Maria Kelly taps fellow alt-folk star Sive for 'like i used to (postcards version)'

Irish alt-folk musician Maria Kelly has teamed up with VETA labelmate Sive for a renewed rendition of ‘like i used to (postcards version)'.

This beautiful reimagining of Mayo artist Maria’s original track features stunning guest vocals from Sive, who recently released her debut album We Begin In Darkness. The harmonious version sees the two artists’ intimate vocals entwine in classically bewitching fashion.

“It can be nerve-racking handing over a song to another artist, but on this collaboration with Sive, it was nothing but a huge treat to see her do her thing," Maria Kelly says of the new single. "Sive has an incredible brain for interesting rhythms and intricate melodies, and can layer vocals like nothing I’ve heard before! We asked her to work her magic on a more acapella version of ‘like i used to’ and what you’re hearing is basically exactly what we got back. Genius!”

Sive describes the experience of working with such a gorgeous tune.

“Approaching an acapella arrangement of ‘like i used to’ was really enjoyable, yet quite challenging because it’s such a delicate piece of music and storytelling. The song has a beautifully tender quality, so I wanted to draw that out with a balance of folk-inspired close harmony and more choral influences. There’s a push and pull between some of the voices, which for me feel almost like a conversation between different versions of yourself, past and present.”

The single is the latest in a series of ‘postcard versions’ of her songs, including the previously-released ‘the sum of the in-between (feat. Paul Noonan)’ and ‘Martha (feat. Ciaran Lavery)’.

Maria Kelly’s ‘Postcards In-between’ project comprises an exhibition, a tour and new music and brings together some of Ireland’s finest artists to have conversations about mental health and the supports that are available, including the services provided by Minding Creative Minds. The organisation are holding a mentoring meet up in person tonight from 6pm-8pm on the fourth floor of the Guinness Enterprise Centre, Dublin.

Other artists involved in this project are Saint Sister, James Vincent McMorrow and Rosie Carney.

Debut album The Sum Of The In-Between's first track, ‘Panic’, kickstarted a remarkable record that deals with feelings of complacency, anxiety and stagnation.

”There’s a voice note mixed in with that track, which is a recording of me when I’m 17, having a panic attack,” Kelly told Hot Press last October. “I recorded it at the time because I just didn’t know what was happening to me.”

”I wanted it to be difficult to listen to. It starts the album where I was, and then brings you all the way along. It’s interesting now, getting to the end of the album and the process of making it. It feels so far away from the 17-year-old kid who is freaking out. So it felt important to include it.”

Listen to Maria and Sive's voice combine below.

Read our past chats with Sive and Maria Kelly on their respective debut albums.