Meg Mac announces third album 'Matter of Time' will be released September 16
Image: Isaac Brown
Australian singer-songwriter Meg Mac has announced her third album Matter Of Time will be released on September 16. The announcement is accompanied today by the release of the single ‘Letter’, a gorgeous, moving stripped back piano ballad about the breakdown of a relationship.
Matter Of Time is an album that reflects a new found confidence in Mac alongside seeing her take full control of her artistic vision. She had originally completed her third album for release in early 2020 but dissatisfied with the end result made the monumental decision to scrap it just weeks before release. She then moved to the remote village of Burrawang in the NSW Southern Highlands for a creative and personal reset where Matter Of Time slowly came together.
“I wanted to just start again and do everything without compromise,” Mac says. “[It’s} how I’ve always wanted to do an album…knowing when it’s not right, and having the confidence to say so and to take it in a different direction. Now for the first time, I really feel in control.”
The album sees Mac delivering some of her powerful and dramatic soundscapes to date, symbolised by the stunning first single ‘Is It Worth Being Sad’, the first song she wrote for the new album, through to reworked versions of two songs from the original iteration of the album ‘Something In The Water’ and ‘Don’t You Cry’. Working with acclaimed songwriters PJ Harding (Noah Cyrus) for several songs on the album as well as Jesse Shatkin (Sia), the record was produced by US based The Donuts (Kendrick Lamar) during lockdown and introduced a whole new way of working for Mac on which she thrived.
“Because I wasn't in the room with them, all the feedback was [via] WhatsApp, or emails so I really had to try and boil down what I was trying to say into words to give the right feedback,” she told Women In Pop. “I kind of liked not being in the room because you had so much time to think about it, you didn't have to make a decision right then and there. I could listen lots of times, go for a drive and listen. Sometimes [in the room] you’re put on the spot and you make quick decisions, and then later you're like 'oh was that right?’”
Meg Mac has always been an artist that has created incredibly intelligent, soulful and immersive music and Matter Of Time sees her dial that up several notches. It is a remarkable return for the singer that deserves all the accolades it is bound to receive on release. Undoubtedly one of the great albums of 2022, and proof that following your instincts and taking your time will usually end with outstanding results. “I didn't want to settle for anything,” she told us. “I want to feel good about every word, every song, every note on this album. Whatever happens, at least I put myself into it and there was no regrets or compromising. That was what I really wanted to do with this album.”
Matter Of Time is out on September 16 via EMI Records. You can pre-order and pre-save here.
Meg Mac is featured in issue 12 of Women In Pop in a six page interview. Find a retailer near you or buy a copy online.
‘Letter’ is out now via EMI Records. You can buy and stream here.
To keep up with all things Meg Mac you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
