Big hair, big suits, big synths: the 80s are long gone, but there’s enough iconicism left behind from the era of Depeche Mode, Reagan, shoulder pads, and a whole host of other fads that serve as retro points-of-reference for contemporary artists trying to capture a sense of that 80s spirit.
So if you’ve found yourself idling thru quar days by marathoning John Hughes’s filmography, then Maryze’s new video for their track “Too Late,” a catchy synth-pop tune that finds the Montreal singer expanding her sonic reach into some slightly unfamiliar territory. While her debut EP Like Moons certainly featured a lot of synth instrumentation, those sounds felt more in line with contemporary pop-R&B than the big, phased-out arpeggios and soaring melodies that define 80s pop balladry. This switch-up comes with an assist from Solomon K-I, their producer and longtime collaborator. On “Too Late” and other productions he’s done for Maryze, he’s proven more than adept at layering synth lines and syncopating drum machines to create wonderful chordal landscapes for Maryze to explore vocally.
Despite the 80s inspiration, Maryze is still keen to connect the song to their continued affinity for emo. According to their description, “I wrote this song when I was feeling both frustrated about wasting time, and also completely unable to motivate myself in the pandemic. I was kicking myself while I was down, which obviously isn’t helpful to get back up. For some reason, even if the lyrics are pretty depressing, the song came out upbeat and dancey. I immediately heard it with an 80s beat – the era of sad dancefloor hits.” The melding of emo attitude plus 80s production is a appropriate combo, as many of the catchiest pop hits of the 80s have such dark undertones (that Phil Collins song we all love is literally about watching a guy drown). “Too Late” is “an anthem for crying on the dancefloor.”
So this time around, Maryze tapped into that 80s nostalgia that a lot of contemporary artists love to tap into that vapor-heavy sound and crafting a video that sees the singer’s face superimposed over dreamy footage of a snow-covered recreation field. It’s meant to demonstrate our isolation over the past year: the cold snow, the vast and empty field that at another time of year might be full of soccer players or picnic-goers or a whole host of other attendees.
“Too Late” is Maryze’s first single of 2021. Since releasing “Squelettes” in the fall, a collaboration between the singer and Montreal’s Polaris winning Backxwash, Maryze has built a substantial viral following on TikTok for – among other things – ranking the deadliest icicles of Montreal. Keep an eye out for future releases from Maryze across 2020. Watch the video for “Too Late” below.