Above image via Instagram: @musicbymaleena
Giovanni Mori | Posted: December 6th, 2024
If you’re involved in some way with Pittsburgh’s local music scene, you’ll know the city is famous for it’s large amount of thriving musicians and bands. One artist in particular is a singer-songwriter who has established herself in multiple genres, releasing music every year as bassist for Chip & the Chargeups, as well as with her own solo project. Pittsburgh locals will recognize her as Maleena, who on August 30th 2024, released her full length album, For the Love of Everything Beautiful.
In celebration of new local music, I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Maleena about her work as an artist, and dived deep into the making of the album. Since the music had already been released to the world for several weeks by the time of our conversation, we started by briefly discussing the ultimately rewarding process of her songwriting. Here’s what Maleena had to say before giving the rundown of each track:
“I feel very proud of myself for being able to accomplish that because I wrote every part for every song, I recorded everything myself, mixed it myself, I put the whole thing together myself. Where on my previous album, which was more my punk rock album, I did write a lot of those parts, but my dad helped me record it and mix it and master it because he’s got a music technology degree, he has the ability to do all that.
“And at that time, I didn’t have the skills, so to be able to transition from that into doing something entirely on my own from every step…yeah, it feels pretty good to be able to make something completely from scratch by myself.”
Above image via Instagram: musicbymaleena
tRack 1: For the love of everything beautiful
Youtube: Music By Maleena
Beginning with the title track, the album reels you in with a minor piano ballad along with some restrained lead guitar in the background, which already may remind listeners of music from old school emo bands like The Get Up Kids or early My Chemical Romance. Listeners may also notice there isn’t a clear hook or chorus section to get stuck in their heads, Maleena says:
“This song started out kind of as a couple different pieces that I put together. So the lyrics started out as just like a poem that I was writing, I was riding on a bike and then thought you know ‘What can I do with my brain right now?’… So I wrote it out in a poem format and didn’t even think about making it a song at that point.”
To keep the listener on their toes by the song’s midway point, the minor key changes to a major key and adds some extra acoustic guitar to give the tune some movement. By the end, there are other instruments to create the sound of a full band with some distortion on the lead guitar, putting it more front and center. Having been classically trained, attending Duquesne University for music along with being apart of professional choirs and orchestras for many years, Maleena makes her musical knowledge known on the album’s first track, grabbing your attention and making you wonder what direction it’s going to take you.
“I was like ‘I want to make a whole entire composition, I don’t want to make it crazy, like I want to have it change time signatures, change keys, change tonalities, I wanted to change everything.’ And so then eventually, I just kind of had the idea to put those two together and it actually worked out really well.”
In relation to the title track, we also had the chance to discuss how it, along with the remaining track list, are represented visually on the album’s cover art which was also made by Maleena.
“So, if you look at the album art you have like a tree in a dark forest on the one side, and then you have the sun and clouds on the other side, so that kind of represents the song: how it starts in a minor key and like has very sad and depressing lyrics, and then in the end it’s very bright and very happy and represents the lyrics. And in the lyrics, I talk about like a dove and then I talk about a frog who are musicians essentially, and I wanted to put those on the album cover as well as a little silhouette of myself facing the sun.”
track 2: growing up
Youtube: Music By Maleena
It’s clear in the next track, “Growing Up,” there’s much more of a simple arrangement in comparison to the title track. The song’s meaning is very easy to understand as it talks about the struggles of reaching adulthood and adjusting yourself away from the warmth of childhood. The song itself sounds very childlike, which works since it’s as though the artist is using that simplicity of the songwriting to go back to some form of naivety that comes with childhood.
“That’s definitely where this came from creatively. I wanted to also kind of connect it to my previous two albums, so I have Diary of a Music School Dropout and even before that I put an album out during the pandemic, never really gigged with that or anything but that was called Bruises to Prove It.
