they come on. The vocals then come in soft and breathy, wrapped in reverb that gives them a dreamy, floaty feel, and somehow still manage to sound nostalgic and sad while still feeling genuinely uplifting.
Drop everything you ever thought,
To stay within a moment that we caught,
Tell me we’re miles away,
Tell me everything about the way
That’s really what the song is chasing, wanting to believe you’ve finally gotten far enough from whatever was weighing you down, choosing to stay in a good moment instead of looking back. It’s a simple and emotional feeling of triumph that resonates with a lot of people as well; it’s that feeling of finally being free that everyone chases.
There are a lot of small details packed into the instrumental, too, with melodic licks and ear-catching moments scattered throughout the song. The drums were built with a new synthetic plugin that bangs; it still manages to drive the song with real weight, sounding absolutely beautiful, just like real drums. Every transition feels natural, with drum fills landing exactly where the song needs to shift.
“Magnolias” sounds like relief; it’s a good song that doesn’t just talk about getting free, it actually makes you feel what that freedom feels like.
Written by Toyo Senpai
