Getting older is weird. Even though our bodies are constantly changing, it takes a bit of time for the mind to catch up. "Gutterball," the latest single from LA-based musician Maddie Jay, reckons with the lingering aftereffects of growing pains. The past still lingers, and emotions from younger years are like shadow remnants on a chalkboard that refuses to be fully erased.
"Gutterball" is a twinkly eyed track that incorporates UK dance music and intergalactic pop. Over fast-paced percussion and upbeat synths, Jay's voice is soft and airy. "Tried to rewrite a beginning / Where I'm able to shake my upbringing," she sings at one point. Alongside vivid lyrics and charming production, details like sampled childish laughter woven into the background prove Maddie Jay is an up-and-coming artist to get excited about.
"I had been sitting on the 'Gutterball' track for months and eventually showed it to my friend Dom [Internet Boyfriend] hoping we could crack into it," Jay shares. "We ended up diving into all this deep emotional stuff about our upbringings and how it factors into the way we live and pursue our careers. The song came together really fast once I had that core concept. It was really cool to try and find that emotion and depth in what essentially started as a banger drum-and-bass instrumental."
She goes deeper into the song's metaphor, detailing how she needed to change patterns from her childhood. “Something about going into my mid-twenties made me realize that there were some things I was going to have to actively change in the way I approached the world, if I ever wanted to become the adult I envisioned. I imagined it like I am a bowling ball and I have been pitched into the world at a weird angle. If I don’t recognize that, I'm in a gutter, just rolling where my patterns take me, I’ll never get out.”
Listen to "Gutterball" below.
