Maiah Wynne, the lead singer of the band Envy of None; solo recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter has returned to deliver her debut album, titled, Out of the Dark, on November 21, through Vision Merch.
Maiah, describes her inspiration in life as, Psyche, the Greek goddess of the soul. Maiah states, “She, is often depicted wearing butterfly wings representing the trials she’s endured”. Like Psyche, Maiah Wynne wears butterfly wings to symbolize hard-won hope and a lingering belief in beauty despite all her trials. “I found a lot of meaning in butterflies that I could connect to. Their ability to grow and transform, their strength, and chaos theory and the idea that a single flap from a butterfly could change the world. When I’m feeling small, I remind myself that I can still make big changes,” says Wynne.
On her self- produced, debut album, Out of the Dark, Maiah states, “This album touches on themes of hope, failure and triumph, joy and sadness, pain and growth. It’s an eclectic mix of heartfelt singer-songwriter ballads, alternative rock, and uplifting cinematic folk-pop. There are a lot of unique instruments on this record and a lot of talented musicians that have lent their skills.” Maiah adds: “This record is the story of my journey over the last 10 years. After I left home at 16, I suffered from abuse that left me with CPTSD, emotional scars, and suicidal ideation. Some of these songs I wrote at 16 and others very recently. I’ve been through so much for so long, and this album represents my path to finding my way out of the dark. Through this record, I have found my voice and the strength to tell my story, song by song, and take control of the narrative. This process has been an integral part of my growth and healing, and I hope that this music can help someone else who may be going through something similar”.
Maiah continues, “Each step of this process has been a step toward independence and healing, and it has given me the strength to be the person my 16 year old self always wanted to be. I am doing this all for her.”
Thank you. So how does the album sound? In a word…amazing! It is one of my favorite albums of 2024. Destined to be on the short list of my Top 10 Albums of 2024.
Out of the Dark opens with “Come On”, which was written by Maiah Wynne. It opens with slow played electric guitar; before Maiah sings, “I waited for you, on the outskirts of town. I’m flying away, don’t know where I’m going now. Ooh come on. It’s time to run. Here we are again, fighting demons in our heads. Waging war against our skin, fighting the life we’re living in”. A difficult song of pain and fear for Maiah. It seems to be the beginning of her journey away from home and the fear and desperation she faced. Maiah sings, “If you had the chance to change it all, would you? To grow and learn to face the ones that hurt you. I know you want a second chance. To learn to become the one you wanted to”. The literal moral of her story and a powerful opener that sets the stage well and will grab and hold you firmly to the headphones and seat that you’re in. Alex Lifeson, of Rush, plays guitars. Brooks Berg plays electric and slide guitar. Lee Houser plays drums. Alfino Anibalini plays synth keys. Bethany Joyce and Skip Von Kuske play cello; and Jim Roach plays percussion and bass. Off to a powerful and emotional start.
“All Too Much”, is also written by Maiah Wynne. This one opens with slow piano and cello. Maiah sings, “I wish I could change my brain, rearrange my mind. So that maybe I could find. The thoughts on the back of my shelves that are weighing me down. Cause I don’t wanna drown”. Yes, a very difficult song and feeling that Maiah expresses with such a presence of now, that you know these feelings are raw, real and still alive in her experience. She delivers the story with point blank precision. She sings, “It’s all I feel, all I know, all I see, all I’m shown. It’s all too much for me. All these things overflow. I can’t feel I can’t know. It’s all too much for me. I don’t want to see. Soft piano and cello plays along with clarinet in support of Maiah. Then she concludes, “Get out of my mind. Get out of my dreams. I don’t want to see all that you did to me”. Over three minutes of reliving a trauma that is impossible to reconcile. Maiah plays piano and hammered dulcimer. Alex Lifeson plays guitars. Bethany Joyce returns, playing cello. Jim Roach plays percussion and bass. Michaela Armus plays clarinets.
