Flowing Like Water

Welcome back to Finetuned! Apologies for the later email here, admittedly forgot to hit “schedule”… OOPS. Enough of that though, let’s tap into some chill electronic vibes, airy vox, and deeply personal lyrics. This week is all about Art School Girlfriend! I promise you, this is not like much of what you’ve heard before.

Who Is Art School Girlfriend?

Art School Girlfriend is the alias of Polly Mackey, a Welsh artist whose music lives at the intersection of atmospheric pop, ambient electronica, and shoegaze. Based in Margate by way of Wrexham and London, she crafts introspective, emotionally intelligent tracks that often feel like soundtracks for the in-between moments—late-night drives, quiet revelations, and the slow burn of memory.

After early success fronting shoegaze outfit Deaf Club, Mackey shifted into solo territory with her debut EP Measures in 2017, and later, the full-lengths Is It Light Where You Are (2021) and Soft Landing (2023). Both records showcase her signature sonic palette: ethereal vocals, analog synths, tape loops, and guitar textures that wash over you more than they hit. Beneath the surface, her work is always processing something—grief, intimacy, joy, identity. It’s music that doesn’t demand your attention, but rewards it deeply when you give it.

What To Expect Sonically

Today’s rec is more specifically Soft Landing by Art School Girlfriend. This is a record that feels like it was built for late nights, open windows, and moments when you’re just a little too in your head (in the best way). Polly layers organic instruments - guitars, strings, subtle percussion - into a lush electronic world that’s more warm room than a cold synth lab. “A Place to Lie” folds nylon-string guitar into an ambient haze like it’s second nature to do so, while “Heaven Hanging Low” flirts with 80s synth-pop without ever feeling retro. It’s tactile, textured, and deeply considered, favoring tape loops and live takes over hyper-polished digital edges.

Sonically, it’s a slow dissolve between genres: shoegaze, ambient techno, and late-night indie electronica all swirl together beneath Mackey’s reverb-soaked, featherlight vocals. Her voice doesn’t just sit on top of the production, it sort of floats through it, weaving in and out like you are tying a lost braid. This is music for people who pay attention to feeling as much as sound, where every track feels like part of a continuous, private world. It’s cohesive without being repetitive, nostalgic without being derivative, and emotionally open without ever overreaching. You’ll want to live in it for a while.

Landing Softly In The Waves

Art School Girlfriend’s Soft Landing is the kind of record that glows and bubbles like the effervescence of a sparkling wine. Polly writes about love, queerness, and emotional stillness with a sharp eye for the small, beautiful moments: a quiet morning in bed, the slow unraveling of a relationship, the things we say without saying them. Tracks like “A Place to Lie” and “The Weeks” take those soft-focus snapshots and wrap them in subtle, surreal language - less confessional diary, more poetic realism. “Heaven Hanging Low” might be the album’s emotional centerpiece, turning everyday intimacy into something near-sacred.

There’s a delicate tension throughout, melancholy threaded through joy, euphoria shadowed by distance. Soft Landing leans into the feeling of dancing through heartbreak, especially on tracks like “Laugh My Head Off” and “Too Bright,” where connection feels just out of reach. But this isn’t a breakup album; it’s an introspection album. Mackey zooms in on the emotional in-betweens. The love that shifts, grief that lingers, growth that’s quiet but real. It’s tender, deliberate, and deeply human.

Thanks for reading here, Finetuners! I do hope you all have enjoyed this week’s Finetuned. I’d appreciate any insights, admiration, or otherwise. You can reply to the newsletter directly or DM me on Twitter. (or email me here: [email protected])

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See you all in the next one! 🙌