Maddy O’Neal releases her new EP’s second single “Woofer,” a trunk-rattling collaboration with rapper Cleva Thoughts. Designed with the festival stage in mind, “Woofer” is one of the heaviest tracks in her discography, combining knocking kick drums and deep, bruising bass wubs with hard-hitting bars from Cleva Thoughts.
“This is possibly the heaviest song I’ve ever made. The title refers to a subwoofer, which sets the tone for the whole track in general. I wanted to capture the feeling of being in a room, when that sub hits you in the chest and takes over the moment…that visceral moment where music hits you in a physical form.
These moments are what bass music is about to me…those deep frequencies are what really set the genre apart, using sound to invoke a physical connection with the music. The track is beautiful and guttural at the same time…and that’s my bread and butter.” – Maddy O’ Neal
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwxVvfpG6sE?wmode=opaque]
Electro-soul maven Maddy O’Neal is continuing her reign as one of the most exciting artists in electronic music. Over the past seven years, she’s played hundreds of shows and taken the stage at some of the world’s biggest music festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Lightning In A Bottle, where she’s mesmerized audiences with her hybrid DJ/drum pad live performance style. She’s also toured and collaborated with artists such as Pretty Lights, CloZee, Big Gigantic, and The Floozies, cultivating a fervent fanbase endeared by her versatile fusion of glistening, melodic electro-soul with funky grooves and pulsating, synth-heavy basslines.
Now, following the release of O’Neal’s critically acclaimed 2022 sophomore album Ricochet and two volumes of LP remixes, the soulful bass queen is gearing up to release her new Mind Over Matter EP this fall. Vibrant, diverse, and brimming with collaborations alongside other inventive artists, the four-track EP will showcase O’Neal’s signature feel-good bass style while pushing her sound into new sonic terrain.
Fans got their first taste of Mind Over Matter with the EP’s lead single “Free Yourself,” a collaboration with South Florida producer/multi-instrumentalist Sofasound (who’s released music on the venerated labels bitbird and Chillhop). Fusing O’Neal’s luminescent future bass stylings with Sofasound’s warm, jazzy rhythmic timing and left-of-center sound design, “Free Yourself” acutely set the tone for the Mind Over Matter EP with its liberatory creative presentation and theme.
“Woofer” is the first collaboration between O’Neal and Cleva Thoughts, who formed an instant creative chemistry. The track kicks off with ethereal synth arpeggios and airy, backing synth pads, slowly building before dropping into its cacophonous, subwoofer-expanding bass riffs. The intricate sound design is perfectly complemented by Cleva Thoughts, who coined the song’s name and comes into the mix with swagger, using empty space in the instrumental to attack the mic with the song title: “WOOFER!.”
The track then evolves by pitching the bass down and adding trap high-hats over the explosive beat. Next, Cleva Thoughts comes in with a rapid-fire verse. “When I stomp down down drowned out every sound but the bass/subwoofer in the party knock em’ out star though the place,” she spits, riling up the listener by emphasizing the song’s central focus: heavy bass.
Following her performances at Summer Camp Music Festival and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, fans can catch Maddy O’Neal play out “Woofer” and other Mind Over Matter tracks on the rest of her summer tour, with stops at North Coast Music Festival, Same Same But Different, the newly-minted Cascade Equinox, and more.
Maddy O’Neal tour dates
7/29/23: The Mishawaka – Bellvue, CO
8/10/23: Friendzy Festival 2023 – Evansburg, Canada
8/17/23: Secret Dreams Music & Arts Festival 2023 – Thornville, OH
8/19/23: Liquid – Madison, WI
9/2/23: North Coast Music Festival – Bridgeview, IL
9/7/23: Rifflandia 2023 – Victoria, Canada
9/8/23 – 9/10/12: Sacred Acre 2023 – Ninilchik, AK
9/22/23: Cascade Equinox Festival 2023 – Redmond, OR
9/24/23: Ursa Major Festival – Flagstaff, AZ
9/28/23 – 10/1/23: Same Same But Different Festival – Lake Perris, CA
10/6/2023 – 10/7/23: Biscoland – Lafayette, NY
10/6/23 – 10/8/23: Evolutions 2023 – Pattersonville, NY
