Maple Glider - "Don't Kiss Me"

Photo by Bridgette Winten

Hailing from Naarm/Melbourne, Maple Glider's (the musical project of Tori Zietsch) latest single is going to remind you a lot of fellow Australian Julia Jacklin. "Don't Kiss Me" has that light and breezy sound that contains country, folk, indie rock, and pop that we cover a lot here (and that seems to be emanating from Australia lately). But as the song goes on, you're going to be thinking of other musicians less and less. Sure, "Don't Kiss Me" stays in that same genre, but Zietsch has her own sound. The song just builds and builds into this glorious epic, with the vocals keeping the same intensity while the music crescendos around her. Maple Glider is going to be one of those artists we'll be watching closely throughout the rest of 2023.

Tori Zietsch says of her new single:

“I didn’t think much of this song when I wrote it. I had a terrible recording of it on my voice memos where I wailed out of key, and it got buried somewhere in there for two years or so before I uncovered it again. I felt so connected and ready for it when I found it again that I started playing it regularly at shows. It’s a song about consent, and the experience of being predated on by older men as a girl/young woman. I think many of us are aware of that strong urge to say ‘fuck off’ and be left to our own."

You can watch the video for "Don't Kiss Me" below. The single is out now via Pieater/ Partisan Records. For more on Maple Glider, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram.