Mazy Fly

SPELLLING - Mazy Fly
Critic Score
Based on 11 reviews
2019 Ratings: #197 / 805
User Score
Based on 638 ratings
2019 Rank: #303
Liked by 49 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
PopMatters

SPELLLING's second full-length Mazy Fly escapes present genres and ages, from witching primeval ballads, sultry alternative R&B, to intergalactic disco. Simply, it's celestial, Afrofuturist, and wake work.

90
Exclaim!

New voices and ideas fading in and out like ghosts, it's an ambitious second act that meaningfully departs from the proven formula that earned the project early buzz, all to invigorating effect.

82
Paste

Mazy Fly is idiosyncratic, but in a thoughtful and imaginative way that is too appealing to resist.

80
Pitchfork

Tia Cabral’s second album retains the great mysticism of her songwriting. The unsettling synth textures and soundscapes fly around her soulful voice, making something beautiful out of sheer terror.

80
Tiny Mix Tapes

Sure, the album has its share of nebulous sounds, but those moments of uncertainty and openness are used as a foil to the highly rhythmic, dance-oriented bent of the rest of the album.

80
Under the Radar

Mazy Fly is a winged spirit, an album constructed from a synth system that seems to be enamored by chemical trails to the cosmos.

80
The 405

What at first listen may turn many off bears repeated listening, through the often terrifying kaleidoscope of sound is a melodic pop centre.

75
Earmilk
The album will surely take you on a wild ride by boat, spaceship, broom and magic carpet. Never a boring moment in SPELLLING's world.
70
AllMusic

While her first effort was a raw, sometimes skeletal collection that heavily utilized looping pedals, Mazy Fly is a much more developed studio creation, with more fleshed-out arrangements incorporating violin, saxophone, percussion, and other instruments.

70
The Needle Drop

With Mazy Fly, Spellling stands out as one of Sacred Bones' most exciting musical prospects.

65
Spectrum Culture

Mazy Fly excels in laser noises and organs but is light on surf guitars and theremins.

musicmagpie55
73

This sounds like a James Ensor painting came to life, and all the clowns began performing a water ballet.

Mazy Fly is intentionally ominous, and there is a constant feeling of being submerged under water. I was worried that the record would feel bogged down by the need to be spooky, but Chrystia Cabral does a great job of keeping the melodies bright and the lyrics witty. These songs are eerie, but she is fully aware of her weirdness and leans into it to create fantastic atmospheric pop.

When ... read more

exception
83

A soft yet forceful slap in the face.

madame
78

under the sun???????????????????????

edit: i feel the need to add this, my introduction to spellling was through The Turning Wheel, and dont get me wrong i enjoyed it but not half as much as this synth filled orgasm of an album, the sonical cohesion is unmatched, songs that feel like trips... i insist: the synths omfg i loved this back to back, love at first listen kinda record

ChiefKeefVinyl_
95

One of the most interesting pop records that has come out in the last decade. I honestly think this is even better than The Turning Wheel.

Kiwo
100

Ethereal, magnificent, classy... There are too many words to fit into a description of this album. It's almost like a brushstroke of perfection on a canvas of paradise. is the perfect portrayal of the journey that I imagine I will have once I die, because when Falling Asleep finishes playing I will no longer be in this world.

LisbonBih
77

#4 - RAR - Random Album Reviews

Could have been just a bit more consistent when it came to the production ideas but most tracks work really well.

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Track List

1Red
2:13
76
2Haunted Water
4:50
84
3Hard to Please
2:08
78
4Golden Numbers
2:44
78
5Melted Wings
1:52
73
6Under the Sun
5:55
89
7Real Fun
3:32
84
8Hard to Please (Reprise)
3:34
80
9Afterlife
5:24
77
10Dirty Desert Dreams
2:32
78
11Secret Thread
5:06
80
12Falling Asleep
2:45
74
Total Length: 42 minutes

Year End Lists

#27/Bandcamp Daily
#32/Treble
#85/Rough Trade
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Added on: November 13, 2018