Meg Mac releases her fourth album It’s My Party this week. The title track being a subdued, slightly melancholy reimagining of Lesley Gore’s popular track.
It’s My Party reflects a meeting of worlds – sonically, geographically and creatively. Meg credits her partnership with Bullion, who produced the album, as transformative. “I’m forever grateful to Bullion. Our paths crossed in London and he taught me to follow creativity and fun, and not to worry – and I love what we’ve made together.” You can definitely hear these more varied influences throughout It’s My Party, and while the album is still alt-pop centred, each track feels distinctive and it’s fun to hear how these different sonic textures blend with the storytelling.
Speaking on the album Meg shared “I thought I had this whole album planned out – I was going for this dark, witchy vibe and I was SO serious,” Meg says. “Then honestly, not one thing went to plan and I was forced to let go for once in my life.” That release became central to the album’s emotional core. “I’ve spent most of my career being stressed, but somehow I stopped trying to control it all and found the magic in collaboration, being open and not worrying so much.”
Single Outdone is a great example of the darker vibe Meg refers to. However, the album as a whole dances around this darkness rather than fully leaning into it, which I really like. It stops the record from heading too far away from what you’d expect from a Meg Mac record while still feeling fresh and creative, and I think it truly reflects her reimagined vision of letting go and just seeing what happens. I liked that the album opens with He Said No, a dreamy track with a lot of dance elements, then switches to The Tune I’ll Be Singing Until I’m Dead which has some subtle country influences running through it. I’d be curious to know more about the process behind how the whole album came together, as this kind of diversity isn’t typically something you’d see on a release with a singular producer.
Lyrically, the album is littered with emotional honestly. It’s her most open work to date, but despite the changes sonically to a more sombre sound at times, it’s not an entirely serious album, she’s clearly having a lot of fun with this. I’m Gonna ____ Somebody shows this fun side: a girl has needs but we don’t have to get too deep about it. Although this is then followed by the contrasting Valentine, which is a much sadder and deeper song reflecting Meg’s emotional depth as a performer.
Overall, it’s a great release. It’s lovely to see Meg Mac growing as an artist and taking steps out of her comfort zone. It’s great to hear she feels like she had such a journey in making this one as that definitely comes across when you’re listening.
The album will be supported with a national theatre tour. You can find more details about that here.
And you can listen to the album here.