Mae Krell Tackles Growth and Change in “apollo’s song”
Wistful and poetically wise, singer-songwriter Mae Krell looks upon the significance of getting older in new indie folk single “apollo’s song.” The lead single off of her forthcoming debut album, “apollo’s song” follows Krell’s journey of continuing to grow in spite of herself, all filtered through the lens of her aging dog who Krell initially thought would outlive her.
“apollo’s song” first came to fruition last fall as Krell toured the United States with only her dog, her guitar and a tent on the roof of her car. The duo hiked through national parks on their journey from New York to California and back, and people often stopped to say hello to Apollo and ask about her. As Krell repeatedly informed others that Apollo was seven, she found herself realizing for the first time that she was witnessing her dog age more than she ever planned to.
Reflecting on these moments on the trail, Krell says, “When I got her, I was seventeen and struggling so much that I didn't see myself sticking around for very long. I thought that if my family had a dog it would be more manageable when I inevitably killed myself. Now I'm 24, and my dog is aging and you can tell, but I'm not going anywhere. That's a really heavy but also really beautiful feeling.”
Building upon these realizations of growth and aging, “apollo’s song” is poignant in its repose as it finds a tranquil melody while carrying the weight of experiencing firsts Mae never thought she’d live to see. Throughout her deeply personal lyrics, Krell ponders leaving her home of New York City, watches as her best friend gets engaged, and explores shifts in her family dynamics as her sibling leaves for college. These pivotal moments force Mae to grapple with her own fear of change, the fleeting memories of youth, and the sudden realization that life continues onwards — whether she wants it to or not.
“This whole album is built on that idea,” she says, “it’s a coming of age story for someone who didn't plan to come of age, or ever think that she would.”
The accompanying music video for “apollo’s song” features a look at Krell and Apollo’s world and the love shared between one’s closest companion. As Krell blows out her birthday cake for each new year, we watch her get closer and closer to acceptance of the life she’s gained through the grain of Super 8 movie film. The video is a beautiful look into the life Krell has built with Apollo by her side, including a culmination with a hopeful resolve for the future that cannot be understated.
Along with the release of “apollo’s song,” the closing months of 2023 are certainly shaping up to be monumental for Krell as she embarks on a fall UK tour in partnership with Sofar Sounds. Additionally, Krell has a variety of additional singles upcoming through the end of this year and beginning of next year, all leading to the release of her debut album in April of 2024.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Welcome back and thank you for talking to Unpublished Magazine again. Last time we talked, you had just released your single “tooth fairy,” with themes of growing pains and healing friendship wounds. I would love to catch up and see how life has been treating you since the release.
[MAE]: Thank you for having me back! It’s crazy that it’s been almost a year since then, realizing that completely blew my mind.The whole new project I’ve been working on since then feels like an expansion on the same topics: growing up and how that feels in an alternative sense, like growing up “late.” I’ve been working on conceptualizing what has now become my debut album, planning the details and visuals and recording it.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Say if someone hasn’t heard of your music yet, which song would you first introduce them to that best encapsulates your style and artistic maturity?
[MAE]: I feel like “apollo’s song” opens the door to the world of the upcoming record and also ties back to the more acoustic based / folk roots of the first releases I ever put out, so probably that one! I really always wanted to be making music that’s more indie-folk – but the genre definitely feels scarier than something more built up because it’s more exposed with the instrumentation as well. Putting out “apollo’s song” definitely feels like a new beginning, but it also draws from my first ever songs, just in a more mature and developed way.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You recently released your single “apollo’s song” and it touches on a lot of coming of age themes. What is the inspiration behind the song?
