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.
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.
Mazy Fly is idiosyncratic, but in a thoughtful and imaginative way that is too appealing to resist.
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.
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.
Mazy Fly is a winged spirit, an album constructed from a synth system that seems to be enamored by chemical trails to the cosmos.
What at first listen may turn many off bears repeated listening, through the often terrifying kaleidoscope of sound is a melodic pop centre.
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.
With Mazy Fly, Spellling stands out as one of Sacred Bones' most exciting musical prospects.
Mazy Fly excels in laser noises and organs but is light on surf guitars and theremins.
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.
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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
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.
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.
#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.
1 | Red 2:13 | 76 |
2 | Haunted Water 4:50 | 84 |
3 | Hard to Please 2:08 | 78 |
4 | Golden Numbers 2:44 | 78 |
5 | Melted Wings 1:52 | 73 |
6 | Under the Sun 5:55 | 89 |
7 | Real Fun 3:32 | 84 |
8 | Hard to Please (Reprise) 3:34 | 80 |
9 | Afterlife 5:24 | 77 |
10 | Dirty Desert Dreams 2:32 | 78 |
11 | Secret Thread 5:06 | 80 |
12 | Falling Asleep 2:45 | 74 |
#27 | / | Bandcamp Daily |
#32 | / | Treble |
#85 | / | Rough Trade |