New Release – Together for the Kids by Malachi Graham

Portland (USA) indie songwriter Malachi Graham twines her incisive lyrics and inventive sounds around the complexity of personal relationships. With a long history in the synth-pop duo Small Million, her newest solo songs explore codependency, unraveling loves, chronic pain, grudges, flings, and the boundaries of the self. Her music centers on her clear, emotive voice and empathetic lyricism, layered within spacious and swirling collaborative instrumental arrangements ranging from snarling electric guitar to contemplative synths to mournful fingerpicking.

Het new single ‘Together for the Kids’ releases 18th October. Pre-save here.

“This song, the first single from my upcoming album ‘Caretaker’ (dropping January 19, 2024), is the perfect introduction to the album’s unsparing psychological examinations.”

“Sometimes when caught in a dead end, the caretaker doesn’t even remember what it is they’re tending to. Even the most bleak relationships might have started as a great love – not exactly comforting.”

“My earlier solo songs had an observant, literary flavour. Those felt like more of an intellectual exercise. The new album’s songs are the first I’ve written that are like, ‘Oh! this is actually scary to sing in public’.”

“The song ‘Together for the Kids’ is based on observations of three couples in particular, in my extended family and parents of friends. When trying to nurse along my own relationship that had some issues, I found myself noticing older couples that just seemed to have lost the thread.”

“The song starts moody and contemplative, over a quiet but ominous bass line. It’s ruminating, observational. Then the impact of what I’m thinking about hits me, and the song kind of explodes.”

“This was recorded in one take in a basement in what was meant to be a practice/pre-production session. The longing and tension were just so right, and it proved impossible to reproduce.”