Mazy Fly

Mazy Fly
Studio album by Spellling
Released	February 22, 2019 (2019-02-22)
Recorded	2018
Studio	Antiquity Records (Oakland, CA)[1]
Genre	Experimental neo soul psychedelia techno
Length	42:31
Label	Sacred Bones
Producer	Tia Cabral[2]
Spellling chronology
Pantheon of Me (2017) Mazy Fly (2019) The Turning Wheel (2021)
Singles from Mazy Fly
"Hard to Please" Released: 2018 (2018) "Haunted Water" Released: 2018 (2018) "Under the Sun" Released: 2019 (2019)

Mazy Fly is the second studio album by American experimental pop musician Spellling, released in February 2019. It is her debut recording with Sacred Bones Records, making her labelmates with artists like Jenny Hval and Zola Jesus.

Composition

Kareem Ghezawi for The Quietus noted its songs as "experimental neo-soul", as well as comparing Spellling's avant-garde leanings to lauded musicians Björk, FKA twigs and Zola Jesus. He also called the record a “psychedelic circus of one".[3] Tiny Mix Tapes noted its styles as experimental, R&B, and techno.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Exclaim!	9/10[6]
Paste	8.2/10[7]
PopMatters	9/10[8]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[9]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[4]
Under the Radar	8/10[10]

Mazy Fly was released to critical acclaim from music reviewers. On Metacritic, it has a score of 84/100, based on 10 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]

Eric R. Denton for Paste called its songs "at once spacious and intimate" and the record as "remarkably cohesive".[7] Concluding the review for AllMusic, Paul Simpson declared, "the album is a delightful trip from an unmistakably original artist."[1]

Accolades

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Bandcamp Daily	The Best Albums of 2019	27	[11]
Metacritic	Best Music and Albums for 2019	51	[12]

Track listing

All songs written by Spellling.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Red"	2:13
2.	"Haunted Water"	4:50
3.	"Hard to Please"	2:08
4.	"Golden Numbers"	2:44
5.	"Melted Wings"	1:52
6.	"Under the Sun"	5:55
7.	"Real Fun"	3:32
8.	"Hard to Please (Reprise)"	3:34
9.	"Afterlife"	5:24
10.	"Dirty Desert Dreams"	2:32
11.	"Secret Thread"	5:06
12.	"Falling Asleep"	2:45
Total length:		42:31

Personnel

Spellling

• Tia Cabral – vocals, Roland Juno-106

Additional musicians[2]

• Divya Farias – violin, saxophone
• Andrea Genevieve – guitar (7)
• Janak Preston – percussion (10)
• Jacob Richards – percussion (7-9)

References

1. Simpson, Paul. "Mazy Fly - Spellling | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
2. "Mazy Fly by SPELLLING". spellling.bandcamp.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
3. Ghezawi, Kareem (February 22, 2019). "Reviews - Spellling - MAZY FLY | The Quietus". thequietus.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
4. Hannah, Sean. "SPELLLING - Mazy Fly | Tiny Mix Tapes". tinymixtapes.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
5. "Mazy Fly by Spellling Reviews and Tracks | Metacritic". metacritic.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
6. Beedham, Tom (February 20, 2019). "Spellling Mazy Fly | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
7. Danton, Eric R. (February 20, 2019). "SPELLLING: Mazy Fly Review | Paste Magazine". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
8. Kim, Hans (February 27, 2019). "SPELLLING'S 'Mazy Fly' Revels in a Celestial Imagination, a Consciousness in Accordance with Afrofuturism and Wake Work | PopMatters". popmatters.com. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
9. Evans, Dayna (February 22, 2019). "SPELLLING: Mazy Fly Album Review | Pitchfork Media". pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
10. Michael, Jordan J. (March 13, 2019). "SPELLLING: Mazy Fly (Sacred Bones) Review | Under the Radar". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
11. "The Best Albums of 2019: #40 – 21 | Bandcamp". daily.bandcamp.com. December 12, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
12. "Best Music and Albums for 2019 | Metacritic". metacritic.com. Retrieved June 23, 2021.