“This song has three different verses, and each verse kind of represents the stage of life that I was in whenever I was making that music. The first one obviously being very childlike, and that first album that I did, I started writing it when I was 15 years old and it was very innocent. And then my second album, you know if you listen to it, there’s a lot of anger, a lot of pain in it, and that’s kind of how that second verse is. So the third verse represents ‘I want to make happy music now, I love music so much and I am finally able to create the music that I want to create.’”
There are many songs that exist about growing up, but only few of them seem to hit as close to home for the artist as it does for the listener. Maleena’s track, “Growing Up,” is definitely one of them.
track 3: red flags
Youtube: Music By Maleena
“Red Flags” is the third track off of Maleena’s album, and my personal favorite track overall. There’s an obvious change in energy shown in this tune with a faster melody and the extra use of electric guitar. The combination with the acoustic guitar can easily turn this tune into a either soft acoustic song or an aggressive punk song for a live setting, which highlights Maleena’s different musical capabilities across more than one genre.
“When I originally started writing this, I started it like a couple months after I released Diary of a Music School Dropout, and so I was still kind of going for that vibe, of course that wouldn’t really fit on this album, so I turned it into an acoustic song. But yeah, this is definitely still very emo and punk influenced like my other music.”
The song is about wanting to hold on to someone who’s clearly not good for you, which is expressed best in the first line of the chorus section, “I never saw the red flags, but I like the attention” (0:57 – 1:00).
“That’s the first line I came up with for this entire album actually, I just started writing and that’s kind of what started the whole process, it’s definitely about exactly that first line.”
Whether you’re into quieter acoustic songs, or loud rock songs, “Red Flags” is sure to make you scream about what went wrong at the steering wheel while you’re driving alone in your car.
track 4: strong enough to break
Youtube: Music By Maleena
The next track is actually a cover song from the one hit wonder band Hanson, known for their tune “MMM-Bop.” Here, we have Maleena’s version of a lesser known tune, “Strong Enough to Break.” This one is more mid-tempo with just a little less energy to burn when compared to the previous track, although the acoustic guitars and the high number of syllables in each line contribute to the song’s momentum.
“They’re [Hanson] my biggest musical influence, and I just started covering this song in 2021 because I didn’t have enough originals to play a full set of my own music. I had just been playing it so long, and then this year was the 20th anniversary of this song, so I recorded my cover and released it. I have all the proper licensing and everything, and then I just thought it really fit the vibe of the album and I just had to put it on there.”
Let’s also not forget the beautiful choir-like bridge section that completely turns the track on its head, showcasing more of Maleena’s vocal ability which will, spoiler alert, appear throughout the rest of the album.
“That was really fun to do, I recorded like 20 different vocal tracks, one of my favorite things to do in songwriting is layering my vocals and you can definitely see that in a lot of the tracks on this album.”
Even though Maleena did not write this song, she’s still able to lay her own cards on the table and share her own perspective as an artist in a similar way as Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” from Nine Inch Nails, or Disturbed’s version of “The Sound of Silence” from Simon & Garfunkel.
Listen to the original version by Hanson below:
Youtube: HANSON
track 5: nowhere to hide
Youtube: Music By Maleena
At the album’s halfway point, we reach “Nowhere to Hide,” the album’s first single released to give listeners a taste of what was to come.
“It was the first one that I had actually recorded for the album, and I just worked really hard and was really proud of what I did with that, so that’s why it ended up being the first one.”
Mori: “I know a lot of artists, and what they like to do is put out a song that kind of entices you enough to listen but doesn’t want to give away the full thing.”
“And that kind of did that, I did add some more things for the album version of ‘Nowhere to Hide’ like a drumkit rather than just a cajon in the single version.”
This one goes back to a slower tempo similar to the title track as it describes the dread of not being able to let someone, likely to be a loved one, in your life. Maleena describes this as “After being hurt so many times, being afraid to show somebody your true colors,” certainly something personal that most listeners can strongly relate to.
