dalloway, also known as MC Hentz, makes "lyric heavy indie pop with a folk heartbeat." On her latest track "NEVERENDING" she went all the way to Bulgaria to work with a full orchestra, and the results are nothing short of stunning. I personally have a soft spot for chamber pop in the first place, but the songwriting, the vocal presence, and the string performance all come together very gracefully into something truly beautiful and thought-provoking. The pop sensibility reminds me a little bit of Lydia Luce, while the lyrics touch on a sort of existential dread that unfortunately is becoming a hallmark of this generation.
I wrote this song mid panic attack after doom scrolling on TikTok and seeing video after video about the imminent effects of climate change. I couldn't stop thinking about how quiet the woods will be in 50 years.
My favorite kind of music always comes directly from personal experience, and the reactions I see from most of the Gen Xers and boomers in my life is one of pure dismissal, in terms of the tough socioeconomic realities that we now face, with regard to both fascism and climate change. It gives me hope that the younger musicians on the indie scene are not afraid to "go there." This is a discussion that we should've had in the 90s. But here we are: better late than never.
Positioned as a bittersweet ode to what feels like the end of the world, "NEVERENDING" disarms the all-or-nothing fantasy of a world on the brink of collapse, leaving us with the sobering reality that someone or something will be around to clean up the pieces of whatever is left. The universe of modern existence was not built in a day, nor will it disappear in a sudden frenzy of inevitability.
My parents paid
To freeze my eggs
God, I wish I had their hope
Instead, we must look for and nurture hope wherever we can find it: mourn, bear witness to the changes, and then do the best we can.
"NEVERENDING" is a gorgeous and dynamic masterpiece of chamber pop, meshed with a tough love sensibility and a roots-driven rhythm section. I especially love the addition of a banjo, which just underscores how deep and detail-oriented this production aesthetic really is.
Raised in the sleepy woods of Dover, Massachusetts, dalloway is now currently based in East Los Angeles. She is here, queer, and probably taller than you.
Visit dalloway on Instagram.