New music from Nic Masangkay is always a reason to celebrate (you might remember their track “Diaspora Lover” from Ball of Wax 55, or their cover of Moe Provencher’s “Like Moon River” from #59) , and their newest single “Mothers” does not disappoint. “Mothers” is a study in musical and lyrical contrasts: Nic sings about trauma and pain and relationships over a soothing, pulsing bed of synths that makes you want to drive around town at night with your windows down, feeling the breeze on your face and the bass in your body. And this is one of the great strengths of Nic’s music: A casual listen brings the pleasurable experience of hearing a new musical gem from a gifted songwriter and producer. On further consideration of the lyrics, and Nic’s delivery of them, we hear pain and trauma, yes, but also love and desire and the search for a new way to honor our matriarchs.
As Nic writes about this track, “Love is not trying to control or possess someone else’s journey in a way to heal our own personal trauma. More importantly, as a survivor of child sexual abuse, I learned how not to repeat some of the violence done to me under the guise of ‘love.’ ‘Mothers’ proves it’s possible to love beyond the unhealthy and violent patterns we are taught.” This is a lot to infuse into a less-than-three-minute pop song, but Nic handles this weighty task brilliantly. “Mothers” is a gorgeous, subtle, heart-rending piece of music that I hope leads you to explore the rest of Nic’s catalog, and to join me in following their musical journey wherever it leads.