Maddy Hellstrom: A Sophomore In Life
Like poets that surmise with their favourite lines, musicians and music nerds alike are guilty of turning to their microcosm of chords, melody and words to describe to someone how they feel. Both types of people are also prone to metaphors, and there are plenty of those in Maddy Hellstrom’s new single ‘Sophomore’.
Image Credit: rlyblonde.
It’s no surprise Maddy Hellstrom falls into the category of music nerd herself. She’s been a guitarist since she was a child and played in various bands almost as long. Her influences leaned more towards rock growing up, with Eddie Van Halen’s style having a big impact. In her late-teens, Maddy’s own music style evolved to metal and progressive, Hellstrom forming a trio around the latter. With session work and teaching under her belt before turning twenty, it was her dynamic guitar work on Pacing’s ‘Aliens’ single that first alerted us to Maddy in early 2023.
For the past couple of years, Hellstrom has been pulling fans in on her socials by posting short clips of original music, leaving them wondering ‘When are these songs coming out?’. She was teasing parts of her debut single ‘Fig Trees’ almost a year before its release in March 2025, followed up by ‘Avalon’ in July. Maddy’s music demonstrates tight interplay between her guitar performances and their rhythmic counterparts – this trend continues for her latest single ‘Sophomore’.
‘Like a Sophomore LP, can we expand and fine tune?’
‘Sophomore’ is straight in with Maddy’s vocal and acoustic guitar and you get the sense this is how the song began its life in black and white before it bursts into colour. The multitude of drums and percussion are lovingly layered by producer Christian Medice, who is the perfect complement to Hellstrom’s rapid-fire strumming on electric. The detail these musicians infuse into ‘Sophomore’ is so great, it’s impossible to digest every moment in one listen. The dip into Spanish territory, the interplay between drum fills and acoustic guitar in the verses, the light organ in moments that gently lift the track.
Thematically, Maddy writes from the perspective of a music nerd who seeks to rekindle a love by likening it to artists writing a second album with greater experience. The artwork ties in with Hellstrom’s themes of university study – the verses describe a college professor and the dean’s daughter. The experience of a sophomore is not so naïve as a freshman.
‘Pride and prowess, hand in hand like strife and malice.’
Wordplay is a defining characteristic of Hellstrom’s lyricism, even her short clips on social media demonstrate it in action, ‘Like a nineties one-hit wonder, you have stolen my sunshine,’ (TikTok, 15-10-2024). It’s true that many commenting on these videos liken Maddy’s music to Paul Simon’s, a similarity that’s not untrue pre-Graceland. But it’s the playing style on that album that’s closer to hers than the lyricism – all thanks to the African musicians hand-picked to play on that record. Maddy cites the African style of music known as soukous as a strong influence, originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This can be heard in ‘Sophomore’ with the track’s tempo, time signature and high fretboard lead guitar styling. That bright major key doesn’t hurt either!
‘Sophomore’ is a glistening swim through a sunny pool of sound, of optimism and possibility, a daring peek over the library book across the room and hoping that other person is looking back. A fine example to all the freshmen.
Continue reading for our Q&A with Maddy Hellstrom. We ask about the origins of ‘Sophomore’ and working with Christian Medice. We incorrectly identify a guitar and Maddy gives us a couple of great sophomore LPs to listen to. All this and more below!
Image Credit: rlyblonde.
1. Beginning with the opening lyric in your notebook, how did your new single 'Sophomore' expand from there in terms of the writing process? What sparked that original line?
The intro line is about asking someone to give things a second shot romantically, through a simile only true music nerd, Anthony Fantano subscriber types of people can appreciate. Wanting a round 2 with an ex partner is pretty relatable, and I liked the comparison of ‘expanding upon’ and ‘fine tuning’ an old relationship, like a really good follow up record. Tying in university themes felt natural, riffing off the word ‘sophomore’, and the rest of the song practically wrote itself. I love when that happens.
2. You worked with Christian Medice on the production of this single, what was that experience like?
We made this one the first session we had together, and the creative chemistry was insane. Christian has an extensive background in percussion which really shines here; the instrumental is so full and lush. I was so glad to have found someone that shares in my love for West African soukouss styles of music! He really nails those grooves. He’s my favorite drummer and I’ve never even seen him behind a real kit, just know he’s got chops.
Image Credit: rlyblonde.
3. I feel like cheering when I hear that solo - what's your approach to composing a solo? Is it all improvisation and later refinement?
I believe it was Adam Neely that said “repetition legitimizes”, I apply this to all my solos. Once I had the first half, I knew I had the second half too! Guitar is where I specialize as I’d been playing for years before transitioning into songwriting. I try to be very self aware of any overplaying or not serving the song- this solo felt like just the right amount of showing off.
4. I see the red Strat in a lot of your videos, tell us about that guitar, what makes this the right guitar for your music?
It’s definitely not a strat lol it’s actually a squier mini! I like having a starter guitar I can toss around a little, something that can be loved thoroughly and worn in without guilt. Different guitars also signify different eras of my life, so my les paul moment peaked around 2017 playing classic rock gigs, the pink jaguar had a killer run in my old prog band, and now I do everything with the red squier. I’m thinking I’ll need something of a higher caliber for gigging now though. I’m sure someone will endorse me.
Image Credit: rlyblonde.
5. The photoshoot for this single is great, where did you get all the books? Were there any funny moments from that day?
That day was such a blast. I think the books were rented from a library in Brooklyn. They were super old and dusty and falling apart which definitely added to the aesthetic but flared up my allergies lol. The funniest moments were when the book piles kept falling. We worked so hard to stand them up and position them just right. Gravity was against us that day. They actually fell ON me which is so funny now looking back but in the moment I felt very diva like ‘how dare these books fall on ME’.
6. Music outlets are usually all about the debut albums, what's a great sophomore LP you think doesn't get enough love?
‘Rooty’ Basement Jaxx and Primus ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese’.
7. Over the summer, you put out 'Avalon' and 'Fig Trees', what was it like working with Nana Lourdes on those tracks?
Nana is incredible! We worked fully remote since she’s in Portugal, and I would get so excited every time she sent me an updated bounce.
She reimagines my songs instrumentally in ways I would never expect, and it’s a true delight every time.
8. I actually first heard about you from your playing on 'Aliens' by Pacing, which I loved. What's the story behind your involvement with that track?
I love Pacing and loved playing on that track. We had been friends online for a while before this collaboration. She’s such a great songwriter that even her email newsletters are hooky. ‘Aliens’ is super underrated in her discography.
9. There are so many clips of music on your social media, are these songs on their way? What can you tell us about what's coming next?
You can expect to hear a lot of them in full before the year ends. I’m really proud of the visual content that is to come as well. To see these songs brought to life from my bedroom to a fully produced idea has been a dream come true. I have the best team ever. I can’t wait to show you the songs in their entirety- clips don’t do them justice!
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Maddy Hellstrom’s music can be found in all the usual places.
Follow Maddy on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook @maddyhellstrom.
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