After an impressive 2020, which saw her previously shared singles ‘Closure’ and ‘Devils’ land radio plays on BBC Radio 1, 6Music, BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio and a flying start to 2021 with the release of singles ‘A Sun Going Down’ and ‘Heaven’ continuing her upward ascent including ‘Track Of The Week’ on BBC Introducing Merseyside for ‘A Sun Going Down’ and picking up tastemaker support from the likes of Wonderland, CLASH, Record of the Day, Under The Radar, The Most Radicalist, When The Horn Blows and many more, fast-rising singer and songwriter Natalie McCool continues the support for her forthcoming full-length ‘Memory Girl’ with the captivating new single ‘Take Me To Your Leader’.
Bringing back more of that smooth and enticing pop texture she has cultivated for herself, ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ gives us a more glittering insight into what we can expect from her forthcoming full-length. With her own soaring voice layered amongst a bed of bouncing production, her newest release makes for a broad and compelling listen throughout.
Speaking about the new offering, she said, “A lot of ‘Memory Girl’ is about overcoming imposter syndrome in the world around you, and within yourself – and I think Take Me To Your Leader is the track which most explores this theme. I’d had this idea of feeling ‘alien’ floating around for a while – and the phrase Take Me To Your Leader is one I’d never really heard in a song before, so at first I was unsure but it really grew on me.
“It’s about wanting to belong – almost obsessively, wanting to have something valid to say, and these thoughts and feelings spiral until you become fixated “I want to peel your skin, dive for gold, let me in”.
Having spent the last few years developing and cultivating her sound, ‘Memory Girl’ marks a major milestone in the Liverpudlian’s career to date. Bringing together a wealth of material she has released over the last year, as well as brand new offerings, her new full-length aims to create a fresh and retrospective look at her output so far, giving us a tantalising taste of her glorious direction.
Memory Girl’s existence owes a debt of gratitude to some of Natalie’s biggest supporters, who earlier this year committed to pre-ordering the then untitled record in order to fund the pressing of the album.
Speaking about the new album, she said, “‘Memory Girl’ is about childhood and adulthood. Songs that feel introspective. Songs about not having a voice, finding a voice, jealousy, love, loss and peace. It’s about things that have left a deep mark on you one way or another, those moments from the past that hit you and knock you sideways, either making you laugh out loud or nearly die of embarrassment. It has a strong focus on the habits and mental state of myself and those very close to me. Its really close and introspective. It’s about discovering yourself, recognising what’s good for you and what’s not – it’s about learning curves.
Natalie McCool is also running her new Memory Girl Project, where she is asking fans to submit their inspiration for a song she plans to record and release as a standalone single after the album release.For more details about the ‘Memory Girl’ project and to submit head over to – http://www.nataliemccool.co.uk/memory-girl-project
Memory Girl Tracklisting:HeavenDevilsGiving UpClosureTongue TiedA Sun Going DownTake Me To Your LeaderBetterListen To The RadioOld MoviesWill It Happen Now?
See Natalie McCool live as part of the line-up for the FestEvol All Dayer with the likes of The Mysterines, Zuzu, All We Are and many more on July 3rd at Birkenhead’s Future Yard.
2019 proved to be a transitional year for Liverpool based artist Natalie McCool, and 2020 saw her forging a new path for herself, having built a strong foundation to achieve great things. Her early single ‘Someone Nue’ saw her invited to support Aurora and She Drew The Gun, alongside playing many of her own headline shows across the UK. Her cover of ‘Wondrous Place’ by Liverpool legend Billy Fury was chosen by Sky to head up the advertising campaign for their highly-praised drama series ‘The Third Day’, a collaboration with HBO starring Jude Law and Naomie Harris, and produced by Brad Pitt’s production company. Check out the trailer here.
Natalie also hosts a monthly podcast series called McCool & The Gang, to explore different parts of the music industry with featured guests she has collaborated with in some form or another, including BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins, The Whyte Horses, Hattie Pearson and Silent Cities.
The LIPA graduate released her previous album ‘The Great Unknown’ in 2016, which saw media support from the likes of The Sunday Times, Q and The Line of Best Fit. Her single ‘Cardiac Arrest’ was also playlisted on BBC Radio 1 in the lead up to the release of the album.