The rising Los Angeles synth pop musician’s upcoming debut album Hollywood Piano arrives on March 3
It is time to escape for a bit. In this time of what feels like a chaotic novella, listeners desire, and deserve, a respite. Only one person can help in that regard and her name is Maraschino (Piper Durabo). If fans are hoping for a cocktail pairing, a Manhattan should suffice despite the L.A. source. All kidding aside, her latest release “Angelface” offers a compelling urge to dig deep into the music and stay there.
There is a sense of positive energy from the track with the initial synth-drive wave. Maraschino’s enchanting vocals land and take hold, forever grasping for more. Listeners close their eyes and welcome the sudden contemplation that beckons. There is a measure of acceptance tied into the feeling of this song. It’s all okay. Fans can easily float on through with an added glimmer of optimism, choosing their own path wherever it may go. Maraschino succeeds by plugging into the genre and molding it with her bonafide sound. It is purely a Maraschino track through and through. Fans of the ’80s will recognize the influences while 2023 music connoisseurs will study its contemporary foothold.
“‘Angelface’ is a love song for the underdogs who’ve given up on finding love, and a suggestion that sometimes the sweetest love stories are the ones we don’t see coming,” she says.
Maraschino took some more time to share her thoughts on her work to date:
This track seems to be the epitome of dream-pop in all of the best ways, can you describe the world that this song lives in? What is the energy and emotion that thrives here?
Wow, thanks! Doing our best around here. I suppose Angelface-world is meant to be a place where everything feels pretty perfect despite what’s happening outside of it. Energetically maybe we have a Venus-trine-Neptune situation on our hands. The eternal honeymoon.
What was it like working with Chris Coady? Are there any memorable moments you’d like to share?
Chris and I became good friends through working on these songs together so that has been awesome. I think we have pretty compatible taste in music and a natural creative affinity so it felt pretty effortless to collaborate. “Angelface” was already written and arranged when we started working together, so it was about liberating it from ‘demoland’ and tracking it with analog synths, drum machines and all the rad gear Chris has. We spent some time working at Sunset Sound so Prince’s reverb unit from 1999 and Purple Rain is on a lot of the album as well as Christine Mcvie’s M1. It was a really fun and inspiring time and I’m looking forward to working on more stuff together.
What goals do you have as a musician for next steps? Are there new challenges you wish to
I guess the primary goal is to keep it going, and I’m also excited to collaborate with other musicians and artists of other disciplines as well. I recently linked up with Syd Botanica on a fragrance for “Angelface,” which has been one of the coolest aspects of this release for me. Syd designed the perfume to be like a pop song in a bottle, inspired by the music, lyrics and a few notes I offered such as white roses, rain, and cherry. The way she put it all together is truly remarkable – it’s the perfect amount of sweet.
Where would be the ideal place for Maraschino to perform and why? Is there a country and venue that sticks out to you in your mind?
Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden in Italy would be pretty nice.
Who are some musicians right now that are blowing your mind, can you describe why?
I saw Scott Gilmore play at Silverlake Lounge at the end of last year and was pretty blown away. Great songwriting and really killer live show. I love Fuga Ronto. Their sound palette is pretty flawless. I’d love to make music with them one day. Jessica Winter is an incredible songwriter and producer. She just put out an EP called Limerance that I love. Too many brilliant artists to name, honestly!
