Dramatic and utterly intoxicating, Maeve’s “Sick” captures pure infatuation through a stunningly cinematic upheaval of feverish feeling and raw, dark pop.
for fans of Billie Eilish, Lorde, CLAVVS
Stream: “Sick” – Maeve
Dramatic and utterly intoxicating, Maeve’s third single of 2021 is a stunningly cinematic upheaval of feverish feeling and raw, dark pop. It may not sound like it from the offset – or from the song’s title – but “Sick” is its own special kind of celebration – a theatrical embrace of infatuation and the rush of inescapable, overwhelming, and uncontrolled emotions we experience at the onset of attraction, connection, and ultimately, love.
i’m a sicko, but so are you
let em whistle, take a picture too
i’m gunna light you on a silver spoon i’m a sicko, but so are you
i just want to make you mine maybe i’m just terrified
i’d commit a homicide
just to be your valentine
are you sick like me? every bit i need
do you wanna be? are you sick like me?
We all experience love differently, but everyone agrees that it’s an allure like no other. Released May 13, 2021 via Dustheads, “Sick” captures the hot and heavy pull of desire through a bombastic array of compelling sonics, impassioned lyrics, and Maeve’s own alluring, evocative vocal performance.
Following this year’s previous releases “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” and “Bleach,” the latest single from Maeve’s forthcoming debut EP Caravaggio in a Corner Store (out June 17th) finds the Cayman Islands artist dwelling in relatable depths. While some songs certainly do turn love into a weakness or an illness, “Sick” truly is an embrace of those complex feelings that fill us up inside until we’re ready to burst at the seams. “are you sick like me? every bit i need, do you wanna be? are you sick like me?” Maeve sings in an ominous chorus, beckoning us to join her and connect in a pool of raw, untethered passion.
As Maeve tells Atwood Magazine, the song is about being unapologetic with your feelings.
“’Sick’ is a song about pure infatuation,” she explains. “It’s about wanting to have every piece of someone. I was writing about the feeling at the beginning of the road of falling in love. When you’re trying to work out if the other person feels the same way. It’s a declaration of love when I say that I would kill to be this person’s lover – I’m obviously not a murderer, but I guess that’s just my way of being romantic. The name of my upcoming EP, “Caravaggio in a Corner Store,” comes from a lyric in this song. The line has a couple of different meanings, but here I wanted to say that we found something really special in a place where you would least expect it – we’ve made a broken masterpiece in this unstable world. We’re messy, we’re sick and we’re in love and we don’t give a fuck.”
i’m a sicko, spitting on the floor
Caravaggio in a corner store
if they talk well we’ll just give them more
let the dogs go barking at their door
i just want to make you mine maybe i’m just terrified
i’d commit a homicide
just to be your valentine
Maeve’s “Sick” single art – featuring the artist wielding a notched bow and arrow aimed directly at another iteration of herself (in particular, the arrow is aimed at her heart) – may be recognizable to modern art lovers as a recreation of Marina Abramović and ULAY’s 1980 performance piece, Rest Energy.
“It’s a performance piece all about trust,” Maeve explains. “I wanted to create this idea of trusting yourself. Do I trust myself or not? – it’s unclear as we don’t know how the picture ends, so I’ll leave that up to you.”
Cinematic though it may be in song, “Sick” comes to life with unfathomable energy in Maeve’s Joshua Trigg-directed music video. Going beyond the initial element of infatuation, this visual taps into the notions of embracing yourself for who you are, and being uncompromisingly true to your identity.
“I wanted to expand the song meaning from just a love song to a celebration of not conforming to ideas of what people want me to be,” Maeve tells Atwood Magazine. “I’m muddy and sick and going my own way and hope that you will join me. I got inspired by Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain artwork and wanted to reference that energy through a modern lens.”
I’m muddy and sick and going my own way and hope that you will join me.
In spite of the darkness, there’s something extravagantly appealing in Maeve’s graphic take on infatuation – because though her words and instruments may sound and feel dark, the artist is ultimately not pushing her feelings away, but reveling in them – basking in their power and glory. Her thrilling music cuts to the core, indulging in the miasma of chaos we feel when falling for someone.
Maeve subverts expectations, turning love on its head in an enthralling experience that recalls the likes of Brooklyn indie pop band CLAVVS and, of course, the hushed anti-pop queen herself, Billie Eilish.
Caravaggio in a Corner Store is out June 17, 2021. Stay tuned for more from this singular, exciting new anti-pop presence, and get lost in the dark depths of “Sick” out now.
are you sick like me? every bit i need
do you wanna be? are you sick like me?
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Stream: “Sick” – Maeve
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