[MAE]: I wrote “apollo’s song” last year in November, so around when the last releases were coming out. I was living in a tent on the roof of my car (by choice, which i feel like is an important note) and was spending my time hiking with my dog and driving around the country. A lot of the time, we would be on a hiking trail and we’d chat with people- typical trail etiquette, and they’d ask about my dog and how old she is and what her name is. For the record: her name is Apollo and she’s seven. As I kept repeating that to people over and over I started to consciously realize that my dog was aging. When I got her, I was having a really tough time, so realizing that we’re both older now and I'm not going anywhere was a really intense thing. Toward the end of our trip we were in LA and one night all of these feelings kind of just flooded- I wrote all of the song in like half an hour and hardly made any edits since. The lyrics are very much a stream of consciousness and definitely feel like the most raw I've ever let myself get in my writing. That same day, I had gone out to Old Style Guitar Shop in Silver Lake and played this beautiful 1940s rubber bridge acoustic, so after I wrote “apollo’s song” that night, I knew that I had to record it on that same guitar. So the next morning I went and bought it and then started the long drive back to NYC with the guitar in my passenger seat. It traveled across the whole country to be on this record. I think it gives the song more depth too- having both a distinct sonic story and lyrical story.
[UNPUBLISHED]: “apollo’s song” is also accompanied by a music video. What was the inspiration behind the video and how was your experience filming it?
[MAE]: All the videos for this record were filmed on Super 8 movie film, which has been a new endeavor for me. We wanted all of the visuals to match the theme of the record, like a coming of age film. “apollo’s song” is inspired by my dog, of course, and it’s about me and her getting older together. It’s about my brother going to college and my sister moving halfway across the world and how when everything changes, so do you. I wanted to capture that in the most raw and vulnerable way possible, and film felt like the best way to do that.
[UNPUBLISHED]: “apollo’s song” is a sneak preview into your upcoming debut album out in April. Why did you choose “apollo’s song” to be the lead track of the album and does it set a tone for the rest of the project?
[MAE]: “apollo’s song” really was the blueprint for this whole album. Before I wrote it, I didn’t have much of a plan for what I was going to do going forward with releases, but once this song existed I knew that I had to make a record. Since this song is what inspired and brought the whole project into motion, it only felt right to put it out first. It’s also sonically very consistent with the rest of the album- except the next single, that one is a little jazzy (like “tooth fairy” and “(like) spring”). It does feel a bit funny to put it out as the lead release though, since it’s track number 10 out of 11 total on this record, but it does open up the narrative best.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What can listeners expect from this new era of yours?
[MAE]: This record was made to be listened to full through, so the singles were picked very consciously to create almost the outer pieces of a puzzle that you can then fill in by listening to the whole project. My favorite albums are the ones that feel most coherent and correct when listening all the way through, so I kind of followed that model when writing this project. I wanted the story to be coherent but also relatable. Overall, though, the consistent theme of the record is growing up when you didn’t plan to, and everything that comes with that. That feeling spans across a lot of different experiences, though, so I think there’s definitely something in there for everyone, which I'm super excited about.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is your favorite song off the album and why is it your favorite? Is there a certain lyric or message that you gravitate towards the most?
[MAE]: The last track, “grown” is my favorite, I think. It was the last song I wrote for it too- we had planned to do a 10-track album, but when I wrote this one and brought it into the studio it became an 11-song album instead, because I felt like we had to put it on there. It feels like the type of folk song that I didn’t know I was capable of writing. It’s simple but also wraps up the album in a way that I feel is perfect. “apollo’s song” is my other favorite- I think I'm still very much “in” the feelings that the songs are about, so they make me emotional. I feel very connected to those two specifically.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You are also preparing for a headlining tour later this week in the UK and a huge congratulations is in order. What are you most excited about touring?
[MAE]: Thank you! I’m super stoked. I love meeting people who relate to the music and who can see themselves or hear themselves in it. I write out of a personal place that’s often very painful, so to then have people that are somewhere vastly different from where I live listening to them is wild. Hearing someone who lives halfway across the world from you tell you that they found your music and love it never gets old.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is your favorite song to perform live?
[MAE]: From the new record I've only really played “apollo’s song,” but it always seems to get a good reaction from people, so I think that one! Also “rest stop”. Those are the two that people tend to come up to me after the set and tell me that they really related to, so I think that’s what's made them my favorites.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Unpublished Magazine?
[MAE]: The UK tour that’s coming up is crazy, I'm super excited. More singles super soon- next one is called “who we said we’d be” and will be out October 27th. I’m really just getting prepped for all the new releases while also starting to write the next project at the same time!
