LA-native
Mara Connor
shares her debut EP today via
Side
Hustle Records
, who is celebrating their very first EP release today, too. Find the EP on the platform of your choice
HERE
.
Much of title track "No Fun" was recorded to tape in East Nashville at the Bomb Shelter with Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Margo Price) with additional recording at Hollywood's TTG Studios (where legends like Neil Young and The Velvet Underground & Nico recorded) with her good friend Adrian Simon (son of Paul Simon & Edie Brickell) and drummer Andrew Marshall (Billie Eilish's drummer). The EP's title track was mixed by Noah Georgeson (The Strokes, Devendra Banhart) and the others were mixed by Sean O'Brien (The National).
No Fun
includes three original songs (“No Fun,” “Wildfire” and “Soldier Heart”) and one cover (Rayland Baxter’s “Yellow Eyes”). Connor's LA roots shine through her songs, which are drenched in the sound and spirit of Southern California and harken back to a bygone era of music.
While this is Mara's debut EP, she already made a splash with her first single (and comically droll companion video)
“No Fun,”
which was lauded by
Rolling Stone
(as a
“Song You Need to Know”
and
playlisted
with Neil Young and St. Vincent) and named
Buzzbands
’ No. 1 Favorite Song of The Year. Her follow-up duet with Langhorne Slim,
“Someone New,”
premiered via
Consequence of Sound
, and was named one of
Rolling Stone
’s
“10 Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear Now” (along with Lukas Nelson and Mavis Staples) and has 440k Spotify streams. Her third single
“Wildfire”
got a lot of love from
American Songwriter
,
who deemed her an “indie folk goddess.” The twisted, '60s-inspired "Wildfire" video now seems eerily prophetic (in it, Mara can be seen "socially distancing" while dating a mannequin, playing to an empty theater and losing her mind in self-isolation). She made her SXSW debut last year and was called one of the “12 Best Up-and-Coming Artists at SXSW” (along with Yola) by Greg Kot of
The Chicago Tribune
.
Sharing her thoughts on releasing an EP in the time of coronavirus, Connor says:
"No Fun turned out to be an apt title for this collection of songs, as they enter the world in the midst of a devastating global pandemic. I hope everyone reading this is somewhere safe with loved ones. These are dark and unsettling times. May music bring you a little comfort and respite from all the chaos and uncertainty. My song 'Soldier Heart' is about resilience...the chorus is a rallying cry of inner strength: 'I don’t need to fall apart, I’m the owner of a soldier heart. Built for battle from the start, I’m the owner of a soldier heart.' I dedicate this to all the warriors on the frontlines, medical professionals, grocery store clerks, postal workers and everyone risking their lives to keep us safe. You are heroes. Thank you."
