Melanie MacLaren’s natural aptitude for nuanced delivery, wistful guitar playing, and her ability to write about life as if life were simply writing itself is everything you could want from a modern folk artist.   

She released her stunning debut EP “Kill My Time” this year independently to enthusiastic critical reception before gaining the attention of Tone Tree Distribution in Nashville. 

As well as landing coveted playlist spots on Spotify Fresh Finds Folk, Apple Music and Amazon Music, she has received glowing press from the likes of Pillar Artist’s “We’re certain that it’s only a matter of time until Melanie is recognized as one of the most exciting artists to be writing and releasing music right now.” 

Gaining comparisons to indie folk giants such as Hozier, Lord Huron and Phoebe Bridgers, her music is as intimate as it is anthemic.

Melanie’s lyrics have been described as “haunting yet humorous” and possessing a “sentimental cynicism” that “oozes with Gen-Z relatability.” Sonically her music also reflects this modern twist on genre as she rests her classic finger-style guitar on beds of ethereal, ambient synthesizers and punctuates her compositions with distorted trad instruments like banjo, bouzouki and fiddle, weaving the threads of past and present. 

In addition to releasing a follow up EP with Tone Tree, of which she has released her first single “Orion” (featured on Spotify’s Fresh Folk Finds), Melanie is also releasing a collaborative folk EP with songwriter Lorkin O’Reilly, recorded in March 2022 when they met up to record at Building Records in Upstate NY.