Reclaiming

After releasing EPs Nightlife and Daylight earlier in 2021, Nashville artist Maddy Hicks combined the two and released a full-length album called Reclaiming on September 24. The album features all of the songs from the EPs as well as three new tracks.

Reclaiming tells a story from start to finish. The first track “Backseat,” which was also the project’s first single, reveals a twentysomething dissatisfaction with life that is addressed throughout the album. There is a lot of yearning in the first half of the project. From large pop numbers with false confidence to lo-fi breakup ballads, the top half is honest and dishonest, messy and pure. The turning point happens during “My Eyes Have Dried,” a powerful song about finally getting over a past relationship. From that point onward, the tone of the album shifts toward confidence and love from a truly genuine perspective. The project closes with an ambitious number called “Blazer Days,” which reflects on self-love through loving others. A slow motion outro with psychedelic production and freeform lyrics brings the album and its story to a peaceful end.

“This project is about my experiences with losing and finding myself in all aspects of life. The pressures that can cause a person to evolve can be internal or external; striving to be better, struggling with mental health, facing societal expectations, loving someone, losing someone, and loving someone all over again. It’s messy and endlessly frustrating, but it’s also human. I wanted to create something that captures this feeling and reminds others that their struggles and successes are beautiful. So I made Reclaiming.”

— Maddy