Now that we are fully in the heart of Spooky Season (perhaps the spookiest yet), it’s high time to get in that Halloween spirit. Maryze, Montreal’s resident pop-witch, is no stranger to the horror aesthetic. In past music videos, she has dipped a toe into occult imagery like on the “B.O.Y.” and invoked the vibrant technicolor set pieces of 70s horror classic Suspiria on “Dis-Moi.” 

“Squelettes,” Maryze’s new single, is a collaboration with metal-influenced Montreal rapper Backxwash. Earlier in the summer Backxwash forged her own connection to Boston’s local music scene by releasing a collab with CAMP BLOOD. CB’s unique blend of hip-hop and industrial noise was a natural home for the rapper; on her partnership with Maryze, Backxwash is able to carve a space in a different sonic landscape, albeit one she finds herself occupying easily, even while delivering verses that explore the cycle of substance abuse. 

Backxwash by Merchant Vaporwave

“Squelettes” sounds like a sonic evolution for Maryze; while it certainly fits in line with her previous synth-drenched R&B, the new single veers into the waters of hyperpop with its cascading melodies, fluttery percussion, and cold production. There’s a certain industrial feel to the instrumental track, which works as a perfect way to pull Backxwash’s explosive style of lyric delivery onto the track. 

The track has a heavy, dissonant synth that sounds like a gothic church bell letting out a cryptic din through a foggy night. This leaves room for Maryze’s haunting vocals – sometimes delivered in a dark whisper – to float above the mix. Add a jittery backbeat and some fuzzy layers of synth melodicizing and “Squelettes” makes an excellent addition to your October playlist. 

Stream “Squelettes” below via Spotify, and keep an eye out for a full-length release from Maryze due in 2021. The album will continue to explore the sound that Maryze has laid down with “Squelettes.” The song is Maryze’s first release on newly-established record label Hot Tramp Records.