Where debut track "Duplicity" turned the mirror inward, this follow-up swivels outward, fixing its gaze on the maddening unreliability of others. Magee has clearly spent time in London's dimly lit corners, watching people become philosophers at 2am and strangers by noon. The song bristles with frustration, yet never tips into self-pity. Instead, it achieves that difficult balance between empathy and exasperation, understanding the weakness while refusing to absolve it.
The production, helmed by Phil Taylor, builds a fitting sonic landscape for this emotional whiplash. Nostalgic synths shimmer beneath wiry electric guitar lines, while the drums scatter and reform in unpredictable patterns—never quite settling, much like the relationships Magee dissects. The arrangement feels deliberately unstable, rising into crescendos before pulling back, mirroring the push-pull dynamic of connections built on sand.
Lyrically, Magee proves herself a careful observer. "Your stirring words all tumble out onto the tablecloth" captures both the profusion and disposability of wine-soaked honesty, while "your burnt hand's reaching for the same flame" indicts the wilful repetition of destructive patterns. These aren't merely clever turns of phrase; they're diagnostic, diaristic, and devastatingly accurate.
The song's cleverest moment arrives with the line "watching the reruns decay," where the word "rerun" itself decays, stretched and warped into a slowed tape effect. It's a neat trick that underscores the central thesis: memories degrade, stories shift, and what felt monumental yesterday becomes hazy footage today. Magee's vocal delivery throughout brims with contained fury, her tone walking the line between accusation and resignation.
What rescues "Forget Yourself Not" from becoming a mere litany of grievances is its universality. Anyone who's tried to hold someone accountable for their 3am promises will recognise this territory. Magee has simply mapped it with unusual clarity, writing from the Melbourne lockdown songwriter's careful distance, now tempered by London's more chaotic social rituals.
The track positions Magee as more than a promising newcomer—she's developing into a songwriter who understands that the most cutting observations often come wrapped in melody, that anger expressed through pop hooks can land harder than any tirade. "Forget Yourself Not" is indie-pop with teeth, and it bites down with purpose.
If "Duplicity" introduced us to Magee's internal world, this second offering proves she's equally adept at chronicling the frustrations of trying to connect with people who won't—or can't—stay present enough to remember what they've said. It's a more energised, more pointed statement, and it marks genuine evolution. One hopes her catalogue continues in this direction: outward-facing, exasperated, and unafraid to name the ways people let each other down.
The song may be about forgetting, but Magee herself is proving difficult to dismiss.
*"Forget Yourself Not" is available now on all streaming platforms.*