Marc McLaughlin and the crème brûlée vibes and beautiful hand holding of "Phoebe Song"

 

"now that we're finally on our way / i try to stay clear of all mistakes / now that it's done and filed away..."

The crème brûlée vibes and beautiful hand holding of "Phoebe Song", by Canadian singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Marc McLaughlin, dips into bedroom pop / late 70's MOR radio vibes / romance wave and current alt pop. I am loving the vocal countenance that leans melancholy but not too much, the synth orchestrations that swim between Fender Rhodes cool and purposely wonky synth flavors, the very cool walking bass lines over a steady beat and the chorus that switches up the groove with it's own dance moves.

"Phoebe Song" is an antidote for some of the cookie cutter pop on Spotify, sweetly endearing and chill pop timeless, really.

LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):

[Featuring elements common in synth-pop and dance music, the song moves at an unhurried 104 bpm, settling into a soft, meditative late-night atmosphere. Marking a gentle expansion of McLaughlin’s sound, “Phoebe Song” carries his close-up songwriting into more exploratory electronic territory.]

[“Phoebe Song,” a downtrodden dance track inspired by the imagined inner life of his rescued stray cat. Pairing the intimacy of Elliott Smith with the understated experimentation of Arthur Russell, the single further reveals McLaughlin’s ability to make electronic arrangements feel deeply human and lived-in.
“My neighbour had found this fluffy white cat who had presumably been abandoned somewhere out in the sticks,” said McLaughlin (he/him). “We took her in, and I began imagining what her music taste might sound like. I landed on something sugary and synth-driven, built around this patch on an old Yamaha keyboard. I think the subdued vocal style and tempo pushed it into a more reflective space in the end.”


Beneath its gentle pulse, the track carries a lingering sense of isolation and tenderness: “Now that we're gone and on our way / I try to stay clear of all mistakes.”]


-Robb Donker Curtius

 

LYRICS

now that we're finally on our way

i try to stay clear of all mistakes

now that it's done and filed away

anger's the place for pain to hide
just give it a chance, a second try
with nothing to lose, no time to bide
fair play

now that we're finally on our way
i try to stay to clear of all this noise
tune into the static of the night
air waves

and it's so damn hard to forget
that it keeps on draggin'
like the tired old pangs of regret
that just keep on hangin'
as if it's only ours to save

now that we're gone and on our way
i try to stay clear of all mistakes
but every time i don't close my eyes
it's all there





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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/039oOYfKYbjF7sp8iIwpzr

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCScFXlt4shlu_uZEvvik_lQ

https://marcmclaughlin.bandcamp.com/track/phoebe-song

https://www.instagram.com/marc___mclaughlin/

https://www.facebook.com/marcmclaughlinNL/


Marc McLaughlin is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Canada’s East Coast crafting hushed, emotionally direct songs that blur the line between lo-fi folk and left-field pop. With unhurried tempos and a close, understated delivery, his music resists spectacle in favor of quiet intensity. Following the 2025 release of his EP All I Can Say, he has toured nationally across Canada and shared stages with Dan Mangan, Kelly McMichael, and By Divine Right. His live performances pair dry wit with unguarded reflections on the human condition.

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ON TOUR

May 14, 2026 (Thu) – St. Andrews, NB – Saint Andrews BrewCo – Paddlefest (duo)

May 23, 2026 (Sat) – Saint John, NB – Area 506 series with Dan Mangan (band)

Jun 1, 2026 (Mon) – Edinburgh, UK – Sneaky Pete’s (solo)

Jun 3, 2026 (Wed) – Paris, FR – La Pointe Lafayette (solo)

Jul 30, 2026 (Thu) – Fredericton, NB – Bellwether – With Eliza Niemi + Boyhood (band)

Marc McLaughlin. Canadian singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist, chill pop, bedroom pop, indie pop, left field pop, alt pop, abstract pop, art pop, melancholy pop, dreamy, dance moves, yacht rock, "Phoebe Song",