Amy Millan’s ‘Make Way for Waves’ signals a gentle return
Amy Millan image via Tess Roby
Amy Millan has unveiled her new single ‘Make Way for Waves,’ a quietly captivating track released today as the second offering from her upcoming solo album, out via Last Gang Records.
The song, described as quietly majestic, skittering, and soothing, marks the initial collaboration between Millan—co-lead singer of Stars and a longtime member of Broken Social Scene—and co-writer/producer Jay McCarrol. It began with an old Stars demo, a forgotten fragment Millan resurrected from a hard drive, which she sent to McCarrol to expand. He returned it with a completed structure, including a striking chorus that floored her. Paired with a hand-drawn animated video by Gaia Alari, whose work Millan praises for its calming effect, ‘Make Way for Waves’ is a testament to her aim of crafting music to ease the nervous system.
She explains ‘Make Way For Waves’:
“This song has a very special place in my heart. It’s the first song Jay and I collaborated on and was initially titled ‘gentle beginnings.’ It is the song that launched our relationship and the making of this album. The first verse was an old Stars demo sitting in a hard drive cemetery. I never forgot it and my attachment to the sentiment of the verse lyrics. I sent what I had to Jay and told him it needed a chorus and obviously a second verse. A few weeks later, he sent the song back completed, and with this punch in the gut chorus that made me fall out of my chair. We were off. Lyrically I was seeking to articulate how difficult patches in life can influence you to blow it all up or throw in the towel. I was clinging to the idea that with some patience and reflection maybe calmer waters eventually return like the cycle of the moon. Mourning time passing is a right of passage, and the forlorn can make a beautiful hook. Trying not to let fear find a home in my heart.”
With ‘Make Way for Waves,’ Millan delivers a song that’s both a personal milestone and a universal balm, setting the stage for her long-awaited return to solo work.
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