Madeline Kenney’s “Truth” off her new EP Summer Quarter, is a pure, glossy dream; it's like the best afternoon nap you ever had when you were five years old, wrapped in your favorite blanket, and your mom woke you up with milk and cookies.
I spent the long weekend in the bush, walking mountain trails, exploring rivers and chasing waterfalls, climbing trees, marveling at insects and birds, and feeling free amidst the glow of childlike wonder. That feeling of innocence, of sincerity, of openness – that’s what this song encompasses.
It’s complemented by the adorable self-recorded music video, which consists of a group of little children collaborating on an art project, dancing around with joyful smiles, and playing without fear of judgment or reprisal. There’s a freedom in that purity, and it’s so beautifully encapsulated in Kenney’s track.
It’s funny to think that we all start off this way – full of fascination and curiosity and delighted by something as small and simple as haphazardly mashing paint onto a piece of paper, or dancing around the garden to your favorite song. And at some point, we grow up; or rather, the world forces us to. We lose our innocence, our whimsy, and our joy. The rat race gnaws at our every decision: 'Am I doing enough? Am I productive enough? Am I successful? What if I can’t do it? What will they think?' And we forget ourselves. We forget what it means to really live. We forget our truth. But it stays there, I think, somewhere deep within us. A tiny, flickering light that never goes out. We only need to open our eyes to see it.
In an interview with Best Fit, Kenney says of the track:
“When the pandemic started I had to completely shift gears, from getting ready to tour my new album Sucker's Lunch, to unemployment, and finally to a Kindergarten pod teacher. Although it's not at all how I imagined my year going, I feel really lucky to be surrounded by little minds who seem to make the most of any situation. In "Truth", I was writing about the experience of trying to remember who you still are inside underneath the depression, worry, changes, trauma, etc. I feel like being around kids is a great way to remember who you are and who you once were.”
Find your truth. And follow it the same way you used to dance when you were small: with absolute joy and reckless abandon. That spark is still in there somewhere. If you look closely enough, you may just see it glowing in the dark.
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