Meagan Aversa packs a wealth of personal experience and emotional revelation into her smouldering EP Matchbox — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“While writing Matchbox, I was thinking a lot about codependency,” Aversa reveals. “I’ve always been fond of the sentiment ‘you are who you are when no one is watching,’ but I realized I didn’t really know who I was without someone there to remind me. I think spending time alone is really important, but it can be laced with self-doubt and general uncertainty. Sometimes it’s easier to lean on someone else for support, and kind of slowly absorb facets of them vs. really get to know yourself.”
As the opening track on the four-song release, Torso trickles out of the speakers with Aversa’s a cappella vocal leading the melody. As she sings in a near-whisper, imploring the listener to sit up and pay attention, pulsing percussion fades in, followed by instrumentation fleshed out with gorgeous harmonies. Each song on Matchbox artfully bleeds on top of the other, and offers a theme of exploration into the dark side of being alone, and the ultimate acceptance of being the only one capable of consoling yourself in the face of loneliness.
Aversa admits that Torso and its sister track Blush spills the tea on breakups, but says “they’re more about the empty feeling that follows” than the relationships themselves. “I find the stickiness of relationships really interesting,” the Toronto artist muses. “The way memories will weave their way into things without you even noticing, and linger long after you’ve lost touch with the person. Once I started to come to terms with these tendencies, the songs turned up.”
Midway between Mazzy Starr and Suzanne Vega, the singer-songwriter, producer and engineer’s intimate songs are unassuming yet poignant, their lo-fi setting decorated with delicate lyrics delivered in soothing, reserved tones. A songwriter since high school, she cites Fiona Apple, Elliott Smith and The Cure as inspirations. But her sound is uniquely her own.
“One of my favourite things about songwriting is how you can take things that happen to you and turn them into something that belongs to you,” Aversa remarks. “I always encourage people to write music because everyone has such a unique amalgamation of life events and a different way to share them. That’s what makes it all the more special when you hear someone’s music, and feel like you’ve experienced the same thing because … What are the odds?”
Listen to Matchbox below and follow Meagan Aversa on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
