REVIEW: Maddie Claire Finds Solace on Debut Single “seven minutes”
WRITTEN BY OSCAR ORTEGA
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Photo by Shayna Minsk
Maddie Claire’s debut single opens with a tepid piano medley. The sound of each individual key being pressed down floats over the subtle timbre of Claire’s nails scratching against the strings of her acoustic guitar. It’s through these subtle human touches that make “seven minutes” a deeply introspective song about love, loss, and the mundanity of life we so often ignore.
The track is inspired by the viral “Seven Minute Theory,” a theory that suggests the brain is active for seven minutes after death. In this state, your mind replays memories as one final goodbye to the things and people you love. “This was one of those concepts that I had in the back of my mind for about a month, and then one day I felt inspired by it and wrote the song in about an hour in the studio. It was a really special experience,” Claire tells me. “I started reading about the actual theory, and I wanted to write a song about it: how some of the people and places that we might remember the most in the end might not be the ones we expect.”
“seven minutes” utilizes this deeply existential theory to create a storybook-like narrative on love and loss. “I’ll wonder if I’ll make it in/To the movie that’s made/Of the people you love in your life,” she ponders, questioning her place in the minds of those she cares deeply about. Soft electronics warble in the distance, with Claire’s hushed vocals careening between despondency and hopelessly romantic. ‘Cause if a few minutes is all that we get in the end/Know you’ll be in all seven of mine,’ she sings with a clear tone, as though confident that this person will be everything she remembers about life.
There’s a playfulness that is present throughout the track, despite initially coming at you like a gut-wrenching retrospection. “When I wrote this song, I just imagined the people and things in my life that I view as having the most impact, even if they were little moments, and pictured what that might look like condensed into just seven minutes,” she shares. The cinematic sweeps towards the climax of the track perfectly encapsulate Claire’s movie-like framing. “I think it’s such a nice thought that some of the moments from your life come back to you at the end, like one of those montages at the end of a bittersweet movie.”
“seven minutes” sits between two extremes: one being the existential dread of losing your memories forever and the other being happy you had them to experience.” In a fast-paced world where everyone seems to move at rapid speed, Claire suggests slowing down a bit, looking around, and taking the time to appreciate the simple things in life. “I think “seven minutes” is really just where the emotions in your life live. The pivotal points, the seemingly unimportant interactions, love, loss and all the things in between.”
And so Claire’s debut not only tugs at the heartstrings through its melancholic tone, it suggests that every memory, even the boring ones, is worth remembering. “When I think about how my life would be summarized in just seven minutes, I picture a whole world of emotions and a lifetime of people. I think that’s why the concept is so intriguing too, because it’s going to be different for everyone, and no one really knows who or what might leave the biggest mark in the end.” Claire takes the good with the bad because she understands that once it’s gone, there’s no looking back.
