“A patchwork quilt of me post-college” is how Ava McCoy described her latest full-length Dragonfly, out now via Acrophase Records. An album which pieces together various memories and vignettes to create a larger whole, brought to life with a sound which “run[s] the gamut between hushed folk and driving indie rock,” as we wrote in a preview, “to offer a sonic palette wide enough to paint a diverse collection of scenes and feelings.” The result is a varied collection of songs which nevertheless serve the same overarching aim, painting a picture the coming-of-age process in all of its nuance and contradiction.
The title track explores the ways in which our sense of self can be distorted by pernicious others, pushing through vulnerability to reclaim a sense of agency. “[‘Dragonfly’] rejects this sentiment in favour of self-love,” we wrote, “embodying an album that champions softness, vulnerability and what is too often labelled as imperfection within a society pathologically attached to certain modes of living.” Elsewhere, ‘More Than a Friend‘ views this idea from a different angle, reflecting on previous relationships and the compromises which came with them before deciding on the freedom of being single, while ‘Young Girl’ pushes back even further to childhood trips to Oregon. “While the lyrics offer a layered picture of a personal, the sound itself opts for simple clarity,” we wrote of the single. “An arrangement which allows the vocals, and the narrative picture they evoke, to take centre stage, and thus highlight [McCoy]’s growing talents as both a songwriter and storyteller.”
With the album now released, Ava McCoy has returned with a brand new video for ‘More Than a Friend’. Directed by Aidan Millroy, shot and colored by Clark Ivers and with additional shots and photography by Eden Niefer, the vid was filmed in part during closing hours at the Met Museum, as well as around Central Park. “Making a music video in one of the most iconic museums in the neighborhood where I grew up was a proud moment for my inner child,” McCoy explains. “This video highlights my personality in new ways, and the range of emotions I feel throughout the song while working through the aftermath of a relationship. We encountered weather changes, and were forced to adapt to whatever the city was giving us on our shooting days. I think this video is very honest, carefree, and visually captivating. It feels very me.”
Dragonfly is out now via Acrophase Records and Secretly Distribution and available from the Ava McCoy Bandcamp page.
