Interview: Macey on Turning Everyday Moments into Songs

It had been such an intense period of my life when I wrote the lovers. So much pain and change in a very short space of time, EVERYTHING was so fresh and visceral, writing whilst I was in the midst of it all. I think it’s just natural that after time and some healing (and some new pain lol) I was ready to be more reflective, more playful with my storytelling.

When you were travelling on the London tube, what was it about that environment that made it such a strong creative space for observation and songwriting?

It’s like an instant attack on the senses. Space, air, background city hum to BOOM 30 people crammed in a can and the deafening roar of the tracks. I hadn’t experienced anything like that in my life, so naturally I was overwhelmed with imagery, sound, smell the whole lot. Made it very easy to word vomit into my notes app and get the imagination and creative juices flowing.

Can you talk through the process of how a passing moment or stranger you notice in public becomes a fully formed song narrative?

It’s quite a natural process. I’m always watching people, I think I’m a bit nosey if I’m honest. You can create a backstory for anyone you see in the world, but again because I was in this new city with all these new people from all walks of life it became even easier to follow a thought. With Seaside Wishes I saw an old man stand up and tip his hat for a lady, and then she got off the train. I thought to myself how adorable, chivalry is not dead. I wondered what their story was… and that’s where the story of the song was born.

Was there a specific encounter or observation in London that really clarified the direction of the album for you?

Initially I was just writing and being as open and free as possible. I didn’t want to restrict myself too much in order to allow creative freedom. I think as the trip went on I really started to have an idea of what sessions/songs I was leaving feeling excited, and ones I was not. From the get go though I was intent on making songs that could be played, and feeling good, in the room on just a guitar or piano etc. The goal was always to make classic, good songs that translated when stripped down to the bare bones.

How do you decide which ideas or characters you have observed are strong enough to develop into a complete song?

They all deserve to become songs, but I guess the way they are determined strong enough is if the song gets finished haha.

Once you began collecting all these different perspectives, how did you shape them into a cohesive emotional arc across the full album?

They all ended up being snapshots or vignettes of moments. Seaside is a love story inspired by a couple, and then explored through the lens of my relationship at the time. Imagining what a healthy, long lasting classic love would look like. Bright Eyes is a story inspired by someone I saw on the tube, down on their luck but still with life and joy in their piercing blue eyes. I took that and applied it to my own story, could I carry on with joy if I lost everything? I think that’s how it all worked as one, little stories of love, loss, grief and hope… my human experience and how important it is to feel EVERYTHING at least once.

You have described this record as more reflective than reactive. What changed in your mindset or creative practice that allowed that shift to happen?

I went into the album knowing I wanted good songs, songs that can be sung around a campfire with one instrument. That was the first and only goal. I also knew as I started writing I was exploring past pain and trauma, from this new perspective. Instead of being beaten down by it I was rising up and doing something with it. So naturally all the songs held a lot more hope and joy. So I think that’s the main difference, time and perspective. ALSO I was in love, very much in love, so everything had a more romantic, golden hue to it.

How did writing in London, surrounded by constant movement and unfamiliar people, challenge or expand your usual songwriting habits in New Zealand?

Just being in a new space surrounded by unfamiliar people, things, spaces was enough to throw me out of my comfort zone. It’s like how people will travel to a cabin or Airbnb to lock in and write, somewhere quiet and expansive to throw distractions at the door. This was the same idea, but distractions multiplied x 100. It forces you to let go of the self critic and the inhibitions creatively, because you’re so stimulated… it creates a forced flow state in a way.

The singles Mona Lisa Money, Seaside Wishes, Clementine, and We Still Happened each sit in quite different emotional spaces. What connects them in your mind as part of one body of work?

Seaside Wishes is the hopeful joyous beginning, a new start, what if it all works out? By the end you have We Still Happened which does the opposite. What if it doesn’t work out? What if it all ends? It’s a more melodramatic study of love but still holds that hope. It’s the same with Mona Lisa Money, what if you followed the wrong love (money and power), Clementine what if you followed an obsession (drugs, love, lust). It’s like the middle questions different areas of connection and experience and breaks them down, until the very last song The Best where I’m saying goodbye to the love (my ex) that inspired so much of the record.

When you perform these songs live, how do you bring those observational, character-driven lyrics into something that still feels immediate and personal for the audience in the room?

I just sing to begin, usually opening with Seaside or Mona Lisa to set the tone. Then if and when it feels right I tell a quick anecdote about the songs, or make a joke about being sad/lonely. I talk to the audience and use myself as an example… I check in with how everyone is doing. I want the audience to feel like they’re in it with me, not like I’m some out of reach god character that doesn’t see them.