On Tuesday, November 4th, new country duo Maddie & Tae released their self-titled EP. The EP features their hit song, ‘Girl In A Country Song,’ as well as three other songs. Tae (Taylor) Dye, 18, of Ada, Oklahoma and Maddie Marlow, 19, of Sugarland, Texas put their own touch on the EP as they co-wrote each of the four songs and were based off their own perspectives and even real life events. Maddie recently told Rolling Stone Country, “Our whole project revolves around keeping it real and being honest. We didn’t filter anything, because we felt like when it comes from an honest place, the truth will resonate so much better. The thing about Taylor, everything is real and relevant to what she’s going through, and that’s why people connect with her.” Big Machine was gracious enough to provide New England Country Music with a copy of the EP. Check out our thoughts of the EP!
1.) ‘Girl In A Country Song’ – Written by Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, and Aaron Scherz.
Impression: ‘Girl In A Country Song’ has been a hit since it came out in July. The song broke into the top ten on the US Country Airplay chat with it’s comical lyrics that take shots at some of the biggest names in country music. The lyrics reference songs from Florida-Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and many others. The duo even had a little spat with Brian Kelley of FGL. These girls have some spitfire, and I love that! The song is fun and sassy and one of my favorites from the summer.
Favorite Lyric: Well shakin’ my moneymaker ain’t ever made me a dime. And there ain’t no sugar for you in this shaker of mine. Tell me one more time, ‘you gotta get you some of that.’ Sure I’ll slide on over, but you’re gonna get slapped…
2.) ‘Sierra’ – Written by Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, and Aaron Scherz.
Impression: ‘Sierra’ is an uptempo song full of sass and is super playful that describes a girl named ‘Sierra’ who isn’t a good person at all; she’s that mean girl. Sierra may be very physically attractive but she isn’t on the inside. The story is based off a beauty-queen bully in high school that sent Maddie and her friends home in tears at times. I bet that bully is looking back now and wishes she hadn’t done what she did! From a sound perspective, the song features some great steel guitar and other instrumentals that match some incredible harmonies from the duo. I really like this song. Y’all need to call WKLB or your favorite local radio stations and request this song!
Favorite Lyric: A heart of pure gold is something very rare. And the only one she has is on that necklace that she wears…
3.) ‘Fly’ – Written by Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, and Tiffany Vartanyan.
Impression: Maddie & Tae slow it down with ‘Fly.’ The song shows a lot of depth in their songwriting with this track. The track is uplifting and empowering as it encourages you to reach and chase for your dreams.
Favorite Lyric: Keep on climbing, though the ground might shake. Keep on reaching through the limb might break. We’ve come this far, don’t be scared now. Cause you can’t learn to fly on the way down…
4.) ‘Your Side of Town’ – Written by Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, Heather Morgan, and Blair Daly.
Impression: If you’re the type of person who likes a song that will get your foot stomping and your hands clapping, ‘Your Side of Town’ is for you. The beat of the track along with the tempo will make you do just that. The song describes a guy that is simply no good and warns him to stay on his side of town.
Favorite Lyric: There’s a ‘no trespassing’ sign on the county line. And it reads your name…
My take: It’s a great EP with four great songs. Each tracks brings something different to the EP. With ‘Girl In A Country Song,’ you get the ladies’ response to ‘bro-country.’ It is strong and shows that they aren’t going to conform to norms for most females in country music songs. With ‘Sierra,’ you get a song that is a slap in the face to a high school bully. With ‘Fly,’ Maddie & Tae encourage you to reach for your goals, even if you have to face things that scare you. And in ‘Your Side of Town,’ you get a classic country song telling a guy that’s no good to stay away. Each song brings something different and despite the EP only having four songs, the combination of these songs make it feel truly complete. It’s incredible that these young ladies are only 18 and 19 years old as the maturity in their voices and songwriting style goes beyond their years. The second half of 2014, has been great so far for Maddie & Tae- I expect 2015 to be a huge year for the duo.
Make sure you go and purchase Maddie & Tae’s self-titled EP. You can purchase it on iTunes here.
And make sure you follow Maddie & Tae’s journey as they continue to take the country music world by storm. You can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and their official website.