Irish singer-songwriter Maria Kelly releases the beautifully touching visuals for ‘july’, taken from the refreshingly honest EP, ‘notes to self’ which is out now Veta Records. The EP captures Maria’s move from Dublin to Berlin, exploring themes of leaving home and finding familiarity from within, even if that can sometimes be an uncomfortable thing to do. Maria elaborates, “the idea stemmed from the fact that I began keeping a diary when I moved away from home in June. I wanted to document how that change affected me – keeping notes of thoughts, feelings, advise that I heard along the way. It allowed me to be very honest with myself. The diary then inspired four songs that thematically dealt with how we often move through stages of holding on, hiding behind, letting go and how we must do all three in order to move past it entirely. It became a very cathartic piece of work for me, and I hope that anyone who listens finds some comfort in it too.” Starring Maria and Dylan Minnock (Comfy Coffin), the self-directed video for ‘july’ tells the very true tale of struggling to break free from the past. Memories become so overwhelming that they become nothing but layer upon layer of flickering images. Fans of Daughter, London Grammar, and Phoebe Bridgers will have all of the feels.
Written and directed by Maria
Directed, filmed and edited by Gareth Walsh
“‘july’ is a lesson in self-sabotage. The song takes a look at the behaviours that expect solutions from outside of myself. It’s about admitting that you have control over how you react to any situation and that by choosing to get stuck in the past, you’re only doing more damage to yourself in the long run. The video was brought to life by my friend Gareth, starring my other talented friend, Dyl. I bought a shitty hand-cam for about €15, and we filmed the whole thing over two days in Berlin. The DIY element made it a really gratifying experience, and I am incredibly proud of how it turned out – I hope you find something in it too.”
Raised in the West of Ireland, nestled somewhere along the Atlantic Way, Maria spent many years developing her sound into a delicate blend of atmospheric-alt-folk. Maria has already played numerous shows in both the UK and Ireland performing alongside the likes of James Vincent McMorrow, Lisa Hannigan and Paul Noonan, as well as playing at last year’s Great Escape Festival, Electric Picnic, Ireland’s acclaimed Other Voices Festival and most recently the Imagining Ireland shows in the National Concert Hall and the Barbican. Maria has previously received praise from various online publications including Consequence of Sound, The 405, Wonderland, Mahogany, The Line of Best Fit and Radio X. ‘june’ also featured on Spotify’s Fresh Folk and Your Coffee Break playlists respectively.
‘notes to self’ is out on 7th December 2018 via Veta Records
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