Maddie Medley Releases WHITTLE Single And Video Ahead Of FAWN'S ENEMY

Maddie Medley has released the defiant new single 'Whittle' alongside a music video that expands the world introduced in last month's 'Maybe in Your House' video. 'Don't whittle me down if you don't want me sharp,' Maddie sings as she finds herself trapped in a play controlled by a character named Teardrop, an antagonist whose name is an anagram for 'predator.' The song is from her debut full-length album Fawn's Enemy, which is out on September 25 via Soundly Music / Thirty Tigers.

Maddie has also announced a special Nashville album release show at The Basement on September 26.

''Whittle' is all about self-preservation and self-acceptance; I wrote it during a time that I was truly realizing that my life was mine and mine only, and I wanted to protect that with everything in me,' explains Maddie. 'So the video explores the question of 'Why betray my own lush inner world to perform - or fawn - for someone that doesn't understand me anyways?' In it, I'm trapped inside of a play under the control of Teardrop. The fawn characters are helping me find my voice, my autonomy, and once Teardrop vanishes, I'm able to fully experience the joy of that lush inner world.'

Maddie Medley co-produced Fawn's Enemy with her partner Luke Krutzke over eighteen months, recording between Tennessee, Kansas City, and their home in Denver. Rather than focus on polish and perfection, they emphasized performances that were as raw as the lyrics themselves and incorporated the warm, woody textures of mandolin, fiddle, bouzouki, upright bass, and acoustic guitar. At the center of Fawn's Enemy is Maddie's voice: an instrument that sounds like it was ripped out of a previous decade, blurring the lines between folk, moody pop, country, and jazz-inflected phrasing.

Raised in Nashville and now based in Denver, Maddie signed with a major-label at just 20 years old and released her debut Dave Cobb-produced EP Coming of Age, Pt. 1 in 2020. She toured with artists including Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Brent Cobb and Adia Victoria and garnered praise from FLOOD, American Songwriter and NPR's World Café, who called her voice 'commanding and exhilarating, with a refreshing lyrical directness.' But after just three years she left her label, frustrated with an industry that seemed to champion commerce over craft.

Fawn's Enemy was born in the time since, when Maddie learned to speak for herself and found her own voice. The album is named for the 'fawn response' and introduces the world of Fawn's Forest, a place where memory, melody, rage, and resilience all share the same landscape. Made for the hushed hours that bookend a day, this is a quiet record whose message won't be silenced. It speaks softly, but with unwavering conviction. Because Fawn's Enemy understands that vulnerability and strength often arrive together, and that returning to yourself can be the most adventurous journey of all.

Fawn's Enemy Tracklist

1. ★★★ (Dan and Me)

2. Dawn

3. I Can't Even Touch Myself

4. Maybe In Your House

5. Fawn's Rage (album version)

6. Rocky Loves Whitney

7. Hills

8. This All Used To Be Woods

9. Whittle

Photo Credit: Caleb Hoh

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