Madi Gaines: The Only Blonde Indie Pop Artist Recorded at a Death Metal Studio
By Serenna Zingg
Courtesy of Madi Gaines, via Spotify
In my limited experience interviewing artists, I’ve found that speaking to them - not only with the mic on and questions prepared - but in the spaces and interactions in between, the little moments that don’t really make it to a condensed and polished written format, add a lot of context to the more delicate facets of the art they create: the first thought that crossed my mind when I listened to "Trinkets," Portland-based Madi Gaines’ first EP, was “Yes, this is so Madi. She’s somebody who knows what she believes in and is self-grounded, while staying true to an undeniably airy and free-spirited side of her: a style and way of living that translates not only lyrically and poetically, but also in her approach to production choices, visual art, and even entrepreneurship.
As a patchwork of living journal entries written from the ages of sixteen to twenty-four, Trinkets invites you to remember it all: the severity of teenage romantic dramatics, facing certain experiences far too early, and the growing pains of having a playful brain that runs far faster than your comparatively heavy-handed emotions can ever seem to catch up with. “Cheryl’s on 12”, one of the airier tracks on the EP with fingerprints of 90s UK twee pop dotted all over it, depicts her first date with her now-girlfriend after a string of unsavory experiences being treated poorly by men (unfortunately relatably depicted in the next song, “Cvnt”). “Grow”, both the literal and emotional core of the EP, is best described as a clickable time capsule that can bring anyone back to those out-of-body moments where every thought slows down a bit and honest reflection no longer feels like a choice. Yet, however firsts-focused the album may be, the eight-year bridge running between the bedroom jam-session and the final glossing of these tracks owes "Trinkets" a certain graciousness that could only come from a highline view of someone just removed enough to possess a marked maturity, and not too much to look back on the memories with a sardonic shrug. All five tracks considered, "Trinkets" is the sort of slow-burning mix of an EP that could only be created by continually choosing to lay down the weight of one’s emotional conviction for the kind of floating detachment that allows for storytelling dexterity, clearly taking the liner notes and songwriting philosophy of Stevie Nicks, Norah Jones, and Mazzy Star - what she described in the interview as being her key influences - as indispensable.
While the songs themselves are capable of conveying appropriate amounts of weight - again, just listen to the length of “Grow” to be sure - Madi doesn’t fall into the common young-artist trap of losing her sense of humor or perspective-taking dexterity in pursuit of being taken seriously by the artistic crowd. Out of the five tracks, two of them have their own quirky, fever-dream-esque music video - a fixture of her creative process that I found to be a bit of an anomaly, considering that uploading fully-produced music videos to YouTube seems to be a bit of a dying art and commonly missed business opportunity.
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Sonically, "Trinkets" feels almost purely elemental and organic in its balance of cozy, stormy mood (it’s very Pacific Northwest core) and sunshine-through-the-clouds brightness. Yet, despite the blurred guitars, floating and wispy vocal performances, and picks on the bass produced to sound like the heavy-handed moodiness in the middle of a storm, there’s a breeze and brightness that are bejeweled onto the slushed-out framework of the track infrastructure. Tracks like “Cheryl’s on 12” float just enough over your head to sedate a bit without being too elusive or shoegazey to actually catch, while “Sad Dog” nails uptempo janglepop nostalgia, hitting a sweet spot between the fuzzy and elevated sound of “Grow” with the girlish confidence of “Cvnt."
With Madi’s first full EP now in the rearview mirror and increasingly influential tastemaking venues taking interest in having her showcase her work, she is also gaining confidence in her craft as an entrepreneur with an inherently artistic spirit: read her thoughts on the Pacific Northwest music scene, future career moves, getting started as a young creative, and more.
While the songs themselves are capable of conveying appropriate amounts of weight - again, just listen to the length of “Grow” to be sure - Madi doesn’t fall into the common young-artist trap of losing her sense of humor or perspective-taking dexterity in pursuit of being taken seriously by the artistic crowd. Out of the five tracks, two of them have their own quirky, fever-dream-esque music video - a fixture of her creative process that I found to be a bit of an anomaly, considering that uploading fully-produced music videos to YouTube seems to be a bit of a dying art and commonly missed business opportunity.
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Sonically, Trinkets feels almost purely elemental and organic in its balance of cozy, stormy mood (it’s very Pacific Northwest core) and sunshine-through-the-clouds brightness. Yet, despite the blurred guitars, floating and wispy vocal performances, and picks on the bass produced to sound like the heavy-handed moodiness in the middle of a storm, there’s a breeze and brightness that are bejeweled onto the slushed-out framework of the track infrastructure. Tracks like “Cheryl’s on 12” float just enough over your head to sedate a bit without being too elusive or shoegazey to actually catch, while “Sad Dog” nails uptempo janglepop nostalgia, hitting a sweet spot between the fuzzy and elevated sound of “Grow” with the girlish confidence of “Cvnt."
With Madi’s first full EP now in the rearview mirror and increasingly influential tastemaking venues taking interest in having her showcase her work, she is also gaining confidence in her craft as an entrepreneur with an inherently artistic spirit: read her thoughts on the Pacific Northwest music scene, future career moves, getting started as a young creative, and more.
You seem to really enjoy making music videos for your work - would you say this is a bit of a dying art for newer indie pop artists, and what is the significance of them both from a creative and practical entrepreneurship perspective?
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Yes, I totally root for YouTube because it actually has a really favorable algorithm. For example, I had a couple of people who are in PR marketing reach out to me because they saw the videos on YouTube. I find it super difficult on TikTok and Instagram to reach new people like that - it’s doable, but you really have to spam it which is not something I’m great at doing. I believe posting music videos for your songs is a bit of a dying art, but I also believe it’s coming back and I hope it doesn’t die altogether!
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Trinkets has some variety genre-wise, but do you ultimately describe it to be people as being an indie-pop sort of record?
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Well, to be fair, I got recorded at a death metal studio, so to him I’m very much pop! To the rest of the indie scene, I’m probably perceived more as shoegaze/indie rock. I think the feel of my live music is different, though - we like to change the sound and see people dance, so I uptempo things to get people moving.
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Do you have any advice for young independent artists who are eager to make a livable wage with music and do have limited time, but also hear frequently to ‘Take every opportunity they get’? How do you navigate this balance while not getting taken advantage of?
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That’s so essential to talk about, especially as a woman. Take everything with a grain of salt and realize while it’s a good sign that people are reaching out, you always have to fact check. If they say they work for a company, check the company’s credentials out. Also, meet up with them face-to-face but in a safe spot! Just keep in mind that just because you’re a small artist and don’t have any money, you still can say no to opportunities that don’t feel right. You don’t owe anyone anything just because you’re inexperienced.
Or, if you’re supporting a touring band - although I usually give them my cut - realize it’s sleazy of them not to communicate the expectations at all. Especially since you’re the smaller act that wants to prove itself, you’ll often step into the marketing/promotion role and spend time advertising the show just to ultimately lose money on it. I have gotten paid shit at gigs and then was like, “This was not clearly defined.” Don’t think just because you’re small that you’re not good enough to be treated respectfully, because it is a lot of work to put on a show.
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If you had the unlimited budget to create with any producer or any kind of record you liked, how would you go about that?
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Oh, Catherine Marks, 100%. She’s a UK producer - she did the first Wolf Alice album, and she also did Boygenius’ album. She’s got such good taste and insight, and I love working with producers who genuinely aren’t afraid to recommend that you tweak some of your vision or add some of their artistic vision. If I had all the money in the world, I’d be making it at Catherine Marks’ house in the UK right now!