The song suddenly picks up the energy after the second chorus and includes other instrumentation on top of the acoustic guitars so the energy isn’t lost, and as a result, keeps the listener’s attention to the end.
track 6: change
Youtube: Music By Maleena
“Change” is a track reminiscent to songwriters from the 90s like Dave Matthews Band and Alanis Morissette. Here we have another simple meaning in the lyrics as Maleena embraces change and strives to be better, but what separates this track from the rest is its structure, beginning with the first chorus section that ultimately makes the chord progression in the verses feel more interesting.
“This song is definitely hard to pinpoint a key, it’s definitely in E but you have a major 2 in it and then the verse starts on the 3, so it’s not your most traditional chord progression for sure.”
Mori: “Did you know that as you were writing it? Or are you one of those people who just – ‘Foot on the gas, just go’?”
“Usually, I am very meticulous about my chords and everything, like I said I’m classically trained, I usually like to compose and be very intentional. This song actually, I decided to write in a couple hours.
“So, every Monday I go to the open mic at Mr. Smalls and they always have a different theme every week, and the theme this one week was ‘Challenge Yourself,’ and I was like ‘I’m going to write a song this morning and I’m going to go perform it on stage.’ So I definitely was not as intentional with this as I am with a lot of my other songs, but I was really happy with how it turned out for writing it in such a short period of time.”
Like “Strong Enough to Break,” what also sticks out is Maleena’s vocals as she’s able to reach those higher melodies, which was something I personally was waiting to hear more of in this album being three quarters of the way through. As a soprano 1, although she can clearly sing well in the mid to lower vocal range, “Change” proves that Maleena’s voice is suited just as well for higher vocal melodies. Ironically, this happier and carefree sounding tune breaks Maleena out of her shell not only as an individual, but as a musician.
track 7: not that kinda love song
Youtube: Music By Maleena
Here we have what I consider to be the biggest eyebrow raising track off the album, “Not That Kinda Love Song.” So far, the listener has been treated with either acoustic ballads or high energy rock songs, this track doesn’t seem to fit in either one of those categories. At first glance, we have an up-tempo indie rock song, which if I didn’t know any better, would say sounds more like a song from Vampire Weekend or the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. After diving into more serious topics in songs like “Red Flags” and “Nowhere to Hide,” this song shows that Maleena can have fun too!
“I was just in my bedroom alone one night putting on like really upbeat music and just dancing and getting excited and I was like ‘I need to make a song that’s like so upbeat like that, that makes people want to dance.’ And so I wrote a song about wanting to write a song like that, about how music makes you feel that way. I just wanted to try to do everything like put all these elements to make it feel really bouncy and upbeat, you know.”
If the drum arrangements and background doo-wops aren’t enough the jolt you out of your chair, then the saxophone solo in the song’s bridge section will, which according to Maleena, was the only instrument that wasn’t recorded by her on the album.
“I had a bass solo and was like ‘I think this needs horns,’ so Brad Yoder, he’s a local singer-songwriter who’s been performing in Pittsburgh for forever, definitely for longer than I’ve been alive as far as I’ve heard. He’s very very talented, he actually goes to the open mic that I go to, and so I asked him, ‘Hey I have this song, I know you play saxophone, would you want to write a saxophone part with me to put on this song?’ And he was just immediately like ‘Yeah! I have a studio, come on over.’ And I went over, we wrote it together, he did a couple of different tracks, as you could hear there’s some harmonies in there, and that was the last thing I did for that song and the last thing I did to really put the whole album together.”
As fun as this song is for both the artist and the listener, it’s clear from Maleena that just as much time and patience came in making the track despite clocking in at not even a full 2 minutes.
“For this one, I’m a very analytical person, and I love to listen to songs and be like ‘Okay, what elements about this song makes it have this quality that I like?’ Obviously, ‘groovy’ is like a very good descriptive word for this song. I listened to a lot of songs that had the vibe that I wanted, and just tried to find elements that made it stand out.
