Title: “Eternal Sunshine” (feat. Alexis Brooke)
Artist: Madison
Release Date: January 30, 2022
Length: 4:37
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: December 2020 - Studio 60, West Hollywood, California
Genre(s): Electro-pop, Synth-pop, Pop
Label: Studio60 Records
Written: November 2020
Writer(s): Madison Urie, Alexis Brooke Pérez
Producer(s): Jonas Haaland, Madison Urie
Previous Single: “Brutal Love” (December 31, 2020) [#02]

“Eternal Sunshine” is a song by the American singer ‘Madison’ which features former ‘SYNCO’ popstar ‘Alexis Brooke’ with guest vocals, it’s the third single from her upcoming third studio album due for release in 2022. The song comes a little over a year after the previous single released by Madison as her career took a pause during the COVID pandemic which has led to her progress on her next studio album constantly in stop and start mode for the past two to three years. However, as things begin to return to some form of stability and normality in the world, Madison is currently in the process of finishing up the work on her upcoming album and embarking on the pre-release promotional run which has been previously plagued with delays.
As with this latest single, Madison wrote the song with her friend Alexis Brooke back in November 2020, initially without the intention of the former girl group member laying down vocals on the track, but after hearing the song performed in full by Alexis she knew she had to have her vocals on the track as she felt the RnB vocal style of Alexis mixed beautifully with the dreamy pop vibe of Madison’s vocal delivery, especially when the two share harmonies during the songs chorus which was a match made in heaven. It was always intended as a solo song and wasn’t rewritten in any way in order to make sense of the inclusion of Alexis, but with the inclusion of another female voice on the track the song suddenly took on a whole different outlook, like two lovers baring their souls to each other as opposed to the idea of Madison singing from a one sided point of view.

In connection with the previous two singles that have also delved deep into the heart of romantic love and relationships, it appears that this latest offering will continue in a similar path and that the theme’s within the first three singles from the album will certainly be evident of the general tone of the album as the alternative pop singer bares her soul in a record that will very much be considered an autobiographical record focussing on love.
According to Madison, the song’s journey from a solo track into a collaborative track changed its course dramatically as she was considering dropping the song completely, potentially using it as a b-side or even giving the song away before the pair teamed up on vocals in the studio and according to Madison, “It became my weird little obsession for weeks. I cut like five very different versions of the track in the studio. It just wouldn’t leave my mind, I was thinking of all these cool concepts we could go into and different ways of performing the track and ideas for the music video. It just opened some sort of creative spark in me. It felt magical at the time.”

The track marks the third official single from the upcoming studio album by Madison and she has previously indicated that this could be the final single before the album drops, but with the delays between previous singles averaging over a year per release it has recently been rumoured that this roll-out plan for the album is set to be completely scrapped and that the singer could potentially find herself on a hectic promo trail ahead of the albums expected summer 2022 release. It’s thought that the hype surrounding Madison has died down following the previous two singles and that both the artist and the label themselves feel that momentum needs to be built rapidly ahead of the album release in order to get things back on track.
However, with no release date announced for the record, she has said that plans can change as they often do. “Eternal Sunshine” was written by Madison Urie and Alexis Brooke and produced by both Madison Urie and Jonas Haaland. It will be released through Studio60 Records as a CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single on January 30, 2022 and will be made available to Weekly Airplay and all major streaming platforms.

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Song Description;

The song begins with an eerie melancholic synth driven opening, which immediately sets an emotive tone to the song, after a couple of seconds we hear the piano notes interwoven with the synth backdrop with the addition of the piano keys and the slower tone to the opening it invokes a very powerful feeling of nostalgia almost as if the song is perfect to be played on the quiet midnight roads on those evenings where your thoughts are just getting the better of you and you can’t quite find your comfort enough to send you to sleep. It builds slowly and gradually for around twenty-seven seconds before we hear the opening lyrics sung out in a tender and emotive tone, matching the tempo and vibe of the music behind it as Madison sings, “Ain’t it crazy, some of the shit that we do?/Some of the traits that we just can’t fucking let go/Even though they’re killing you/You see em’ as the armour that’s protecting you/But everybody else can see the truth/That they’re the finger on the trigger firing rounds at you/And you’re just stood in the middle of the room looking like such a fucking fool/Blood pouring out from your bullet wounds.” which gives you an idea of what the song could be about, but also leaves it open to interpretation. At it’s very core though, it’s about self-reflection in the immediate aftermath of broken love.

As the opening verse ends and we move into the songs refrain, the music remains emotive with the piano and the synth driving the songs heart, but we hear the inclusion of drums, with one-two beats coming into play to add the slightest urgency to the song which will increase as the song moves on, but for now Madison sings over that reflective backdrop in very much the same tone for the songs brief refrain, “But I keep telling myself that this time is different/When I’m left with the same old scars/Wish I could just be someone worth truly loving/Instead of mending this broken heart.” and with the refrain we gain a little more to the picture while the lack of specifics continue to give the song the opportunity to be openly interpreted in a number of different particular ways, leaving it open to slot into the mindset of a variety of different heartbreaks and heartaches. Towards the end of the refrain, the drums become slightly more prominent both in volume and tempo which leads the song into it’s chorus.