“What A Shame”, opens with a cool, bended guitar sound, similar to some of the playing I remember from Envy of None’s debut album. Maiah sings, “You looked so pretty in your white dress. Now it’s turning red. And they’re telling you to undress. While they tilt their heads. And it took no time for your innocence to die. As they counted down the days till they could claim you like a prize” A difficult story of being used. Maiah continues, Slow, soft drums and keys help support Maiah. “And they’ll tell you that you should be grateful. To be looked at, to be wanted at all. They’re all watching you with open mouths as you’re breaking down and you’re crying out. Ooh. What a shame. Ooh. To be loved that way”. Exploitation at its worst. Maiah sings, “They put your body in a contest with a wicked grin. Didn’t care if you were breathing underneath the skin. And it took no time for your sense of hope to die. Whenever you were reaching out. No one looked you in the eyes”. And as time goes by, the story recedes into darkness. Maiah sings, “Now you’re getting older. And they no longer care. Their appetite was over with your silver hair. And you’re looking back at all the wasted time. They took away your freedom just to burn you in the fire”. Maiah wrote this song and plays synth, guitar, bass, keys, drums and performs screams. Alex Lifeson, Brooks Berg and Brock Bartel, play electric guitar. Dylan Ryan and Elliot Jacobson play drums. Alfio Annibalini plays synth keys. Jim Roach plays percussion and bass, and Kandra Tolvstad also adds screams.
The album version of “Sleep”, was also written by Maiah Wynne. It opens with slow acoustic guitar, amid a powerful background soundscape. Maiah sings, with such a soft eerie voice, “Sleep, even when the lights go out. Sleep, even when the sun goes down. No I can’t get away from these feelings. Even when I sleep I feel awake. I can’t run away from these dreams. Even when the dark is far away. Close, even when you hold me close. Feel, even when I feel your love for me. No I can’t get away from these nightmares. Hidden in that bloody haunted past. No I can’t run away from these remnants. Let go at last. Get out of my head. Ripping through me. Get out of my soul. Thrashing through me”. A very powerful song of reminders of the past. Maiah sings the song, as if she is half asleep. She plays guitar, bass, synth, harpsichord, and drums. Brooks Berg, plays electric guitar. Bethany Joyce, plays cello.
The album version of “Fearless Girl”, was also written by Maiah Wynne. It is one of my favorite songs on the album, because the story begins to change for Maiah. She is no longer going to give up or run. She is going to confront her fear and take back control over her life. Deep piano keys and low cello notes fill the air, as Maiah sings, “I’m so tired of feeling like I can’t go out alone. In this world I live in. I’m not safe in my own home. With every breath I take. And every move I make. But I’m not gonna let go of the fearless girl I used to be. I’m not gonna lay down and watch this world take over me. Anymore”. She helps us all understand as she sings, “And every woman that I meet has a story just like me. Reliving what we’ve seen every night inside our dreams. With every job we take. And every friend we make. Every time that I go outside, keep a key in my hand at night. Every time that I try to hide, it always follows me. It takes my breath away. No I can’t breathe. Another boundary that’s been crossed. Memories locked away. I’ll take it back at any cost. You will not take my voice away I’m not gonna lay down and watch this world take over me!” Maiah plays, piano, sythns, bass, electric ukulele, guitar and drums. Brooks Berg plays electric guitar. Alex Lifeson, plays guitars. The Portland Cello Project (Skip Von Kuske, Kevin Jackson, Lauren McShane, and Doug Jenkins), contributes to a “wall of cellos” sound. And Toria Beck and Kandra Tolvstad. provide yells.
