MACEY is the latest guest on Making Music, Making Ends Meet, a series focused on ANZ musicians during the cost-of-living crisis.
We interviewed the Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland-based singer-songwriter shortly before the release of his new album ONCE, out now via FiveAM / Warner Music New Zealand.
MACEY took us behind the scenes of the making of his second album.
“Half of the project was funded by NZ On Air through project funding, and the other half came from Warner as an advance,” he explained. “So that gets everything started. A lot of that money goes towards recording, session musicians, artwork, and music videos.
“I’ve made five videos already, and one more coming for the title track. Warner and my manager then handle distribution and getting everything out into the world.”
MACEY also revealed why he’s prioritising CDs during this album cycle.
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“We’re doing CDs and merch as well, which I’ve never done before,” he told us. “Because it’s cheaper than vinyl. I did vinyl for the first album, but I’m actually quite excited, I love CDs — they’re great.
“And they’re cheaper too — I’ll be selling them at the gigs for like $30, instead of like $70 for a vinyl.”
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ONCE is a ten-track record that shifts away from the strictly autobiographical lens of his debut and instead builds a broader world of characters and stories — much of it shaped by MACEY’s time in London, observing strangers and fleeting interactions on the tube.
“With this album, it feels like I’m looking at everything from a more mature and reflective place rather than reactive,” he previously said. “I flew to London to do some writing sessions, and every day I was surrounded by people from every walk of life. I was observing everything — every character, every interaction — and of course, I started writing about what I was seeing.”
Standout tracks include “Mona Lisa Money“, a folk-leaning anti-capitalism fable that landed at No. 18 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart, and “Clementine“, released in February, which saw MACEY team up with close collaborator Ben Malone.
MACEY’s Once is out now.