As the songs chorus arrives, we now have a cavalcade of music swirling around the ether, with the piano and synths setting the emotional backdrop of the song, remaining consistently there throughout giving it the indie-soundtrack sort of feel at it’s core. The drums growing more prominent as we arrive to the chorus and picking up in power and becoming the more prominent element of the song as it finds it urgency during the chorus, the tempo increasing with it to continue to drive it forward and give the song it’s rise at it’s mid-way point. As the chorus comes into play, a guitar and bass can be heard slightly in the musical backdrop as it serves a purpose to back up the drums and help add to the intensity of the songs chorus. This is where we hear the arrival of Alexis Brooke onto the track as her crisp and soulful RnB vocal delivery contrasts beautifully with the wistful almost dream-like vocal delivery of Madison as they sing in harmony during the songs chorus, “I convince myself that I can change them/I fall in love in the strangest places/Forever on some Eternal Sunshine shit/Always wishing I could erase them.” which despite being brief, remains catchy enough to get stuck in your head long after the music has stopped playing. Again, the lyrics highlight the emotion of a relationship but leave specifics out of the content which gives the listener the opportunity to attach the song to something personal for themselves. The chorus being where the songs title comes from, a reference to the 2004 movie, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and it’s powerful alternative love story tale of a couple erasing each other from their memories.

The music settles back down briefly, almost becoming a mirror image of the opening verse and stripped back to the piano and synth driven backdrop that we were introduced to in the very opening moments of the track, this time instead of the soft and dreamy vocal delivery of Madison we have the more crisp and beautifully smooth vocal delivery of Alexis which plays off against Madison’s vocal as a contrast and complimentary partner somehow, she delivers her lyrics “I know that I’m so god damned stubborn/But I wish I didn’t get myself into this kind of trouble/Wish I’d listen to them when they’d say/You’re making a big fucking mistake/But it seems like I’m always searching in the worst of fucking places/We all make mistakes/When we’re so fucking wasted.” which feels like we’re given the alternative side to the same story, almost as if they’re both fighting against the same internal feelings before the music cranks back up again for the songs chorus as they sing together once more, “I convince myself that I can change them/I fall in love in the strangest places/Forever on some Eternal Sunshine shit/Always wishing I could erase them.” marking the final input from Alexis as she shares vocal duties with Madison in the songs chorus again before dipping out of the track with her work done.

The music slows tempo again as we move towards it’s third and final act, those sleepless late night drives coming to mind again as the musical backdrop sets a beautiful and emotive tender tone as the songs refrain is repeated by Madison once more “But I keep telling myself that this time is different/When I’m left with the same old scars/Wish I could just be someone worth truly loving/Instead of mending this broken heart.” and a repetition of the opening verse is delivered to see out the track in the same way in which we were introduced, “Ain’t it crazy, some of the shit that we do?/Some of the traits that we just can’t fucking let go/Even though they’re killing you/You see em’ as the armour that’s protecting you/But everybody else can see the truth/That they’re the finger on the trigger firing rounds at you/And you’re just stood in the middle of the room looking like such a fucking fool/Blood pouring out from your bullet wounds.” which gives the song a very scientific structure and feels very considered but it works in keeping the track concise and familiar.

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“Eternal Sunshine” (feat. Alexis Brooke)

Indigo = Alexis Brooke
Bold = Alexis Brooke and Madison

“Ain’t it crazy, some of the shit that we do?
Some of the traits that we just can’t fucking let go
Even though they’re killing you
You see em’ as the armour that’s protecting you
But everybody else can see the truth
That they’re the finger on the trigger firing rounds at you
And you’re just stood in the middle of the room looking like such a fucking fool
Blood pouring out from your bullet wounds

But I keep telling myself that this time is different
When I’m left with the same old scars
Wish I could just be someone worth truly loving
Instead of mending this broken heart

I convince myself that I can change them
I fall in love in the strangest places
Forever on some Eternal Sunshine shit
Always wishing I could erase them

I know that I’m so god damned stubborn
But I wish I didn’t get myself into this kind of trouble
Wish I’d listen to them when they’d say
You’re making a big fucking mistake
But it seems like I’m always searching in the worst of fucking places
We all make mistakes
When we’re so fucking wasted

I convince myself that I can change them
I fall in love in the strangest places
Forever on some Eternal Sunshine shit
Always wishing I could erase them

But I keep telling myself that this time is different
When I’m left with the same old scars
Wish I could just be someone worth truly loving
Instead of mending this broken heart

Ain’t it crazy, some of the shit that we do?
Some of the traits that we just can’t fucking let go
Even though they’re killing you
You see em’ as the armour that’s protecting you
But everybody else can see the truth
That they’re the finger on the trigger firing rounds at you
And you’re just stood in the middle of the room looking like such a fucking fool
Blood pouring out from your bullet wounds”

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Credits & Personnel

CREDITS

Produced by Jonas Haaland, Madison Urie
Engineered by Sara Brie-Loren
Mixed by Aaron Forbes
Recorded at Studio 60 Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California, USA

PERSONNEL

Madison Urie – vocals, piano, lyrics, composition, production
Alexis Brooke Perez – vocals, lyrics
Sara Brie-Loren – guitar, synthesizer, programming, mastering, engineering
Aaron Forbes – bass, mixing
Charlie Hawks – drums, programming
Jonas Haaland - production