Angie McMahon has shared ‘Saturn Returning’, her first new single in three years. The soaring track sees McMahon – above gorgeously-layered keys and harmonies – make a series of vows to herself: “I’m gonna love every inch of this body,” she sings at its peak. “I’m gonna surrender my keys to the universe.“
Both the song’s title and lyrics were inspired by McMahon’s own Saturn return, the astrological transit that occurs when Saturn returns to the same ecliptic longitude as it was at the time of someone’s birth. Usually occurring when someone is 29 or 30 years old, it signifies major life change or growth in a person as they reach full adulthood. ‘Saturn Returning’ addresses this shift, and arrives alongside a video co-directed by McMahon and Bridgette Winten. Watch that below.
Angie McMahon – ‘Saturn Returning’
McMahon wrote ‘Saturn Returning’ in New York, based off a prompt in a songwriting group she was in with fellow artists Ruby Gill, Hannah Cameron and Mimi Gilbert. It was recorded in North Carolina, co-produced by McMahon and Brad Cook. Bon Iver‘s Matt McCaughan played drums, with Phil Cook playing organ and Leif Vollebekk contributing bass.
“Your Saturn return is like a teacher, and this song is a conversation with myself through a time of significant endings and beginnings, where compassion and hope have been the best antidote to my own mental health struggles,” McMahon said of the song in a statement.
“The biggest lesson I’ve had in this chapter of my life is the value of a gentle and loving relationship with myself, no matter what. When I went for a walk and listened to it I started crying, feeling like a choir of hopeful voices could see me struggling and they had my back. I realised I’d been writing the song I needed to hear.”
‘Saturn Returning’ marks McMahon’s first new original music since she released debut album Salt in 2019. The following year, she released Piano Salt, an EP containing stripped back piano versions of songs from the album.
Further Reading
Angie McMahon Takes On An ABBA Classic For Triple J’s ‘Like A Version’
Tyne-James Organ Returns with First New Single in Two Years, Announces Tour