“Old Strings”, was a song included on Envy of None’s debut album. But this version is much different, and I think better. It has a much faster, almost country/folk rocker feel to it. The pace is much faster and more energetic than the Envy of None version. Maiah wrote the song and sings, “I feel like old strings. My mind just won’t stretch the way it used to. But that’s nothing new. And I feel like those used things. The ones left in boxes on the shelf. Just like everything else. So in the morning, will you hold me? Will you kiss me? Tell me all I wanna hear. In the moment when I’m spinning. Please protect me, don’t you let me hear the truth. Give me anything else. When it’s you. When it’s true. When it’s true. In the moment when I’m spinning. Please protect me, don’t you let me hear the truth. Give me anything else. I don’t wanna drown in the fears I’m swimming in tonight. I’m not gonna die by the sword I’m carrying tonight”. Maiah Wynne, plays dulcimer, banjo, bouzouki, synth, saz, piano, bass, and hammered dulcimer. Brooks Berg plays guitars. Alex Lifeson, plays guitars, banjo, and mandola. Skip VonKuske and Bethany Joyce, play cello. Tyrone Hendrix, plays drums. Jim Roach, plays percussion and bass. Alfio Anibalini, plays synth, and Andy Curran, plays synth. Almost as good as an Envy of None reunion!
“Inside Your Head”, was also written by Maiah Wynne. It opens with big, bold guitar strings and Maiah singing, “Take me away to the place you only know. Let’s go be creatures in your sweetest fantasy”. The pace picks up and this cool cinematic dreamscape comes alive with sound, and Maiah’s voice. She sings, “I want to live inside your head. I want to see the fire of your creation. I want to live inside your dreams. To sew all of the beautiful seams. So take me with you when you go. To that place inside your head”. Then the pace slows with slow cello and deep thought and vocals. A slow, short guitar solo separates the beat of the song perfectly. Maiah sings, “I’ve seen you over and over again. Leave this world behind to let your heart run free. And I’ve seen you over and over again. Turning pain into beauty. So take me with you when you go. To that place inside your head”. Another of the best songs on an album of greatest hits. Maiah Wynne, plays guitar, bass, synth, piano, and drums. Elliot Jacobson, plays drums. Brooks Berg, plays electric guitar, nylon guitar, and acoustic guitar. Bethany Joyce, plays cello and saw. Jim Roach, plays percussion and bass.
Maiah Wynne, also wrote “Work of Art”. This is a slow rocker full of more of Maiah’s emotions. Maiah sings, “You jumped ship, now there’s no turning back. Floating down the water. Trying to backtrack. What a curious thing to just not care. For the first time ever, you’re just lying there. From the cracks in your soul, you’re a work of art. To the cries in the walls of your broken heart. You’re afraid of the anger that you’ve felt before. But now it’s your rage that will win this war. You’ve gotta break those chains. To change your name. You’ve gotta fall apart. To heal your heart. You’ve got to heal your heart”. Maiah Wynne, plays guitars, bass, synths, keys, drums, and percussion. Brooks Berg, plays guitars. Jim Roach, plays percussion, bass, piano, synth, and drums.
“Where the Grass is Green”, is my favorite song on the album. The song has a very mystical/otherworldly sound to it. Maiah sings, “Trapped in a cage of your design. Locked me away where no one would find. The things that you did. The lies that you kept. Growing out of my skull. Eroding my chest”. Then, that epic altering of the sound and feeling. It reminds me of that moment in the Wizard of Oz, when the black and white exits the movie screen; and you open your eyes to full blown, technicolor. Maiah sings, “I want to run where the grass is green. I want to be where your eyes can’t see. I want to fly above the trees. If I could fly out of your reach. I’d be floating. Falling. Away from you”. Maiah continues her drive out of the dark. She sings, “But I’m clawing my way. Out of your world. Into the light. The hope of a girl. Now I will run where the grass is green. Now I will be where your eyes can’t see. Oh I will fly above the trees. Oh I will fly. Out of your reach. Floating. Falling. Away from you. I’ll fly away from you!” This amazing song is written by Maiah Wynne. Maiah, plays piano, synths, and drums. Jim Roach, plays percussion, bass, drums, and synth. Dallas Kruse, plays strings.
