Me For Queen and the elegant moving comfort of "Drip by Drip"

 

"keep a hold of what you need, does it drain or does it feed? Just do what you need to get you through..."

There is a sort of post modern meets 70's Polaroid sound of "Drip by Drip" by London based Me For Queen. A sound that feels purely naïve and sagely at the same time. Maybe so elegant as to sound quirky, you know like something from a Wes Anderson soundtrack. Singer songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Mary Erskine possesses a vocal countenance somewhere between Nico and Judy Collins or, maybe, an amalgam of both. Her dreadfully gorgeous melodies like a loving embrace lends themselves to the heaviness of the orchestrations she composes. This song is so cool like a rain storm during a sunny day. 

Of the track Mary shares:

"This song is where the album and artwork concept started. I was playing around with the idea of life in miniature, where the most banal, day-to-day things are under the microscope and become blown up far out of proportion. Drip by Drip began from place of wanting to write a song of reassurance for a family member going through a tough time. It also felt like “are you ok” was the beginning of every conversation with every friend at that time… I left the song for a while then returned to it, after my own personal life had taken an unexpected turn when my partner started treatment for cancer. Our world suddenly became very small, and it was overwhelming to hear this song again. It sounded like a lullaby I’d unwittingly written to my future self. It’s about digging in, finding some small peace with the situation you are in and trusting that all things must pass." 

I would have never guessed the moving back story of "Drip by Drip" and that it involved the dreaded "C" word. It is such a scary word and yet it somehow touches all of us in some way directly or tangentially. It makes me love this song even more. 

Press notes also reveal:

The song was recorded entirely remotely, with Erskine herself playing guitar, cello and violin and piano, Jim Wallis recording electronic and kit drums from home, then additional violin from Naomi Burrell (Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment). The opening chorus of voices, “are you ok?” start the song in a conversational, intimate place, before guitar and strings join, slowly expanding to a rich and warm acoustic crescendo for the 2nd chorus.

Erskine says, “Limitations always lead to some interesting places. On the rest of the album, there is more of a sonic mix with some electronic textures, as well as brass. But for this song, recording in lockdown, I had to make my own string section at home as I wanted it to sound like a warm bath, with as many acoustic instruments in there as possible…”

Anyway, "Drip by Drip" is the 3rd single released thus far from Me For Queen's new album "Microclimate" dropping in February. Nice to meet you Mary Erskine.

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

https://soundcloud.com/meforqueen

https://twitter.com/meforqueen

https://www.facebook.com/meforqueenmusic

https://www.meforqueen.com/

https://www.instagram.com/meforqueen/

https://meforqueen.bandcamp.com/


With a voice often likened to Carole King and Regina Spektor, a classical piano training, and influences ranging from Björk to Chopin, Me for Queen – the creative alias of Mary Erskine – is rapidly winning acclaim for her beguiling ‘soul-folk’ songcraft, blending traditional folk story-telling with a contemporary edge. Growing up feral in rural Fife/Scotland in a big old house near the sea, years of classical training together with a Blues guitarist for a father make for an interesting mix of Soul and Folk.

Her much-anticipated debut solo album, “Loose End” was released via Seahorse Music in September 2018. Teaming up with Jim Wallis at Bella Union Studios, the record sees her explore a more varied sonic landscape, moving away from her piano-led sound into richly orchestrated arrangements.

Mary has enjoyed support from BBC6 Music and BBC Radio Wales and BBC Scotland; the album was Record of Note on Roddy Hart’s show and the single, Loose End, was Single of the Week on the Janice Forsyth show. Her song, “Jessica” was included on Spotify UK’s playlist, “The Most Beautiful Songs in the World” and has racked up over 100, 000 plays.

Her new EP is set for release in February 2019 and charts her recent journey through pregnancy and new motherhood.

Me For Queen, alt pop, indie pop, folk, folk indie, indie rock, indie folk, orchestrations, chamber pop, "Drip by Drip", singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, London based, new album "Microclimate",