ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND

Polly Mackey performs under the pseudonym Art School Girlfriend since 2017, but she didn't release her debut album Is It Light Where You Are until 2021. Her bedroom rock debut is accompanied by post-breakup melancholy, and the sound distinctly reflects her past in shoegaze bands. The album took almost three years to come to fruition, compounded by the timing of the pandemic, allowing Mackey to constantly revisit, revise, and change the recorded songs. However, this perfectionism prevented her from maintaining authentic emotion and original intent in the music. Therefore, before her second album, she wrote a creative manifesto to help her create more quickly and prohibit unnecessary interventions in already finished parts.

The album Soft Landing (2023) differs from the first in its pace; it's significantly more cheerful, adventurous, and the songs on it reference the music Mackey listened to in her teenage years. According to her, she tried to create an electronic record that sounds like it's being played by a band somewhere in a bedroom. The mix of electronic and live music is typical for her work; her gritty alto and synthesizer sound at concerts are often complemented by live drums and guitars.