During a year where so much is happening so fast, opening an album with a track called “Temperamental Year” seems comically fitting. Norma MacDonald’s newest album Old Future does just that, but rather than focusing on our tumultuous present, MacDonald instead both reminisces the past and ponders the future.
MacDonald’s lyrics are rooted in moments and memory. She often uses weather and nature to create a sense of place, to transport the listener to the exact moment she’s trying to capture. “Wonder in the Summer” opens with her comparing her lover to a cool breeze or the waves of the ocean, and how she’s fully willing to become swept away by it. It’s hard not to feel yourself warmed by the sun by just listening to her.
Though there’s an easy warmth to MacDonald’s voice, there’s also something strangely sad about even the sunniest of tracks. “Trick of the Light” has MacDonald battling self-doubt and endless worries, but the cheery guitar and crooning background harmonies have a much more hopeful sound than that. Her songs exist in a middle ground, a space where she is able to reflect on life’s many intricacies.
“One Man Band” is the culmination of this. The bursting swell of strings is a moving backdrop as MacDonald balances the despair of lost love with the unending hope that a brighter future might await. She never lingers or immerses herself too deeply into a single emotion. Instead, her songs explore the many layers that exist when it comes to life experiences.
There’s a recurring theme of unresolved love, of the romance behind “the one that got away”. It’s tied in with MacDonald’s nostalgia-drenched lyrics, no matter the actual subject. “Your Wedding Day” is, naturally, a pretty blatant example of showcasing these conflicting emotions. The country twang of the pedal steel guitar is in full force as MacDonald laments what it will be like to watch a person she never wanted move on.
Though this track has the most obvious country influences, it’s certainly not the only one. Old Future has MacDonald wading into these waters further than she ever has before. She also draws influence from many other classic sounds, tying it all together with a layer of her staple folk sensibilities. “I Already Have A Shadow” is MacDonald’s take on the sock hop heartbreak ballad, with that classic heartbeat chord progression driving the song forward. It’s all a smart choice of sound, especially coupled with the themes of the nostalgia on the album.
“Some nights you die a slow death by nostalgia,” MacDonald sings on closer “Some Days”, while also assuring us that “some days nothing happens at all.” A little on the nose, but undeniably a fitting summary. While MacDonald sings about painful and happy memories alike, there’s never a feeling of regret. She paints everything in the same fond lens – maybe she’s sad about the past, but she’s always hopeful for the future.