BEST NEW SONG: MADI - REPRISAL

Two years ago, when she was barely able to legally drive, Madi burst onto the scene with a show-stealing role in Felix Snow’s glitching pop hit “Slow.” The rising Los Angeles-based singer is back in a big way this month with her debut single "Reprisal."

“Reprisal” is a gloomy, dark pop number with bits of EDM and hip hop interspersed throughout. It’s similar to the terrain that artists like Banks and Jai Paul traffic in and immediately entrancing to the listener. The mixture of electronica and pure pop, the melding of human and machine, feels particularly accurate for this day and age. This song is all about fusing as many parts and genres together as possible.

A reprisal is a ‘an act of retaliation,’ normally used to describe the forcible seizure of a foreign subject or their goods by a government from one of their enemies. Here the language of war and geopolitical maneuvering is used to describe a romantic relationship that sounds, um, less than healthy. The song features our heroine detailing the trials and tribulations as well as the real and figurative scars from a previous or perhaps even current lover. But more than a laundry list of past wrongs and a pity party, this track is about taking back ownership of your feelings and not being afraid to stand up for yourself. There’s a sense of triumph and overcoming on the track and the cooing vocals on the chorus matched with the spastic electronic beat feels like the joy of victory.

On social media, Madi had this to say about her first solo effort:

“this is the beginning of my story. this is just the beginning of a comeback.”

What exactly the now 18 year is coming back from is a mystery at this point, as it what she has against proper punctuation. But I’m pretty sure the answer lies hidden somewhere in the deeper meaning of this song.

MADI - REPRISAL

You can download and stream “Reprisal”  all the places you’d expect you could. Madi’s debut EP is due out this fall and if the rest of the tracks are half as good as “Reprisal” it will be one hell of an opening statement.

Madi is a part of the artist collective and record label Moving Castle Worldwide. They’ve got a lot of cool shit going on besides her great music, so be sure to check them out as well.

Angelenos will want to keep an eye on Madi’s social media accounts as well as she has been know to play a surprise show or three in the area.

Calvin Paradise is not any one thing. The half-hearted vagabond and forgetful luddite currently resides in Los Angeles and how he spends his time is none of your damned business.