Marie-Ann Hedonia’s latest release, “Eve Had the Metallic Shine of Summer,” is a powerful statement from an artist entering a bold new phase in her creative journey. After years of releasing instrumental electronic works, this track introduces introspective vocals layered over modular synth textures and cinematic soundscapes. The song anchors the upcoming EP “Solar Eclipse,” the first of two records that will eventually form her upcoming full-length album “Eclipse.” This new single represents a new chapter for Hedonia. It marks a daring departure into uncharted sonic and emotional territory.
In this interview, Hedonia opens up about the impulsive magic behind the music, the guerrilla-style shoot of its haunting video, and the challenges of running an independent label alongside her husband. Her creative process, equal parts meticulous and instinctual, spans genres from industrial to dark ambient to synthpop, reflecting her refusal to be pinned down. If “Eve Had the Metallic Shine of Summer” is any indication, “Eclipse” promises to be a layered concept piece, pressing emotional narratives into vinyl and reimagining the limits of modular sound, pressed in vinyl, wrapped in concept, and soaked in feeling.
“Eve Had the Metallic Shine of Summer” is striking both visually and sonically. Can you walk us through the creative spark behind this track and why it felt like the right lead single for The Maze?
At the time, I was working on a dark ambient project called Void Stasis, which was very cinematic sounding. I had made a percussive loop on a modular synthesizer that I had been wanting to use, but didn’t have the right music for it. One day, I was working on the Buchla 200e system, creating soundscapes for Void Stasis, and the musical ideas came to me. Ultimately, the music for the song was written in just one day, and once the writing started, it didn’t stop until it felt done. The demo was called “Marie’s Dirge.”
I chose this track as the lead single because it frames my strengths as a producer, and the lead vocal is stunning. The song is unique; it doesn’t have a traditional song structure, but I think this song tells a story that a lot of people can emotionally connect with. Also, this track is nothing like what I’ve released before!
The video is rich with symbolism. What does the mannequin represent to you, and how did that narrative of codependence and potential liberation come together visually?
Eve, our lovely mannequin, can represent a lot of things or people that we encounter in our lives. For me, she represented a toxic relationship. Taking a concept from Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona” to its most extreme form. I wanted to convey that Eve was a person we pour our whole self into, a person who takes all of our energy, time, money, and soul and gives nothing back. What better way to represent that than with a mannequin?
At the beginning of the video, the visuals are bright, and the space is beautiful. As time goes on, things start to deteriorate for me, but for Eve, she gets my clothes, my glasses, and even my shoes. By the end of the video, I am disheveled, tired, and dirty. We have to think about what our limit is. How far can we be pushed?
There’s a duality in the ending—freedom or complete collapse. Was that ambiguity intentional, and what interpretations have stuck with you from viewers so far?
At first, the ambiguity was not intentional. It was meant to symbolize a release from Eve’s hold. When everything came together, it became clear that the ending could be interpreted in many ways. I think people could watch this and think, maybe I am the toxic partner, or maybe I’ve gone mad.
The visual tone of the video matches the track’s layered intensity. How did you work with the director or visual team to align the mood of the song with the imagery on screen?
We worked with our director, Alex Shaak, for over 13 or 14 hours in one day, across Baltimore city and county, to shoot this video. This frenetic energy embedded itself into the video. Each of the locations was chosen before shooting, but overall, the filming was very “guerrilla.” Even though we paid for the hotel room to shoot in, we weren’t sure exactly what it would look like until we got there. Our mood board for Shaak had old Candie’s ads and stills from Greg Araki movies, hoping for a saturated and almost hyperreal look to the hotel scenes. We really just traveled all over the city and into the countryside with a well-dressed mannequin.
The abandoned hotel I’m trying to break into wasn’t really planned, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity; it was a perfect location. The weather was also perfect that day; the morning was sunny and warm, and there wasn’t a chance of rain in the forecast. As the day went on, though, it became cloudier and cloudier. When we arrived at the campground for the bonfire scene, a thunderstorm had already passed, and another was very close. We ended up only having a short window of time to get all the footage. As soon as we got the fire going, these crazy storms rolled in, and we were all drenched. It was perfect, and I really think the energy of the storm translated into the end of the video.
Your collaborations—especially with female vocalists—have produced amazing tracks. What drew you to these specific voices, and how did their energy change the shape of the songs?
One of my favorite things about making art is that everyone approaches and interprets things in their own way. I wanted to collaborate with these talented vocalists because I knew they would put their own mark on the songs. It is really fascinating to have an answer to: What does someone visualize when they hear my music? How does it make them feel?
I approach vocals in a more aggressive manner, and I knew we needed someone who could lift this song with her voice. When the demo was sent over to Vicky (Black Kite), I didn’t know exactly what we would get back. The instrumentation is very dark and sparse, and the vocals that came back to us transformed the track into something more emotionally dramatic. She was able to transform an abstract-sounding demo track, made with mostly modular synthesizers, into something really special.
Your background touches everything from ambient jazz to industrial noise. What has surprised you most about how audiences respond to your genre-hopping approach?
I think this album is a real test of what audiences will think about my approach. In Baltimore and Philadelphia, I have the same group of people who come to shows no matter what genre I’m playing that night. Part of me feels like I should narrow down my sound to one genre, but I don’t think I’d be able to stick with just one. It wouldn’t feel as fun. I love flitting from sound to sound depending on the mood.
Running Paul and Marie’s Country Kitchen with your husband gives you full creative control. What’s been the most rewarding and most chaotic part of shaping your own label’s identity?
The most rewarding thing about running our studio together is working towards a shared goal of making the best music possible. Being independent is a double-edged sword: I can release whatever I want with whatever ideas I have; on the other hand, not having hard deadlines and the budget a label provides does make it harder.
We have different approaches to the studio and label. Paul wants to expand the studio as much as possible. While I want to make music with what we have already. The best example of that I can think of is when he was willing to spend $6,000 on a vintage Roland synthesizer we played at a music store, when I didn’t think it had the right sound for my music. We talked about it and ended up getting a little Elektron synth that cost a fraction of that. I do think we are slowly moving into a place where we can open the studio up to other artists to record or jam.
Looking ahead to the full release of “Eclipse,” how does “Eve” set the stage thematically for what’s to come? And what do you hope listeners take away from this chapter of your career?
All of the music I have released thus far has been instrumental. My past full album, “Marie Ann Hedonia presents Marie Ann Hedonia,” was 100% Eurorack modular instrumental techno; my last EP, “Quiet Time,” I experimented with sampling, but it was still 100% instrumental. These tracks are completely different. It dips its toes into darkwave, synthpop, dance, cyberpunk, hardcore, and industrial sounds. “Eve” sets the stage for this new approach to bringing different sounds into songwriting. It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever released. Even though these songs may be sonically different, they are all thematically connected. The theme of emotional turmoil and eventual emotional release is present throughout the album. All of these songs tell stories that resonate with me, and I think they will resonate with listeners as well.
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