Album Review: Mary Spender – Super. Sexy. Heartbreak.
3 min read
Mary Spender may not be a name familiar to everyone, but she is certainly someone that needs to be on your radar. Her story is one of hard work and smart, brilliantly executed videos released via YouTube. Starting from a genuine passion for playing music, she currently has over 700,000 subscribers, as well as a plethora of creative avenues, including a news letter for independent musicians The 21st Century Musician. Even the release of this debut has been intriguing to follow, Mary navigating it independent of any label, and staggering the release online as a way to actually make money back from the initial spend. Super. Sexy. heartbreak. officially completed its released online July 1st, and it’s perfect starting point both for her as a recording musician, and for readers to become a fan.
You Can Have Chicago kicks off the record with bright, glittering synths and Mary’s gorgeously smooth vocals. It’s a soft and sensual pop rock tune, reminiscent of 80s Fleetwood Mac but with a modern touch. Following track Getaway Sun continues on the same waves but incorporates more acoustic guitar. Mary’s intro riff teases at some of the playing listeners can expect from such a seasoned guitarist. The track builds to a satisfying chorus, complete with choir-like backing vocals and ambient reverbs. An early highlight of the album is One Kept Secret. An infectious melody and driving groove, as well as one of Mary’s best vocal performances, makes this the one to try if a snapshot of her sound is required. Do You Want To Play? is no less faultless, but takes on a more driven quality that makes you want to jump up and down rather than dance.
Make Me An Offer is the first true departure aesthetically, venturing into a more synth loaded direction. The ambience this track provides allows Mary’s voice to float graciously across the top, gradually building to a euphoric crescendo. Church Bell is another strong contender for the best snapshot the record’s core sound. The bluesy guitar, dark bass line, and solid drums, as well as the lyrics about unrequited love and breaking parental rules culminate in a captivating song. Wake Up To You and One To The West Coast provide the latter half of the album with solid rockers, the former galloping along with a beautiful acoustic riff and angelic backing vocals. The record concludes with another highlight, I’ll Stay Quiet, a song that seems to meld every element from the previous songs effortlessly into a tune that’s so catchy it makes you sad to realise it’s the final song.
Smooth, soulful, and packed with groove and shuffle, Super. Sexy. Heartbreak. turns out to be the best three words to describe this record. Whether the name came before the recording process or after, it’s the kind of foresight/insight that Mary shows in her YouTube essays. A brilliant debut and well worth buying a physical copy via her website.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
