Photo by Tess Roby

Among the lively, burgeoning indie scene in Montreal (it’s not just the Weeknd, guys!), you’ll find Hot Tramp, a record label and management company, that’s the found home of some of the city’s pop talent. We’ve covered Janette King and Maryze before, and now they’re joined by their labelmate Alicia Clara in AP’s archives. This singer/songwriter occupies a dreamy, bedroom pop space than her lablemates. Back in November, she dropped “Five,” and is now following that effort up with “Hazemaze.”

Design by Aude Voineau; Photo by Tess Roby

This new track is a psychedelic-folk roller coaster, containing a few distinct musical sections that elicit a different feel: an uptempo beginning slides into a slowed-down waltz, before picking up speed again as a driving beat brings it all home. Musically, it makes for a fun, dynamic listen. Indeed, Alicia Clara seems to be having some fun at her own expense, saying that the song “is […] about my obsession with fixing people and wanting to turn them into my idealized version of them.” She’s here to offer a reminder that this isn’t always the best way to handle relationships. “This often ends in me fooling myself, and, ultimately, in a little bit of a disaster. It’s my little self-deprecating song!” Self-deprecation aside, the singer doesn’t make this pattern sound too bad; her lyrics come across as earnest, sincere and warm, even if she’s doing a bit of self-excavating to break an old habit. 

Both “Hazemaze” and “Five” will feature on Alicia Clara’s upcoming EP Outsider/Unusual, due out in February 2021. You can preorder the EP via Bandcamp, along with some extra merch, like a vinyl and tote bag combo (in case you’re doing a little holiday shopping for your teenage cousin who is desperate need of some indie cred).