Smile is MilkMaid Merchant’s third single after a busy year of creating tracks, released on 25 October. The Scottish soft-rock artist’s latest track was released ahead of the band’s first shows together, which will be announced soon.
Derry Creaney, the man behind the music, splatters his tracks together with a homemade approach. This technique makes for a refreshing listen, a style that Creaney refers to as “un-polished, raw and imperfect”.
Self-producing Smile let Creaney’s joy for the craft shine through. He didn’t let the music-making drag itself out and threw the lyrics together in 20 minutes, keeping the song fresh and interesting – for himself and his audiences.
“The sound is kind of my homage to how I hate the sound of modern records, every single instrument was done in one take – the lyrics took about 20 minutes and it all just felt right!” Creaney explained.
His DIY approach is not the choice of a novice – Creaney has been around the musical block a few times. In fact, he’s an experienced musician and a world-touring music technician for bands including Nazarath, Shambolics, and Glasvegas.
Smile wraps its way around your head with soft indie twangs and a thrumming base. Many indie songs can be described as summery, or coming-of-age like. Creaney’s indie production to his soft rock approach gather these feelings with a culminative tone as if you’ve reached the end of your journey.
“It’s been a long time since I saw your smile” leads us to a melodic end as the lyrics stop and the music fades out.
Smile is out now. You can listen to that and Creaney’s other two singles here.
Creaney’s live full band debut is planned for the end of 2024 with a schedule to be released sometime this month.
Featured Image Credit: MilkMaid Merchant
