“Being comfortable in my skin is something that feels out of reach a lot of the time.” So explained Mali Velasquez of recent single ‘Tore‘, a song which confronted “self-judgement directly,” as we put it in a preview, “looking to overcome the unrealistic barriers and expectations we create for ourselves with a mix of gentle compassion and heartfelt catharsis.” The track was the first from I’m Green, Velasquez’s upcoming album on Acrophase Records, and introduced the theme central to the release. How our relationships with ourselves can be so conflicted and uneasy, and the way in which this is governed by our experiences with those around us.
Latest single ‘Bobby’ throws the listener headlong into the depths of such ideas. Presenting a young Mali Velasquez coming to terms with the passing of her mother, beset by both the permanence and fragility of the memories etched within such days. The sound starts out tentative, washed with electronic glitches like light leaks and distortion on an old photograph, though gathers momentum as it progresses. As though in cataloguing the moment, Velasquez is not only attempting to move beyond it, but to ensure some part of it remains intact however much time might pass.
“Getting these songs out has been really healing for me,” she explains. “Before, the way I was grieving was just kind of holding it all in, waiting for it to release. These songs have given me a new perspective on grief. At one time, I didn’t think anything good could come from this. There’s nothing left of my mom on the planet, and that can be super strange to talk about, but I do feel like there are little pieces of her living in these songs, which is very comforting to me.”
Check out the video by director and videographer Reed Schick, with animation by Chase Hall:
I’m Green is out on the 13th October via Acrophase Records.
