The backstory to Mary Eckert’s third release, ‘Black Dress’ is, in the face of it, pretty mundane, as Mary recounts how it was ‘written after a walk through Leeds on a cloudy Sunday and I had a sudden urge to go dress shopping and Top shop caught my eye. I ended up finding a black dress and decided to try it on. It looked amazing and I wanted to buy it but couldn’t justify it.’
But there is so much more beneath the surface, as this experience provoked an internal conflict, in which Mary saw her past and present self at odds, and reflected on this – her life choices, her identity, and how she presents herself to the world. It’s often the smallest and most unexpected things that make us question ourselves, who and where we are, and Mary’s decision to pursue the life of a musician over something ‘safer’.
She writes, ‘Maybe if I’d gone off to study something like property or business (who knows what!) 20 year old me would’ve worn this dress and it would’ve been unequivocally me. At this point in time I still felt very unsure about being a musician so I almost felt a longing for that part of myself that disappeared when I chose a more creative life path. A big part of my identity at that point then and now is within my style … bright lairy colours and clashing patterns. So in the moment of knowing I could never own this black dress I started mourning it and my past self.’
The song itself is bright and colourful, an explosion of hues across a summery slice of laid-back flamenco-flavoured soul. There’s a pretty busy bassline and clip-clap-clacking beats that give a real sense of movement, like bunting flapping in a sea breeze. While Mary muses, amidst multi-layered vocals and airy harmonies, it’s difficult to feel downhearted, and any lament for what she may have lost is buried in the celebration of everything gained – a life of possibility, of freedom, of creativity. Life is for living, and it’s better to regret something you’ve done than something you haven’t, and ‘Black Dress’ brings with it a glorious sense of a life being lived.
|
|
