The Beguiling ‘Maud Sessions'

Behind the somewhat unassuming pseudonym Maud, is Norwegian electronic artist and producer Kristine Hoff. Following the success of her introspective self-titled debut album, the singer has released a string of lucid session videos. 

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Maud’s inaugural video comes in the form of her track ‘Nobody’ - a candid allegory exploring the singer’s personal struggles with perseverance. Maud wastes no time distorting the thematic relevance of the song's title, and disclosing to the reader: “I went to my therapist the other day, she said/ Nobody’s gonna love you the way you love yourself.” 

By finding solace in this doctrine of self-worth, Maud invites the listener onto a journey of their own by initiating the opportunity towards finding their own self-love. 

Upon delving further into this video series; the videos that follow on make it exceedingly apparent that Maud’s attempt at exposing her deepest vulnerabilities is buried in this project. ‘Future’, ‘Bad Things’ and ‘Baby Girl’share introspective themes of personal growth, anxieties surrounding feeling unaccepted and the loss of innocence. Contributing an uncharacteristically somber feeling to the genre of EDM; the temporal bass-lines, paired with the singer’s haunting vocals, are the absolute apex of low fidelity. 

Ending the series on a more communal note, ‘Alone Together’ signifies a change in social feeling, accelerated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Validating the sense of alienation that struck our planet last year, Maud launches a personal pledge to share in that loneliness, promising “we can be alone together.” 

Using the medium of visual art to convey her inner tumult, Maud sets herself upon a chaotic psychedelic backdrop over the course of this video series. What is perhaps most striking about this stark use of colour is the persistence of the red hues which often seize the screen. With red being the colour of extremes - that is, extremes of love, passion, rage, urgency - Maud subliminally perpetuates her contemplative view of modern life on a level that is comprehensible without even listening to her music. 

Abbie Cronin

@abbiecronin

Image: Kristina Kvammen