Mappe Of Share New Single + Video “Honeyhaze” | Out Now via Paper Bag Records
Today, Toronto based multidisciplinary artist Tom Meikle, (aka Mappe Of), shares his poignant new single, “Honeyhaze“. In this reflective and moving piece, the artist imagines the tender act of loving someone, “if the world was dying.” With haunting simplicity and a profound, transcendent message, “Honeyhaze” is a song that lingers in the hearts of listeners.
Meikle on the track, “This track is about a couple, living in an idyllic setting, but reckoning with the knowledge that the end is nigh, as the world falls apart around them. When I started writing this song, I pictured myself sitting by a radio, listening to news of impending doom, then getting up and putting on the kettle. Life persists. It got me thinking about what love looks like when there’s no future. How would it change how we behave, how we show love? I think that’s where the lyrics are coming from, a place of love without inhibition. Tried to love you like the world was dying. I’ve always struggled with writing love songs, but I think I finally managed it with this one.”
“Honeyhaze’s” accompanying video – shot by Meikle and directed and edited by his wife, Milly, – is an intimate and dreamlike montage of intimate moments between him and his wife, existing peacefully in nature: sunsets glowing, rivers flowing, deer leaping through fields. A meditation on presence, the visual echoes the song’s themes of love, stillness, and fleeting beauty.
Meikle on the video, “My wife directed, edited and starred in the music video for this one. We wanted to capture a home-video nostalgia that only VHS camcorders can provide, with some pastoral imagery that felt like it could exist in a fictional reality where the rest of the world has fallen away. There’s an emptiness to it, wide open farmland and empty roads, but also a warmth and optimism, wildlife running free, frolicking in the fields. It’s a visual love letter from the future that feels like it came from the past.”
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
What was the inspiration behind “Honeyhaze”? The lyrics seem to explore love in a world where the future is uncertain — can you share what prompted this concept and how it came to life in the song?
“Honeyhaze” came about from exploring the more intimate side of sci-fi stories, and using that to write something more earnest and straightforward than I’ve been able to access in the past. I love stories that zoom in on the emotional arc of specific human beings in the midst of some sort of catastrophic event or aftermath. For me it was a way into writing a love song, and to write about what it would be like to be with someone you love while you watch the world fade away.
After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, how has your perspective on songwriting and music-making changed? Has this break influenced the way you create or connect with your audience now that you’re returning with new material?
I think above all else I’m just more grateful than I’ve ever been for being able to make music. I had a hard time for quite a while figuring out where to go next. I was so excited when the music started to come. Sometimes it feels like the well of creativity is infinite, and sometimes it feels like it’s all dried up. I just feel so fortunate for the well to be full and to be putting music into the world that I feel proud of. I know we’ve all felt a bit of that connection deprivation, and releasing new music makes me really want to go out into the world and share in musical experiences with people.
How did the music video for “Honeyhaze” evolve into a collaborative project between you and your wife? What was the creative process like, working together to bring this vision to life?
My wife Milly is a brilliant social media marketer and content creator. I’m terrible at social media, so she’s been keeping that ship afloat. She’s also played in a couple different iterations of the Mappe Of live band as a violinist and vocalist. So other than being my wife, she also deeply understands the project and my intentions.
We were in a position where we had to make something on no budget. I had this sense of nostalgia and VHS aesthetic I wanted to instil in this video and some basic shot ideas, but not much of a concept beyond that. She came up with a bunch of concepts and gave the video its shape and emotional resonance. We did a lot of improvising and experimenting together. I think that energy comes through in the final product.
