Madison Cunningham’s latest album, Revealer, was shared last fall and promptly earned a Grammy nomination for the 2023 ceremony. The 11-track record saw the singer/songwriter open up her wounds for reflections on grief, loss, love, and other universal emotions. Now, Cunningham is back with the deluxe version of the record, set for release on May 5.
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Cunningham is previewing the project with a new song titled “Inventing the Wheel.” The song features Cunningham’s trademark meandering melodies, intricate guitar lines, and adept lyricism.
“It was one of those songs that, once realized, was able to write itself,” Cunningham said in a statement. “I think it’s kind of a revelation that happens when you finally look outside of yourself and see that you’re not the first or the last to feel limited by your emotional bandwidth.”
“With that revelation, you see your peers, your family, your idols, your enemies, all standing at ground zero looking up, scratching at the same questions,” she continued. “There’s a heavy emphasis on the idea of loss on Revealer, and this song helped complete that thought in me in some way.”
Listen to “Inventing the Wheel” below. Elsewhere on the deluxe version of the album will be her recent collaboration with singer/songwriter Remi Wolf titled, “Hospital (One Man Down),” as well as one more new song.
On top of the deluxe release, Cunningham is set to support Hozier on the entirety of his U.S. Tour, which will kick off on September 9. Stops along the tour include New York’s Madison Square Garden, Morrison’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, and more. Find ticket information, HERE.
Cunningham spoke to American Songwriter after learning of Revealer’s Grammy nominations. “There were a couple of weeks where I felt like, ‘I’ve got this and I know the direction that I want to head in,'” she said of the album. “Then there were a lot of voices and opinions that were weighing in and then the pandemic hit and everything felt like trying to run through mud.
“There is a lot of superstition around sophomore records and that alone can make you feel like you’re gonna succumb to the folly of it,” she continued. “Along the way, I started to fall in love with the songs and started to believe in it. It wasn’t that I was shocked when I found out that people liked it, but I was so in my head about it for so long that there was an incredible relief to let it go.”
Photo: Claire Marie Vogel / Sacks & Co
