“Make Us Work” is the first single to be released by Newfoundland singer/songwriter Virginia Fudge since her debut album in 2006. Despite her early successes, life superseded many of the plans Fudge had for the big stage — that is, until Meg Warren put out a call looking for artists to produce. Now, Fudge is releasing her first choice solo tracks after years of stockpiled songwriting.
The opportunity to not only crank down on her solo material for the first time in years but also the chance for Fudge to work with her dream co-producer, came when Warren posted to a local women’s Facebook group with an open offer to any artists who would be interested.
“I was still longing to put out my solo material. For a long time, I had no idea how to make it happen,” says Fudge, who is a self-admitted super-fan of Warren since her first Repartee album. “I jumped. Like, big time jumped. Basically flew to the computer to throw my hat in the ring.”
At the time — specifically, in the Autumn of 2019 — Warren was also preparing to record her explosive solo EP, A Thousand Ways, with producer Daniel Ledwell, lending All These Little Games the particular distinction of bookending Warren’s solo debut.
“I’ve loved everything she’s ever done,” says Fudge. “Mine was the first project she ever produced (and mixed, and engineered). Her ears are impeccable. The flow of ideas was basically to die for. I have a big interest in production too so with just the two of us working on what became an EP, it was just so easy.”
“Make Us Work” is the first single to be released from Virginia Fudge’s upcoming EP, All These Little Games. The solemn, piano-based but vocal-driven tune comes as a “plea for resolution from the chaos of a strained relationship.” With lines like, “Down every road, down every damn road we were searching, we never got far,” “Make Us Work” captures a certain amount of frustration of someone who has exhausted more than their share of possibilities, and gets delivered with equal shares of both frustration and exhaustion.
Written three years ago, “Make Us Work” is one of the older songs that will appear on Fudge’s upcoming EP.
“I was really struggling with a relationship in my life. Someone who has been around for a long time, but we just can’t seem to get it right,” says Fudge.
“When I wrote ‘Make Us Work’ I was desperate for some kind of resolution. I didn’t expect my song or anything I did to really fix things, but I wanted to send my best hopes out into the universe. It can’t hurt, right?”
All These Little Games is set to be released on March 12, 2021, coinciding with the week of International Women’s Day.