Majical Cloudz have been performing “Savage” in their live set for some time, and the song was originally conceived around the same time as the tracks for the band’s debut Impersonator. Indeed, “Savage” possesses the same sparse austerity and lush emotion as the songs on that album. Devon Welsh and Matt Otto have an incredible gift for minimal yet powerful song arrangement and simple, commanding lyricism. I loved Impersonator, and this is as good as any track on it; I’m addicted to it. Nothing more I could write will aid the song as much as Welsh’s own post on their website that accompanied the release of the song. The full text of the post is included below:
“Savage” is a song we have been playing live for most of 2013. Many people have asked me on Tumblr and Twitter what this song is called and when it will be released, so here it is!
I think it’s important to explain a song a little bit, but not too much. The song is written about a specific set of circumstances and experiences, and Matt and I did such-and-such when we recorded it, but ultimately what the song is ‘about’ is less important than how and why it is meaningful for you when you listen to it. Explaining too much about the details of the song is not the point, so I won’t.
“Savage” is about a friendship, it’s mysteries and it’s moments of excitement, and the way drugs played into all of it. It’s about letting go of a relationship as it changes and the emotions that go along with that.
The song was originally a lot more minimal, just piano loops and bass. As we played it live it evolved a little bit, Matt started incorporating reverb swells and exploring the ways those could be used (along with a number of other additions) to create dynamics in the song.
Happy to be releasing it! It’s been fun to play it live over the past year.
