Magical realism and other devices of enchantment often serve as inspirational avatars, parallel portals, inspirations and comparative notions which provide us with a sense of possessing answers to the questions we do not understand. Inexplicable phenomena experienced in our lives perplexes and boggles the mind, from the evolutionary nature of our own relationships to one another, the calculus at work within and beyond our vast global village and the way we are affected and affect one another can be nearly impossible to fully describe at length (let alone comprehend in its entirety). The shifts that are seen, heard, felt and more belong to both the controlled and involuntary actions from others, ourselves, forces of nature and that outside the known and tangible echelons of intelligentsia and books of academia.

Entertaining these concepts in electro synth pop tones is Boston’s own Kathy Snax, who unveils the mythical majesty of “Changeling”. The creative outfit of Katheen Mahoney, the artist employs the production of Sweeping Promises’ Caufield Schnug to deliver the heart beating electric rhythm and keyboard craft as a first listen to the upcoming album debut for Relief Map Records. The track pulses with a lonely hearted electric axis that echoes with care, intrigue and fuzzy inquiries like incandescent smoke and steam pluming with heaven-sighted hope from a sad and all but abandoned roadside dive. Snax sings out lyrical queries into the ether that reverberate like the lingering sentiments, obsessive thoughts and impactful emotive psychic traces left with the reader at the end of an immortal Brontë work.

“Changeling” moves through the Midsummer Night’s Dream motifs of the imaginative, mystic and mysterious forward into the modern day paradigm. Kathy Snax delivers an ode to observing the effects of a bond with someone that becomes transformed and almost unrecognizable in ways that are both seen and unseen. The track chronicles the tectonic displacements and movements that alter personalities, perspectives and bonds over the course of time and past the paths and points of no return. Kathleen’s concerns revolve around the twisted turns and things that bring a partnership to an end and the erasure that more often than not occurs in the wake of an uncoupling. “Changeling” delves into the strange, beginning to slowly document the metamorphosis from lover to a creature of the night, then to the estranged timeline where irreconcilability and alterations of connection/personality lead to a whole new and alternate existence. The cold, cool, calm, luster of the keyboard glow adds to the Kathy Snax aesthetic that operates on an aloof medium to document the life changes, developments, progressions and regressions that are hard to explain and illustrate in earnest.

"On a Winter's Day" flips the fairest of the seasons for some snowed in sensations of cabin fever. The winds of weather bring about the pangs of discontent and disappointment that guide the song’s retreat trajectory to the fortitude of home. Barricaded and safely tucked away from the unforgiving elements and wishy washy would-be suitors; Kathy Snax delivers a snappy and succinct b-side that extols the virtues, safeties and securities of homebound happiness delivered in a punchy, poppy and economic electro ballad.

Kathleen Mahoney shared some reflections on “Changeling” with some thoughts on the upcoming album:

My song-writing process is very non-linear; it feels like doing a puzzle or piecing together a mosaic. I'll record myself playing a chord progression or a fragment of a melody and layer synth parts and vocals on top of it, experimenting and finessing as I go. I love getting lost in the details of finding the right synth tone or figuring out where harmonies and backing vocals are most effective.

Both "Changeling" and "On A Winter's Day" were recorded with Caufield Schnug (of Sweeping Promises) in a sparsely furnished, unused lab building in Cambridge, MA. It was just us, recording equipment and like seven synthesizers in this vacuous concrete box. In addition to being a fantastic musician, Caufield is a brilliant producer with a keen understanding of the science of sound and how recording techniques can influence the overall feel of a song. He dialed into the minimalist, atmospheric synth vibe I was going for right away. He's responsible for the warped tape feedback at the end of "Changeling," programming byzantine vintage drum machines and helping me plunk around on a roomful of synthesizers until we found the perfect wind tone.

Both songs on this single are meditations on solitude. With "Changeling" I was thinking about how uncanny it feels when a relationship that you once held dearly morphs into something unrecognizable. The person still exists in the physical world—they look the same and talk the same—but your time together is now in some other realm, in a dream. There is cognitive dissonance in this song too; the narrator simultaneously wonders if the relationship meant anything at all and in the next breath pleads for recognition that the relationship existed. I was very intentional with the emotional build in "Changeling." It starts with a single, stark synth line with sparse, wistful vocals and then slowly layers on synth parts and backing vocals until building into an urgent lament, imploring this other person to acknowledge that they know you, that this meant something.

I wrote "On a Winter's Day" after listening to a lot of 60s French yé-yé music. I wanted to contrast icy, aloof vocals with lyrics that convey a plaintive, earnest pining. This song is also sort of a coup in the sensibility I've developed so far in that there are live drums rather than drum machine beats! This was a spontaneous decision that Caufield and I tried in the studio. We were like, this will never work but let's try it anyways, and somehow...it worked! I think organic-sounding drums help to ground the song, like a heartbeat.

Both songs will be part of a forthcoming album that explores solitude in all of its nuance.

Kathy Snax’s “Changeling” b/w “On a Winter’s Day” will arrive July 9 via Relief Map Records.