NEW! MY DEAR WENDY The Apple Falls Far, Pt 2
My Dear Wendy – The Apple Falls Far, Pt 2 is available at Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer.
by Walter Price
In a soul-baring Facebook post (September 7, 2021), singer-songwriter Amanda Gunnels speaks about the release of her My Dear Wendy’s latest EP, ‘The Apple Falls Far, Pt 2, “It’s surreal that these songs are all out in the open now, but also feels like a little weight has been lifted. I was never sure if I should release them, if they were too personal, or if it would upset anyone to know that they are all about my family in some way. But after everything, especially in the last couple of years, I knew it needed to be done.
“To reach out to the world and let other people know they’re not alone, and to feel heard for my own perspective. Family is certainly never easy– there is a pressure to be super close and happy and forgiving all the time. There is a love, but it’s complicated as we grow into ourselves and into different people. Part of me was also hoping that maybe having these songs available could finally start a healing conversation, for me or for anyone who can relate. I will hold on to that hope for as long as it takes.”
As with Part 1 of this set, Part 2 is a cathartic experience through music. All three tracks feel like the listener is invited, maybe reluctantly at first, to be a soul voyeur as this songwriter hashes out some difficult memories. Emotional for sure and a pretty damn good study of how far an artist will go to purge the pain, regret, sorrow, and maybe find some redemption at the end of the day.
All three tracks here are brilliant. Not only in the beautifully haunting lyrics, but the arrangements are simply spectacular. A production quality that leaves enough of the raw that you instantly accept the fact that Gunnels has blended multiple genres into this EP. Piano pop, Southern living room folk, funk, and soul. Also, for me, I find it fascinating that even in her boppiest moments, there’s a barbed undertone. Kinda like life itself.
All and all, Amanda Gunnels is one of the most intriguing songwriters going today and her My Dear Wendy is poised for great things. So have a stream of The Apple Falls Far Pt 1 & 2 here at the GTC and tell a friend or two about this singer with a flair for cleansing if not therapeutic storytelling.
MY DEAR WENDY
The Apple Falls Far Pt 1 & 2
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“A concept album I never thought would be released. Family can be an interesting thing, and growing up I always felt torn with how to feel. There was this pressure to be a specific type of person and to follow a certain timeline of how life was “supposed” to go, but there was something inside of me that wanted more. I wanted to be able to be who I really was, without judgment and without feeling ashamed for being a little bit different than the “norm.” This album is incredibly personal, but I also believe that there are many people out there who might feel the same way– who might recognize these troubles, understand, and find a hope that they are not alone with these feelings. “The Apple Falls Far” will be released in two parts, and each song represents the emotions and feelings I have towards my family as a whole, or individually.” – My Dear Wendy