Bedroom Pop is Back: Pixie McCann’s “Rotting”
Photo via Instagram
Pixie McCann is one to watch—her new single “Rotting” backs up this belief. With just the right mix of bedroom pop and soft rock, McCann’s second single of the year showcases her talent beautifully.
I think the best way to describe this song, and her music as a whole, is ethereal synth pop with the occasional rock influence added in, but one of its greatest strengths is the way her voice is used. She treats it as an instrument in and of itself, sometimes acting as the driving force of a song. Not only done through lyrics, but also by moving her voice between spaces in her songs, bringing it to the front or moving it to the back, all while putting vocal effects on it.
Her vocal effect techniques are what drew me to her in the first place. I first came across McCann on TikTok a couple of months ago with one of her covers of “Don’t Delete The Kisses” by Wolf Alice. She was doing a live loop of the chorus, which I found mesmerizing. I was ecstatic when I saw that she not only did covers but also made her own music.
McCann used this same technique to tease this new single, posting videos of her doing live loops of different sections of the track. During those, all I could hear was a young Lorde’s lyrics with early Grimes influence on the instrumentals and effects. While this is what I was expecting from the recorded version, I am not at all disappointed to find that they are a bit different.
Honestly, I love that these two distinct versions of the same song exist in the same space. I feel like they showcase different aspects of the song. One version, the recorded official release, shows a polished version of a messy experience outlined by the lyrics. We have all of the different parts working together to tell this melancholy story of the song, all coming in at designated times when we need them most. The lyrics are heavy, and the intentional instrumental breaks work to either emphasize them or make them easier to digest.
On the other hand, the live versions give us a raw, intimate side of the song. It’s like we are working through the story, living it with McCann as we watch her record each segment intently, building the song in front of us. There’s nothing to hide behind here, making the song hit in a new way.
Regardless of the version, the song is beautifully written to evoke this feeling of grief, of missing what once was. “You’re my best friend/ I’m really sorry/ Take me back home” immediately gave me a heavy heart, as I thought about experiences from my own life and how this song managed to capture them sonically in a way I hadn’t heard before. I think the beauty of these lines is that they can be taken as a conversation between people or with oneself. The rest of the song is full of hard-hitting lyrics as well, as the verses give us pieces of the bigger story at hand. While telling their own narrative, they still allow for the listener to insert themselves and their experiences into it, making it relatable and impactful.
Personally, I cannot wait to see what else Pixie McCann gives us. She is such a unique talent right now, demonstrating what it means to truly craft a song by letting us in on that process in little glimpses. This new song of hers is a testament to this as it gives us the chance to explore a new side of her voice, story, and signature dream pop sound a little more.