History of a Feeling

by Madi Diaz

Overview

During her longest gap between albums to date, singer/songwriter Madi Diaz began working on her fifth LP, History of a Feeling, in 2018. A notably personal and forthright set of songs, it addresses a painful breakup, issues of identity surrounding the transitioning of her former partner, and even the centering of the events, which tended to relegate Diaz to a bystander role. When it came time to track the songs, she brought in Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Courtney Marie Andrews) to help with instrumentation and co-produce. An intimate work that resides between spare acoustic song and visceral indie rock, it's her first release for Anti-/Epitaph. History of a Feeling opens with its shortest song, the under-two-minute "Rage," a gentle acoustic guitar introduction that braces listeners with a soft-spoken "Forgive and forget; F*ck you, f*ck that." She moves quickly into identity issues and private spaces like bathrooms with the perplexed "Man in Me" ("Tell me now whose lips I was kissing"), which plugs into amplifiers without adding a rhythm section. After the cathartic, country-inflected "Crying in Public" and "Resentment," the rhythm section turns up on the explicit "Think of Me," which underscores angry sentiments with guttural guitar tones. Midway through the track list, the country-rocker "Woman in My Heart" stands apart with its live recording quality, while the self-conscious "Nervous" draws attention for its pop songwriting strengths. A hooky, wordy rock tune, the latter is one of the few tracks here that's well-suited for playlisting outside of the album's context, though each song stands on its own structure-wise. Both occasionally cringy and refreshing for its willingness to express bitterness, History of a Feeling's greatest strength lies in its emotional honesty. Also tender and loving at times, it closes on the poignant, piano-based duet "Do It Now," which makes a plea for putting all cards on the table. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	08/27/2021
Label:	Epitaph
UPC:	0045778782017
Rank:	27551

Tracks

1. Rage
2. Man in Me
3. Crying in Public
4. Resentment
5. Think of Me
6. Woman in My Heart
7. Nervous
8. Forever
9. History of a Feeling
10. New Person, Old Place
11. Do It Now

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Madi Diaz   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals
Stephen Wrabel   Vocals (Background)
Sarab Singh   Drums
Ben Alleman   Organ
Jake Falby   Violin
Ro Rowan   Cello
Andrew Sarlo   Bass,Loops,Piano,Percussion

Technical Credits

Natalie Hemby   Composer
Morgan Nagler   Composer
Steph Jones   Composer
Konrad Snyder   Composer
Stephen Wrabel   Composer
Emily West   Composer
Joe LaPorta   Mastering
Madi Diaz   Composer,Producer
Andrew Maury   Mixing
Rayland Baxter   Composer
Jamie Floyd   Composer
Ethan Gruska   Digital Delay
Andrew Sarlo   Producer
Sean Van Vleet   Composer
Young Summer   Composer
Verite   Composer
Jarrad K   Composer