“For example, one of those things is the high octaves in the chorus, like from the Jackson 5, and it’s like ‘Who would’ve thought that a song on my album could have influence from the Jackson 5?’ You can take elements from anywhere. I think elements from this song I took from Jackson 5, Hanson, Hot Chelle Rae, Yungblud, all kinds of different influences from many different genres, many different eras, and combining it.”
track 8: reprise
Youtube: Music By Maleena
The album’s final track, “Reprise,” circles back to the opening title track. As fun as it would’ve been to listen to “Not That Kinda Love Song” blend itself in better with “Reprise,” the final track still achieves its goal in putting the album’s main themes of change and becoming a different person together. This time, instead of mixing it in with a fictional story about a main character, the song’s meaning becomes universal and talks more directly to the listener when giving its final message.
“I wanted it to be known that this whole album was telling a story, on my previous albums it’s all just kind of a collection of songs that has a general theme to it.
“Obviously, the first track kind of tells you the whole story, but the way that I layered the songs: you have ‘Growing Up’ as the first one which I feel like makes sense. Then you’ve got ‘Red Flags,’ ‘Strong Enough to Break,’ ‘Nowhere to Hide,’ the more darker, sad concepts. And then I have ‘Change’ and that’s where everything changes on the album, that’s where everything gets more upbeat, more positive vibes, and then you go into ‘Not That Kinda Love Song.’ I wanted it to be clear that it was like a story from the top to the bottom, not just ‘One song here, one song here, one song here.’ I wanted to wrap it all up at the end.”
Mori: “That’s awesome that you knew what the end goal was, because I know it’s very hard to decide what you want the end goal to be until you actually start working on it…there’s always times where you see the end goal but it’s not linear and you’re veering too far off, did you have moments like that?”
“It definitely was difficult to turn that concept into a reality, I’ve been wanting to put out the album sooner than I had put it out. But you know with the recording and all that process I took a little bit longer, only like 2 or 3 months than I had originally wanted to…but I did end up getting the goal that I wanted.”
As the music fades away behind the background “oohs,” the listener is left with the satisfying conclusion of Maleena’s For the Love of Everything Beautiful.
final thoughts
If you’re a fan of Maleena’s music, you may notice the difference in sound compared to her previous release, Diary of a Music School Dropout. I personally was expecting to hear more of those raw punk rock sounds, which is likely why “Red Flags” remains to be my favorite track, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear the more relaxed and listener-friendly tunes from For the Love of Everything Beautiful.
I always enjoy when bands or artists try different things, and although sometimes it doesn’t always work, it still expands and pushes limits on their musical capabilites. In Maleena’s case, she made it work really well, and whether or not you’re in the local Pittsburgh music scene, remember that Maleena will go far as an artist while you listen to For the Love of Everything Beautiful for the hundredth time today.
Sources
“Change” Youtube, uploaded by Music By Maleena, 29 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNIGJrlOuoU
“For the Love of Everything Beautiful” Youtube, uploaded by Music By Maleena, 29 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmqXifoeGmM
“Growing Up” Youtube, uploaded by Music By Maleena, 29 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vfTBv5VzLo
“HANSON – Strong Enough to Break | Official Audio” Youtube, uploaded by HANSON, 4 Oct. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGU2pr2hnYU
Maleena [@musicbymaleena]. Action shot. Instagram, 3 Sept. 2024, https://www.instagram.com/p/C_ejxAVMaFS/?img_index=1
Maleena [@musicbymaleena]. Album cover. Instagram, 12 July 2024, https://www.instagram.com/p/C9VB1lkpBWf/
“Not That Kinda Love Song” Youtube, uploaded by Music By Maleena, 29 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYGrncwL0XM
“Nowhere to Hide” Youtube, uploaded by Music By Maleena, 29 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_q8DjlFUdY
“Red Flags” Youtube, uploaded by Music By Maleena, 29 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iN6JYdC6V4
“Reprise” Youtube, uploaded by Music By Maleena, 29 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj1KphxZD8U
“Strong Enough to Break” Youtube, uploaded by Music By Maleena, 29 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRI2QJcamQc
