Track of the Week

 This week’s track of the week is one that a lot of you might not have heard. In fact, the artist is one who I’m constantly trying to promote because her work and in particular her debut album is just so cool. The track I have chosen is from that first album and it’s called ‘M.T.M.E.’ by Alexandra Savior. 

Alexandra is an alternative artist who’s originally from Portland, Oregon. Her debut ‘Belladonna of Sadness’ was released in 2017 and it has this deep, dark vintage aesthetic which works so well with Alexandra’s classically gorgeous voice. As well as typical rock/blues instrumentation this track features a killer rock organ part, which I am obsessed with. The rhythm section also really stands out here, with the bass guitar and drums truly being the backbone of the song and filling the bulk of the mix, helping with that moody feel that no one does quite like Savior. ‘M.T.M.E.’ in particular is one of the faster tracks on the album, which makes it all the more impressive that Alexandra managed to maintain this vibe even with a song that is more uptempo. The song also features an epic scream which, as screams go, is probably one of the chillest I’ve heard in music, it doesn’t make you jump or feel like it’s just there for the sake of it, it fits perfectly with the non-musical talk tracks that run in a few places in the song. 

Lyrically, this song details an abandonment by a mysterious type. Even though the subject matter is somewhat sad, Alexandra manages to avoid exploring this, instead choosing to focus on the mystery and romanticise the other character in the song. The only time her real feelings are truly explored is through the atmospheric sounds like the screams and a talk track which says ‘Come back’. In a way, the song is almost her trying to cover up her feelings ‘No, I never really wondered why / I was just trying to pass some time’. Overall, my favourite lyric has to be the next line ‘I ain’t crying / I’m just fine’ because it’s such a simple way to express the feeling of pretending you are fine to avoid processing your feelings about a situation. 

Honestly, I would really recommend that you all go and listen to Alexandra’s music. She definitely deserves to have loads more listeners, and you might fall in love with her aesthetic like I have.