Madame Psychosis Celebrates Freedom from Heartbreak in Soul-stirring Rock Ballad “Hopeless”
Toronto, ON-based alt-rock and indie pop band Madame Psychosis is welcoming the New Year with the release of their single, “Hopeless,” a powerful track that explores the journey of overcoming heartbreak and embracing newfound freedom. “Hopeless” was recorded at Union Sound Company and Raventape Music Room in Toronto and mixed by Alex Gamble.
With a powerful chorus, strong vocal harmonies, and a rousing climax, “Hopeless” paints a vivid picture of the pain and strength that come with moving on from a relationship. The song’s chorus, “I’m no longer hopeless, no longer blaming myself for the fall, no longer building up all of these walls,” echoes the sentiment of breaking free from the chains of self-doubt and finding empowerment within. It captures the essence of resilience and self-discovery, serving as a reminder that strength can be found in vulnerability and that healing is possible after heartache.
“I wanted to delve deep into heartbreak but I also wanted it to be a redemption song that speaks to the ability to grow from wrenching pain and the disheartening moments we all inevitably experience in life,” says Michelle Mondesir, the band’s lead singer and lyricist. “The ideas of loss run throughout the song, including the loss of the person you loved, loss of parts of yourself, and the loss of hopes and dreams for a future that seemed irreversibly attached to a now failed relationship.”
“Hopeless” marries the band’s foundational alt-pop and indie rock sound with elements of soul and gospel. What starts as a raw, stripped-down first verse builds into a passionate crescendo that marks the emotional peak of the song. The accompanying music video, which is set to release in February, promises a visually captivating experience that complements the song’s depth.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Sure thing, and thanks for having us on Canadian Beats. We’re Madame Psychosis – a five-piece indie rock band from Toronto. We’re often asked, “who do you sound like?” and it’s really tough to answer. Our influence comes from 90s alt-rock acts, R&B artists, and everything in between. If you listen to our music you’ll hear it all: rock, pop, a bit of soul, and even a little punk. Check out our songs “Kapow” and “Concrete Streets”. Those will give you a good sample of our sound. We love performing live and can’t wait to meet new fans at our shows.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
We’re very excited about “Hopeless” because it’s so different from anything we’ve released before. It features our characteristic alt-pop and indie-rock sound, but we’ve sprinkled in a little soul. The result is a slow-burner that starts with a raw, stripped-down first verse and builds into an epic climax featuring what we’ve described as Purple Rain-like guitar. Lyrically, “Hopeless” explores the journey of overcoming heartbreak and embracing newfound freedom. It’s basically a breakup song and a redemption song all at once.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
This has been a very consistent process for us during the nearly ten years we’ve been a band. Bret, our guitar player, will introduce a chord progression, melody, or riff. Sometimes it’s fairly developed with a general song structure and other times it’s more of a concept that we develop together. We’ll all work on our own parts individually and jam at rehearsals to make sure the sum of all parts makes sense. Once we have a foundation, Michelle will come up with lyrics and a vocal melody. It’s actually a very organic process. Eventually, we get to a place where we’re ready to introduce it to our producer, Alex Gamble, who will provide feedback that we can integrate before we get into the studio. Since joining the band last spring, Paul has also introduced a few songs. We’re excited about the dynamic this adds to our process.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
We definitely have a few tricks up our sleeves for “Hopeless”. We’re releasing a music video in February that we just shot at a cottage not too long ago, as well as a lyric video and a slew of other content that we’ll be pushing on our socials. Before you know it we’ll be focusing on another release that’s slated for March. Spoiler alert: it’s completely different from “Hopeless” and we’re very excited about putting it out into the world. In fact we’re aiming on a new single every 6-8 weeks leading up to our album release this fall. We’re also working on a lineup of shows to support all of this new music. There is a lot for fans to look forward to this year, no doubt!
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
This is such a hard question to answer! There are so many and we don’t take any of them for granted. The answer is probably different for each member, but the one that really sticks out is when we released “Kapow” from our album Survivor. That song just gets the people going. It got some love around the world with solid reactions from writers and playlist curators and continues to do so to this day. Playing on national TV and performing at Canadian Music Week deserve honourable mentions, as do our gigs at The Opera House and Lee’s Palace, two iconic venues in Toronto.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Oh man, where do we start? The first band that comes to mind is Altered by Mom. We got the chance to see them recently and they blew us away. The dynamic between the two singers definitely stood out. “Waiting On a Sign That’s Already There” is an amazing track. We also highly recommend Lost In Japan, Weekend Goodbye, and Skye Wallace, who is loved by everyone in the band. We got to open for her during her most recent tour and it was an absolute blast.