Sick Raccoon
out now
Press
“Melanie MacLaren is a lyrical sorceress…. Her gift for the English language alongside a classically trained ear for music makes for songs that are full of lyrical depth and an honest sound that’s a true rarity in today’s world.” Pleaser Magazine
“MacLaren’s new EP positions the artist as a soon-to-be undeniable figure in folk music, and she is just getting started.” Glide Magazine
“The universe has gifted her with the kind of voice that nestles perfectly into the folk genre, delivering lines that the listener has no choice but to receive as the truth.” Up To Hear
“If an acoustic Phoebe Bridgers had Dylan’s poetic magic.” The Wild Is Calling
“A sound indebted to the past and the present without being beholden to either, managing to possess the timeless country spirit without sacrificing any sense of immediacy.” Various Small Flames
Guest column in Bluegrass Situation
Atwood Magazine Video Premier
Live Dates
Melanie MacLaren has quickly established herself in the folk and Americana scene with her unique ability to blend poetic lyricism and a tongue-in-cheek sensibility with timeless Americana spirit. Melanie’s “haunting yet humorous” songs, distinctive finger-style guitar and soul-string vocals have won over live audiences nationally and internationally since 2022. Her ability to effortlessly weave past and present threads of the folk tradition without sacrificing any sense of individuality and contemporary relevance make her an undeniable artist to watch.
She released her stunning debut EP “Kill My Time” in 2022 independently to enthusiastic critical reception before gaining the attention of Tone Tree Distribution in Nashville. Within a few months of the release, she had signed with Tone Tree, landed several coveted playlist spots (most notably Spotify’s Best of 2022 Fresh Folk Finds), and released a second EP of duets entitled “Tadpole Emporium" with Dublin songwriter Lorkin O’Reilly (DUG) which they toured together in the UK and Ireland.
Melanie then released her second solo EP “Tourist” in April 2023. With tracks featured on multiple editorial playlists (most notably Spotify Fresh Finds and Spotify’s Best of 2022 Fresh Folk Finds) she garnered over 2.5 million streams across platforms. After touring extensively in 2023 and early 2024, Melanie released her latest EP “Bloodlust.”
Melanie has toured in the US solo four times to enthusiastic audiences as well as touring the UK and Ireland. She has shared bills with both established and rising folk artists like Caleb Caudle, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Charli Adams, Joshua Burnside, DUG, Lorkin O'Reilly, Ramsey Thornton, Bobby Bare Jr. and June Henry. In 2024, she had the opening spot on Charlie Starr’s (Blackberry Smoke) solo acoustic tour in January and played to several sold out audiences.
In 2025 Melanie was selected as one of the finalists in the Troubadour Contest for Telluride Bluegrass Festival and was an official artist at Salmonfest in Alaska in August marking her first major festival appearances. In 2026 Melanie embarked on a successful coheadline tour of the Northeast with artist Liv Greene, opened for Lizzie No and is touring with Abigail Rose in October.
After 2 years of country-wide touring Melanie is releasing her first single in two years, “Sick Raccoon” on Silverlab, a Moby-Dick-inspired alt country earworm sounds like a road trip and ends like a shipwreck.
Building on the work she made on Bloodlust, Melanie’s newest music highlights her inborn Americana sensibilities while staying true to her instinct for flipping conventions of genre and subject matter on their head.
Bio
