Margo Mann – Sounds of Oz

Naarm/Melbourne artist Margo Mann has really impressed me with her latest single “Not Love.” Its bouncy melody is an absolute earworm, but it’s much more than just a fun indie-pop song. The lyrics, which reflect on a relationship with someone more in love with the idea of their partner than the person they actually are, are fantastic. They’re so biting, witty, and insightful.

“’Not Love’ is a song I wrote after being in a situationship with someone who told me they believed they were more ‘spiritually enlightened’ than I was. They were probably right about that at the time, but what the comment also revealed to me was how toxic masculinity can sometimes masquerade as this brand of new-age enlightenment,” she explained.

“Not Love” comes from Margo Mann’s upcoming album Love Is a Dog, which she says “was forged from a time of absolute questioning and unravelling. A time where I hadn’t quite reassembled myself properly. But equally, it was born out of an attempt at ruthless self-trust.” Listen out for it when it’s released on October 16.

Photo credit: James Morris

Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter and poet Taylah Caroll, recording under the moniker Margo Mann, has announced her arrival on the music scene with an impressive double-A side single, “Westgarth/Grace.” These incredible debut songs beautifully showcase her ethereal vocals and introspective lyrics. “Westgarth” is a confessional piano ballad inspired by standing on the precipice of love, wondering whether you’ll go into self-preservation mode or allow yourself to fall.

“Falling in love requires a degree of surrender — to the process, and to the inner world of the other,” Taylah said. “I don’t think it’s possible without temporarily loosening your grip on who you think you are, or who you’ve been up until that point. It straddles two conflicting feelings: ‘I don’t want to lose myself’ and ‘I just want to dive deeper into you’.”

While “Westgarth” leans into softness, “Grace” shows Taylah’s edge with its lyrics that rail against conforming to suit another.

“I was so angry when I wrote ‘Grace,’” she said. “I’ve come to believe that to feel anger requires a kind of belief in your own agency, which I was obviously struggling to access at the time. So it’s fitting that this song is all about shedding identities and performative roles that we all, and women especially, adopt by default, and to our own detriment. The song stomps its feet, throws in the towel and says ‘I don’t want to be Graceful for you anymore!'”

This is one of the best debut offerings I’ve heard in some time. I can’t wait to hear what comes next for Margo Mann.

Photo credit: James Morris

Tag: Margo Mann

Margo Mann Releases Impressive New Single, “Not Love”

Margo Mann Makes Her Mark With “Westgarth/Grace”