Sounds | Zandi Holup - Mary Jane
- John Van de Mergel
- 3 jul
- 3 minuten om te lezen
Hélemaal juist, Mary Jane kwam eerder al aan bod, net geen twee jaar geleden. Het was de eerste keer dat ik Zandi Holup hoorde en ik was meteen verkocht. Het nummer heeft geen grote wijzigingen ondergaan, wat ook helemaal niet hoefde. Live was het enkel Zandi, haar gitaar en een set fantastische stembanden. Nu hoor je héél in de verte drums en wat keys - het kan ook een lap steel zijn - voor de sfeer. Waarom dan nog eens oppikken? Omdat nu ein-de-lijk de release van haar debuut album is aangekondigd, samen met het uitbrengen van de 'officiële versie' van Mary Jane!
Wildflowers verschijnt op 1 augustus 2025 via Big Loud Records. Luister ook naar:
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“Wildflower is my debut album; it is the first seed I've sown in a garden of sounds,” Holup explains. “Its lyrics are a tangled web of roots, a cracked mirror revealing parts of who I am beneath the surface: dark, complex, with pain and curiosity lurking in the shadows."
“I believe this record will help others understand me on a deeper level and, in turn, explore and know parts of themselves,” she continues. “It's a diverse glimpse into my world, but only the surface of my true self. I'm a curious, odd soul with many dark thoughts, and this album is my way of sharing that. I'm genuinely excited to release this project and deeply thankful to everyone who has listened and supported me along the way. Your support means everything, and I can't wait for you to experience the beginning of my musical journey.”
About the darkly enthralling yet deeply empathetic new song written alongside Daniel Leathersitch, Holup shares: “'Mary Jane' isn't really about Mary Jane. She's a symbol, a shadow, a metaphor wearing a familiar name. I wrote this song about someone very special to me…a soul who danced in and out of heroin's grip for fifteen years. When I met him, he was already on the long road back to recovery. His scars were stories, and his eyes told the truth before his voice even had to. The more he shared, the more my heart opened, and the song began to write itself. Let me be clear: This isn't a sermon. This isn't everyone's story. This is his story through my eyes. And through him, a window for you to look through.”
When it came time to create her full-length debut, Holup joined forces with producer Ryan Hadlock (Zach Bryan, Brandi Carlile, The Lumineers, Wyatt Flores) and spent a month recording at Bear Creek Studios in the woods of northwest Washington. With the help of several musicians from nearby Seattle, Holup and Hadlock dreamed up an intentionally simplistic but exquisitely detailed sound firmly centered on her voice and lyrics. Over the course of Wildflower's eleven tracks (including recent “Go Find Less,” “Mountain Man” “Dirty Wings” and “Gas Station Flowers”), Holup embeds her songwriting with a lovely entangling of poetry and confession and fable-like narrative, imbuing every moment with an undaunted emotional truth.
Not only a prolific writer but also performer, the Pennsylvania-born, Nashville-based artist has shared the stage with Steve Earle, Amanda Shires, Jamey Johnson, Wyatt Flores, 49 Winchester, Midland and more. Holup has upcoming festival billings at Under the Big Sky Festival, WE Fest 2025 and AMERICANAFEST.
