Maver

Just last month Australian artist Maver gave us an exceptional new single called ‘Lazy’ which was a collaborative release with Sydney artist (and good friend) jnr., and it was met with much praise and attention from music fans and curators across the globe.

That release also came with news of an upcoming ep titled “Spirals” which is set for release in October.

This week Maver is giving us another taste of what we can expect with his latest singles ‘I’m Healing’, which is another collaborative release, this one has him working with Sydney singer/songwriter LORA, who’s voice just adds so much depth and profoundness to Maver’s already emotionally introspective production.

“I’m Healing” is a deeply personal and introspective song that delves into the complexities of our mental health struggles. When I started creating the idea, it kind of just poured out of me. 

I started writing “I’m Healing” in my bedroom back in Perth when I had started to get a grasp on my mental health. The inspiration came from my own journey with my therapist where I finally felt that I was starting to truly feel like I was conquering some serious milestones for my mental health.   

LORA is one of my closest friends and one of my favourite people to work with, with most of our music tastes, upbringing and understanding of mental health being in common. We had a session on Zoom as I was still in Perth, just about to move to Sydney, I remember mentioning how I had been quite sick of feeling sad all of a sudden and she had been feeling the same. We talked about having to put on a mask because you know nothing is wrong, but you feel that way for whatever reason and nothing will fix it. When I played the instrumental for LORA, I knew that this particular piece would resonate with her the most and it did not take long at all to quickly fall into place. 

This song never really left the demo state, the first demo I showed her and the first vocal idea she came up with remained pretty much the same in the final mix. We just kept adding more instrumental layers and a few harmonies but fundamentally it didn’t change that much from when I created it in Perth and finished it in Sydney. 

A large portion of this song was made on my Moog grandmother, my semi-modular baby which is one of the main instruments I use throughout the song, and the EP coming out later this year. It started out as an improv on a CMI virtual synth and I just kept layering and layering. I remember hearing LORA improvising over the bridge for the first time and I just got goosebumps with what she had come up with. We had a lot of fun arranging this track where the song splits off into its own world in the second half where you can get really lost in the void of voices and synths growing and growing until the song finishes.

This song is about the internal conflict between the different versions of ourselves, the process of healing and the realisation that it’s okay to feel what you feel, even if it doesn’t always make sense.” ~ Maver

LORA adds:
”I’m Healing is about fighting yourself through mental health struggles. It’s this idea of these two sides of yourself, when you're happy and going well and then the person you are when you're struggling. 

There’s this frustration that Maver and I talked about in regards to feeling like you get sad for no reason and not having a reason makes it feel like you’re not allowed to feel that way (which is silly) but it does. It’s a constant battle in your head and sometimes you just feel like two completely different people.”