- 2023-07-06
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MUSIC
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MARIS Releases Debut EP “Gravity”
American singer-songwriter Maris Ward, aka MARIS released her debut EP “Gravity” along with a short film “Gravity The EP: The Movie” on June 30, 2023 via Black House.
The EP comprises 6-track, including preceding 4 singles and two new songs “Goodbye Forever” and “outofmydepth”.
Produced by Spooked Horse, Theo and the Climb, Bruiser, The Gifted, and Maris Ward.
MARIS said of the EP, “I'm so excited to put out my first larger body of work, accompanied by a series of music videos that combine into a short film that I co-directed with the amazing Caro Knapp. From writing these songs through tears alone in my room, or with incredible producers and writers in studios or on Zoom, to creating the zine pages and the podcast episodes, to making the music videos, and finally playing the music live on tour, this process has taught me so much and been fulfilling in so many ways.”- 979KasRLwUU
MARIS shared on social media, “these final two songs I wrote mostly alone in my bedroom, and they sandwich the rest of the songs and videos together. outofmydepth, the intro, started as a diary entry I made in the bath tub of my first apartment in LA. Goodbye Forever, the outro, started as a chord progression in my childhood bedroom in 2020 that felt like everything I was experiencing but couldn't put words to. I've posted both of them years ago now, played them live, rewritten them, lived inside of them and produced them with @spookedhorseranch and @thegifted_music respectively. I'm really fucking nervous and excited to share these more vulnerable songs and videos, but so stoked and grateful that I had the opportunity to make this body of work, sonically and visually. And I'm so proud of what we brought to life. What goes up must come down! It's Gravity!!!”-
She said of the short film, “The musical journey, the visual experience, the cartoon, and the sci-fi epic extravaganza is the biggest opportunity to create a visual that I've ever had. Ever since I was a little kid, I've escaped the worries of my day-to-day life by listening to music and imagining the movie scene it would soundtrack. Once I started writing my own music, my dream became making movies that are soundtracked by my own songs. So, when we selected the songs that we wanted to put out, I got to work making the vision boards and shot lists for the visuals I wanted to make! My label, Black House, and management, Best Friends, are equal parts crazy and spectacular for executive producing this project, and letting us be daring and ambitious with the visuals. I'm elated and nervous and excited and terrified and so proud to finally share the entire project!”
MARIS explained about some tracks for the EP.
“Heavenly Bodies”
“'Heavenly Bodies' is about the rollercoaster of emotions in the unbalanced and intense first love I experienced in high school. I was in love with this girl, and I existed at her beck and call. She would only hit me up when her boyfriend wasn't talking to her, and I would happily let her pick me up (which felt like flying toward the sun), only to throw me down (coming back down to earth).
When I wrote it on zoom with Theo & The Climb and James Quick, I had been reflecting on everything I learned living in New York 2017-the early 2020. I'm so grateful for this song because it helped me understand so much about myself and brought me back to one of my favorite places make one of my favorite videos ever. Kaya Tone and I talked about working together again as soon as we could when I had to move away 2020, and we finally did it and we made something really fucking god damn scrappy and special. I love New York so much and I'm really proud of the work we made to honor it and bring me back to it.”
“Crashland”
“'Crashland' is one of my favorite songs lyrically...I had 'I'm devoted to a statue,' in my old notebook from the time I lived there. As soon as I realized the concept of my time in New York and an up-and-down relationship, the words started to pour out.”
“False Idol”
“The day I wrote 'False Idol' with Bruce Wiegner (Katy Perry, Set It Off) and Bre Kennedy, I was ranting about wanting to escape this dynamic that I kept finding myself in. For different cycles in my life, I would pick a person to make my idol and would believe everything they said as if it were fact, and wait anxiously for their approval of me and what I do.
FALSE IDOL 80s CARDIO SLAPSTICK COMEDY SUPER HERO MOVIE MUSIC VIDEO EXTRAVAGANZA. This was a Beast of a video. Starting with vision boards, rough shotlists, shooting the Muscle Mar™️ workout vid, meetings w CARO KNAPP and Graham Wilder Byers and dancing around plotting the shots and showing my references and PowerPoints (top 10 favorite activities of mine), learning the choreo with David Grannum , breaking the shoes Bailee Moreno.account immediately at the first fitting and again later, and then finally shooting in this incredible location, then sitting with Car during the edit and finally seeing this vision alive and thriving. I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to make this.”
Photo by Ashley Osborn - source : Apple Music