“Out of the Dark”, is the title song, and first single off the album. The music video that supports the single is excellent and was produced by Maiah in her backyard. The description of all the pain she has been through is vivid and spoken with full presence. However, at the same time Maiah is strong enough to find the perfect time, to find her way out of the dark. Maiah sings, “I know it’s hard when you’re picking at your scars. You’re comfortable in silence. Safest in the dark. And you take out all your pieces. And you block out all the light. But there’s a hope that sleeps inside you. You feel it every night. And you just cry. And hope someday you’ll find. That in this perfect life. It’s the perfect time. To find your way out. Out of the dark. It will be hard. And I know you’re tired. But look how far you’ve come. You’re not the only one”. The song was written by Maiah Wynne. Maiah, plays guitar, bass, piano, synths, and drums. Tyrone Hendrix, David Steinberg, and Elliot Jacobson, play drums. Brooks Berg, plays guitars. Jim Roach, plays percussion, bass, and synth. Skip Von Kuske, plays cello. Lauren Elledge, plays, violin, Bethany Joyce, plays cello, and Michaela Armus, plays clarinets.
“A Chance to Say Goodbye”, is the album’s epic closer. It was written by Maiah. It opens with soft played guitar. Maiah sings, “I know my time has come. And I know it won’t be long. I just want to feel a little longer. Hold on to the light another day. I wish it didn’t have to be like this, Counting all the moments that I’ll miss. But I know that it has to be like this. Knowing when I’ll give you my last kiss. All I had was a chance. All that’s left is a chance to say goodbye. And I wish I could turn back the time. Change the things that I’ll leave behind. I wish it didn’t have to be like this. Counting all the moments that I’ll miss. But I know that it has to be like this. Knowing when I’ll give you my last kiss. All I had was a chance. All that’s left is a chance to say goodbye. A chance to say goodbye”. Maiah plays, guitars, bass, synth, and drums. Kevin Jackson, plays cello.
What an amazing debut album Out of the Dark is! Imagine pouring your heart and soul out like this…to the world. What strength and humility does it take to create and write an album like this? More than most of us can even fathom. To come to the brink of life and death and write about it as you are going through the pain and agony…caused by someone else. A journey of discovery and making decisions that will affect the rest of your life. For that reason alone, this is an album I would recommend for anyone who is bearing any of the grief or anxiety that Maiah describes here. However, it is also an album I would recommend to anyone seeking the light through the darkness, in any measure.
Please give Out of the Dark your time and deep consideration. Listen to Maiah’s words and learn from them. Understand the empathy she is requesting us all to have and practice daily, for all the people we connect with every day. Learn from her story, and please do not repeat the mistakes made by others who seek their own agendas or momentary pleasures.
Underwater Album photography: Digital Sorcery. Costume design: Maiah Wynne. Fantasy Photo edits: Bekka Bjork. Additional album design: Shazmin Hussein. CD graphic design, booklet, and additional photo editing: Maiah Wynne.
Engineering and Recording by: Maiah Wynne; Digital Sorcery; Kevin Nettleingham; Jim Roach; Brooks Berg; Alex Lifeson; Alfio Anibalini; Michaela Armus; Brock Bartel; and Dylan Ryan.
Album Track List:
- Come On – 3:38
- All Too Much – 3:47
- What A Shame – 4:10
- Sleep (album version) – 3:00
- Fearless Girl – (album version) – 4:40
- Old Strings – 4:16
- Inside Your Head – 3:17
- Work of Art – 4:15
- Where the Grass is Green – 3:45
- Out of the Dark – 4:51
- A Chance to Say Goodbye (album version) – 3:26
Band Website and Social Media Links:
https://www.maiahwynne.com/
https://www.instagram.com/maiahwynne/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/MaiahWynne/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0eqcWtD7Tq4VUTIK2YIk6y
YouTube and Music Video Links:
https://www.youtube.com/user/MaiahWynne