Mary Middlefield’s Role As Emotional “Band Aid” Comes To An End On New Track
On November 1st, self-proclaimed “attention seeking leo” Mary Middlefield released her first single, “Band Aid.” Full of airy vocals, swelling strings, and gorgeous guitarwork, “Band Aid” sees Middlefield questioning what a past relationship was and what role she played for her former partner’s life. Taking a cue from artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Jack Van Cleaf, and early Bon Iver, Middlefield starts the song simply with piano and acoustic guitar. And then it goes wild.
As the song continues towards its climax, Middlefield never allows the instrumentals to completely take over her vocals. The story she tells is fairly common, one of a broken heart and lost relationship, but the imagery she uses to tell the story is exquisite. She imagines her existence as a stageplay, and comes to understand that “the public still awaits,” but acknowledges that her role was just an emotional band-aid and “the script got scrapped, shredded.”
When the song reaches its climax, a second voice shows up in the mix, seemingly asking the same question: “what were we?” Though it seems Middlefield will never get an answer, as so many of us never do, the arena in Middlefield’s story burns down, never to hold another performance. Whether this is meant to convey simply the permanent end of a relationship or a flip on the metaphor of emotional walls going up, it’s a phenomenal way to end a song. It leaves enough to the listener’s imagination and forces us to question exactly what she means. That vivid coyness is something that will take her far, and we’re excited to see what happens next.
Check out “Band Aid” below, and go follow Mary Middlefield!
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