With her sun-washed, melodic Americana music, Calgary’s
Mariel Buckley is poised to make her mark. Already garnering the attention of k.d. lang and Hayes Carll amidst a slew of Canadian Music Festival appearances, the emerging artist sinks her soul into her songs. There’s an inherent poignancy in the way she carries her smoky vocals across nostalgic arrangements and thought-provoking lyricism that makes her impending sophomore album, Driving in the Dark, much anticipated.
This much can be felt with her latest single, “One Time Asking”. Drenched in retro-inspired drive and twanging guitar riffs,
Buckley’s voice glides across this track about self-preservation and healing. She tells PopMatters, “I’m not much of a fighter at all. Most of the conflict in my life is directly parallel to the turmoil I’m feeling inside myself. I act out because I’m feeling guilty, ashamed or depressed and take it out on the ones I care about, which is a pretty common human reaction.”
“When ‘One Time Asking’ came to be, I was at a breaking point with myself and many of the people closest to me. I knew that I needed to start making real changes within to keep my relationships healthy, but more importantly to keep myself from spiraling further out of control. The song has an achy kind of longing which is exactly what I was feeling. I can’t say I’ve gotten to where I’d like to be, but the act of self-reflection through this tune was a big step in the right direction.”