Shoegazey indie dream pop meets cinematic art folk etherealism in the debut single from Freya Magee. Duplicity is a triple threat of intimacy, vulnerability and candour; there’s no hiding behind the cloak of assimilation, no posturing in the vocals, no censorship of idiosyncrasy in the lyrics. Perhaps most affectingly, every instrumental lends itself to the thematic presence of the track, which unravels like a melancholic spiral from someone who knows beauty as much as she knows pain, and she pushes through both as a sonic embodiment of how thorned pleasure and fulfilment can be.
Even with the more spectral tonal palette, there’s something effortlessly consoling about Magee; in the same way Mitski carries your pain for the duration of a single, Freya refuses to let you fold under the weight of your own pensive mind. With lyrics like “dark on the left, blonde on the right”, her personal imagery transfigures into universal emotion without surrendering its specificity.
Originally from Melbourne, rooted in Northern Ireland and now based in London, Magee began writing in lockdown-era isolation. A chance performance at a dinner party led to local shows and, eventually, to Laurel Sound Studios with Phil Taylor. The result is Duplicity, the first confessional chapter of a growing body of work that drapes vulnerability in cinematic textures and lingers long after the track ends.
Duplicity is now available on all major streaming platforms. Find your preferred way to listen via this link.
Review by Amelia Vandergast