Once again sharing a complete press note, not because of laziness, but as inspiration and because it is a story:
“Apricot is the second single from Marika Christine’s upcoming album Soft Like an Apricot released on Ghost Mountain Records. Apricot features playful synth tones, an odd time signature, unique vocals, and trippy production reminiscent of artists like Stereolab as well as indie songwriters like Alice Phoebe Lou. The song aims to build a trance-like and introspective atmosphere.
Christine wrote the lyrics during a depressive spell when it was hard to find the motivation to leave the house. Writing Apricot helped her reflect on the ways in which the body can retain trauma. The overarching focal point of the lyrics lies in the duality of being “soft like an apricot” and also being “sharp like a cactus”.
Christine uses this imagery to explore her interest in dialectical thinking, allowing multiple truths to co-exist rather than become a dichotomy. She had also recently read Octavia E Butler’s The Parable of the Sower which inspired her to find comfort in the forces of change.
Apricot was recorded at John Vanderslice’s legendary Tiny Telephone in Oakland, CA, primarily on two inch tape. Christine explains that Apricot is a band favorite to play. The structure allows a lot of space to experiment and jam together so the group recorded a few different versions and chose the best take.
Marika and her band shared the role of producer. Drummer Fabrizio Incerti and bass player Maria Donjacour contributed unique background vocal ideas. Adam Wilson delicately layered different synth textures playing the Udo Super 6, Korg Polysix, Moog Minimoog, Roland XP-80 and a Hammond Organ. Engineer Danielle Goldsmith added dreamy delays and reverbs. The end result is an interesting blend of psychedelic prog pop with heartfelt singer-songwriter influenced vocals.
I am not sure if copy-pasting the whole press note is a good or bad thing. Send me me message on Instagram and let me know. I love reading well-written press releases and I think everyone could benefit from getting inspiration from them. Including myself. When I first listened to this song, I was like naah, it is not for me, but after reading this text and giving this song a re-listen, it started to grow on me. Quirky, experimental-ish atmosphere, a colorful pallet of different sounds, and little melodies. Accompanied by a video that fits the song very well and even highlights its powerful parts. This is not a song that is easy to devour, but it makes the listening experience even more exciting and valuable. Give it try and do not be like me. The first listen can be misleading.
You can find more music on Bandcamp.