Based in Palm Bay Florida, Morgan McCarty is a 27 year old singer-songwriter who has been writing music for ten years and has had two releases. A multi-talented artist, McCarty plays a variety of instruments that include guitar,ukulele, and piano. Morgan’s most recent album is titled “Los Angeles” (Extended Edition) which can be found on most streaming platforms.
In McCarty’s track, “I’d Rather Be Sleeping” we get a cool throwback ambient sound of guitars and soft reverb. Morgan’s vocals are distinct and light which blends well with the soft pick up beat creating a chill vibe. The lyrics capture you as McCarty seems to discuss her personal conflicts where she ultimately would just rather be sleeping. A lyric that really pulls at the heart strings is “I sew my smile on and pray to disappear”. Lyrics like this make Morgan so raw and real that a lot of people can probably relate to. While touching upon a heavy topic, McCarty is still able to produce a soft and upbeat sound that is neither happy nor sad. Morgan’s sound can be described best as a new wave of indie ambient pop music with her choice of instrumentation and soft beats. You won’t want to be sleeping once this song makes it on to your playlist!
Check out "I'd Rather Be Sleeping" here. Read more below in our exclusive interview!
What is the main theme of your song, “I’d rather be sleeping”?
This song is mainly about feeling like you haven't reached a point in your life when you felt like you should. At its purest form it was written by my depression, just full of everyone around me achieving their goals and creating beautiful lives while I just slept my days away and dealt with my own insecurities and "you cant do this" voices. I think the line "It should be harder to live than it is to dream" is what sums up the entire theme for me personally. Because at a certain point, even dreaming about what I wanted to be, just felt like another jar I couldn't open, and its a very sad way to live. I wanted this song to be the final chapter in a book so that i could move on and find more hopeful ways of doing things.
How do you as a songwriter get past creative blocks?
For me personally, I haven't figured out any master plan to battle creative blocks. If I feel like I'm in one I try to set down whatever I'm doing and leave it alone. I'll play games or watch tv or hang out with friends and then try to come back to it later. Its never an exact science. Sometimes I'll go back to it later and it'll be waiting for me, other times it'll take longer and all of a sudden like, months later I'll be trying to get to sleep and verses will just pour into my brain. The only real way I know to get past it, is to relax and let it happen to you, instead of trying to control it.
Which is your favorite instrument to write music on?
My main instrument is guitar and 99% of my songs are guitar based but I really loved working with the sound machine on this one. I'm constantly trying to learn new ways to make the sounds that I'm hearing in my head so that I'm as honest as possible with what I put into the world. If i had to choose just one instrument though, it would be my ukulele. There's just something about it that's always fun and relaxing when I write with it.
What got you into pursuing music and making it your career?
I've been singing since I was old enough to talk basically. I would go around to all of my relatives at family gatherings and sing Life's a Dance by John Michael Montgomery until they begged me to stop. I always feel like that's probably why I don't write in the country genre very much. I was around 13 when I wrote my first full song and 16 when my parents bought me my first guitar. I've always loved to sing and so many of my personal heroes are musicians so its just always been something that I've dreamed of doing.
What do you hope people will gain from listening to your music?
Right now, the world is no where near a perfect place. Growing up with anxiety and depression I always latched on to bands and artists that would talk about similar issues and it really made me feel like I wasn't alone. And while they didn't know me personally, they became my best friends. I would go to them for advice, when I needed to just vent or cry, when my family was fighting, and they would always be there for me, without fail. I've always just wanted to be that for someone else. I've always had the mindset of, yes this song might suck, but if even one person hears it and can relate to it, and maybe even find a friend in it, then I'm doing my job.
What's next for you?
I'm currently working on my next full length album, titled "TBD", which will be featuring I'd Rather Be Sleeping. I'm working on making it a mix of all different kinds of songs, some more like this with the sound machine, some guitar, and maybe even something new I haven't done yet. While I want it to have some happy songs, I never want to make an album that's all happy all the time. That's not how life is, and while we need it every once in a while, I feel like we need the sad stuff, the bad stuff, the real stuff just as much. Hopefully, it will end up being someone's new best friend.
Keep up with Morgan McCarty on social media!