“Hometown Letdown” isn’t sung from Maddie Zahm’s viewpoint. As an alternative, the Idaho-born singer-songwriter, who first surfaced on the inaugural season of ABC’s American Idol reboot earlier than constructing a following of her personal, repeats what the folks she left behind mentioned about her when she got here out as queer and moved to Los Angeles. In Zahm’s telling, leaving city turns her into somebody the folks again dwelling consider they nonetheless have the suitable to evaluate. Launched on 17 July, it’s the tenth observe on All the pieces All of the Time, the Ehren Ebbage-produced album Zahm has known as “an ongoing act of curiosity, compassion, and coming dwelling to your self.”
The writing is sharp about how gossip sounds: informal, a little bit gleeful, dressed up as concern. “Let’s hope that Jesus isn’t coming quickly, only for her sake,” she sings, halfway between a joke and a menace, which is strictly how small-town judgment often sounds. It’s a register acquainted to anybody who’s adopted her since “Fats Humorous Buddy” turned TikTok confession into a real hit. Zahm has lengthy written about disgrace, household and self-worth with the identical directness. She’s mentioned she will lastly snort at being solid because the woman who left and obtained a girlfriend. She’s not reliving the insult; she’s making enjoyable of it. The guitar opens up because the hook arrives, inviting a roomful of individuals to sing each phrase again. As soon as the phrases develop into communal, they lose a lot of their energy.
Zahm performs Manchester’s YES on 14 September and Bush Corridor in London the next night time.
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