With pop beats and deep personal lyrics, Mara Liddle is slowly becoming renowned for exploring her own journey into adulthood. Her latest release ‘Facebook Official’ continues this theme as she presents a character that longs for a love to go to a next, more digital level.
Inspirations are clear with Liddle. Charli XCX, Pinkpantheress and Shygirl all shine through in some capacity in music that reflects an individual highly influenced by the internet age. That said, her new track represents a shift away from lo-fi bedroom pop to energetic electropop as she negotiates the idea that a relationship isn’t real until it’s published online.
This song presents a narrative that needs the status almost as a sense of comfort and reinforcement that her love isn’t one sided. There are doubts in the lyrics about being “left on read”, yet there’s a simple longing to “tell all my friends that it’s you that I love.”
These unforgiving motifs, especially in an internet era where very little is left unseen, Liddle pairs instrumental skill to firmly compound themes present in the lyrics. There’s soft synth, velvety bass and easy autotuned tinted vocals. The drum machine toes the line nicely and keeps a steady pace. Another interesting aspect instrumentally, is that the tone takes on youthful innocence. This is a big thing for the narrative, yet from the outsider looking in – Facebook almost trivialises the notion of a young love. This is a big frontier for the singer’s character.
As Liddle continues to perfect her sound, 2023 looks set to be an exciting year for Mara. Already selected for BBC Introducing’s “Big in 2023” – the release of her debut EP is due to follow, alongside rumoured festival performances.