From the moment the bossa nova-inspired Brazilian arrangement of the acoustic guitar begins on ‘Nothing Stays the Same’, you can imagine Maiah Wynne singing through a warm summer afternoon as it turns into evening, waiting for the sun to set before welcoming the weekend. There’s a sense of beauty and relief from the stresses of everyday life. Following her debut solo album, Out of the Dark, her next album, Into The Waves, sees Envy of None’s lead singer exploring themes of trauma, resilience, hope, and the journey toward moving forward.
The album reflects on healing while moving through moments of turbulence and genuine optimism. Self-produced, recorded, and written during a transformative period in her life, Into The Waves captures Wynne during her first international tour, traveling across the globe, returning to her education, and attempting to rebuild a new chapter in her life. Some of the songs were recorded on her laptop while she was on the road, often in hotel rooms.
It feels almost like a diary of her travels, capturing loneliness and the weight she carried on her shoulders. Alongside her own performances, Wynne brings these stories to life with contributions from drummers Adam Brzycki and Randy Cooke, guitarists Brooks Berg and Rush’s Alex Lifeson, cellist Bethany Joyce, flugelhorn player Henry Seppard, and violinist Avelyn Reynolds. Together, they help reveal the struggles of coming to terms with the past while reflecting on what it means to move forward and never look back.
‘In a Dream’ feels like a cross between Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Neon Bible, with Ra Ra Riot handling the production in another universe. Wynne seems to float across the sky, looking down at different buildings as the orchestral pop arrangement ascends. You can almost feel her escaping the chaos and mess of the real world. Meanwhile, ‘False Gods’ introduces a thumping, sinister gothic texture reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’.
You can imagine Wynne channeling the complicated rhythms of a city on the brink of collapse, as its citizens prepare to take their home back from a mad emperor. Then comes the droning, Ry Cooder-esque bluesy slide into the oceanic bluegrass waltz of ‘See the Water’. The gothic eeriness of ‘Creatures in the Night’ creates an entirely different atmosphere, taking you into the Salem witch trials, where the tension feels sharp enough to cut with a knife. It feels like an alternate soundtrack to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, with its theatrical darkness and sense of paranoia coming through clearly.
The walk into the unknown continues with ‘Breathe’, where Wynne sings about the struggle to find your true self while confronting memories of past relationships, friends, loved ones, and parents. Knowing how far you’ve come, there’s an acceptance that it’s finally time to move forward. The song carries a somber, lullaby-like quality within its classical atmosphere, creating a dreamlike sequence in which a superheroine, think Carol Danvers or Barbara Gordon, stands on the brink of collapse, unsure of who they are. By the end, they have completed their spiritual journey’s and no longer needs the cape as Ms. Marvel (Captain Marvel) or Batgirl, returning to the real world simply as themselves in their own universes.
With ‘Don’t Wait’, Wynne tips her hat to Beck’s Odelay era, incorporating samples, trip-hop, experimentation, and the sensation of floating through space and moving from one door to another. It feels like she’s reaching toward the light at the end of the tunnel after completing her journey.
Into The Waves may take a few listens to fully reveal itself, but its challenges are part of what makes the album compelling. Wynne proves that she’s more than just the front-woman of Envy of None. She carries her own voice, experiences, and stories into this new chapter, leaving the past behind while embracing whatever voyage awaits her next.
