The expectation to be perfect starts young, as noticed by eighteen-year-old Maddy Low in her new single, Dragons.

By Graeme Smith

“Dragons is about the feeling you get when you’re drowning in your own unhealthy need to do everything yourself,” says Maddy. “It deals with the struggles of perfectionism and the way it feels like no-one can help you.”

Mastered by Jamal Ruhe (Phoebe Bridgers’ Waiting Room), it’s heart-breaking in its simplicity. A gentle acoustic guitar refrain accompanies Low’s emotive vocals in the opening verse. Striking, poetic imagery in the lyrics captivate. Things then end big and cathartic.

Maddy Low’s music first featured on our blog in June 2025 with a sound that I described as being akin to Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Lucy Dacus, and Laura Marling. The bittersweet To be near was impressive. Dragons goes one step further.

The single is out now, and you can listen to it below.