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Apr 26, 2024 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Nat Jenkins

Last year, Brooklyn-based folk singer/songwriter Mackenzie Shrieve returned with her new EP, In The After. She describes the EP as the third part of a trilogy that she began with her 2020 single, “in the before,” followed by her full-length album, In the While, released in 2021. This year, she is sharing new versions of tracks from the trilogy with featured artists. The first of these collaborations, “Didn’t I Tell Ya, featuring Jane Bruce, is out today, premiering with Under the Radar.

On its surface, the newly released version of “Didn’t I Tell Ya” is quite similar to the original, with Shrieve’s vocals once again wrapped up in a swirl of fingerpicked guitar and gentle orchestral instrumentation. Yet, Shrieve’s vocals also feel more confident and the production brings an even greater intimacy to the track, letting the orchestral elements swell and sprawl as they dance with Shrieve and Bruce’s vocal melodies. Meanwhile, Bruce and Shrieve blend beautifully into each other’s world, conjuring immaculate folk harmonies together in the track’s climactic moments.

Shrieve says of the track, “This song represents a really pivotal time in my life. It was written during my senior year of college, after the last summer I worked at camp, during a relationship that lasted four years. I made a decision that deeply hurt some of the people I care most about. It was a really crazy but beautiful year. I wrote it in like 15 minutes. ‘Didn’t I Tell Ya’ is such a treasure and symbol of growth for me and will probably be a song I play in my set for the rest of time. It never gets old and although my mind changes often, I think it’s ultimately my favorite.

When I saw Jane perform for the first time, I was immediately enamored by her songwriting and vocal performance. She is one of my favorite folk singers of all time. I knew that I wanted to re-release this song and I knew whatever Jane decided to do with it would be breathtaking - and I was right!”

Bruce continues, saying of the track, “Mackenzie is an incredible writer and one of the hardest-working artists I know. I heard ‘Didn’t I Tell Ya’ for the first time while we were on the same bill at Arlene’s Grocery and it stopped me in my tracks. It’s a perfect song! Simple, true, specific, and yet completely relatable. We’ve been fans of one another since then, and I was over the moon when she asked me to feature on one of her tunes. When I found out it was this one, my heart swelled.

Being in the studio with David, Nat and Mackenzie was so special. She laid down her lead vocal in one take—it was amazing. They were all so patient and collaborative while I tried to turn something out as spectacular as her one-take wonder. I can’t wait to keep collaborating.”

Check out the song below, out everywhere now.